PORTLAND, Maine — When the NBC action-packed drama “Odyssey” premieres April 5, followers of the Maine theater scene may recognize a familiar face.
Matthew Delamater, who recently appeared on the Space Gallery stage with theater collective Lorem Ipsum, landed a role as an activist in this high-stakes military conspiracy show.
“It was my biggest production,” said Delamater, who was tapped for the role of Russell, an Occupy Wall Street-like activist who’s trying to determine if female soldier Sgt. Odelle Ballard, shot down by drones in Africa, is still alive.
Created by Peter Horton of Grey’s Anatomy, the show could be a launching pad for the 34-year-old.
“This was my first gig in a big deal show, you never know what they are going to ask of you on set,” said Delamater.
Delameter, who also hosts the web series Local Brew.TV, was ready when the call came last spring.
“They were calling men in with long hair and a beard. I guess I look like a protester activist,” he said.
Though the handsome lad with penetrating eyes has never engaged in organized group opposition, “nothing to the level of the commitment as the Occupy movement,” he learned fast.
To prep for the role he watched TV and YouTube videos of activists in action. “As an actor you want to be believable, you want to be real. You want to have as many choices at the ready as you can,” he said.
Speaking of choices, it would be easier for Delamater to pursue acting in Manhattan, or even Los Angeles, but the Oxford native is settled in Maine, where his roots are strong.
“I have a mortgage and family and love the culture we have created in Maine. In order to uproot I would have to give up a lot,” said Delamater, who lives in Portland with his wife, a wedding photographer.
“It’s probably not 100 percent ideal, but I want to do this because I love it and want to work with people who make me better and spend my time in a way I’m excited about.”
As a professional actor living in Maine, “you have to wear a lot of different hats. I went to school for finance and English and am a banker in my day job,” said Delamater.
His first live performance was at age 24 in “The Music Man” at Oxford Hills Music and Performing Arts Association. “I was a salesman on a train,” he says. “I was always passionate about performing, it seemed like a blast.”
This is a big year for Delamater. He also has a role in “Tumbledown,” a film set in Maine and written by Portland resident Desiree Van Til and directed by her husband Sean Mewshaw.
He plays the brother of actress Rebecca Hall, the lead. Director Mewshaw says that Matt’s background made him a good fit for the role.
“I hoped Matt’s genuine Maine roots would help ground the actors around him in the warmth and sincerity of the rural Maine family they were playing,” said Mewshaw, who directed Delamater in “Tumbledown.” “I know him to be dedicated to his craft and practically fearless, so I trusted that I could throw him into scenes with experienced actors such as Blythe Danner and he would be able to rise to the challenge.”
A release date for the film hasn’t been announced yet.
