Poliquin portrays the character, Forbrick, the Lee helmsman on a U.S. Navy destroyer, opposite Tom Hanks’ Commander Ernest Krause, in the World War II naval drama Greyhound, directed by Aaron Schneider, which is available for streaming on July 10 on Apple TV+. “It was incredible. Definitely the best experience of my life so far,” he said. “Playing opposite Tom Hanks was a dream come true. In three months, Tom Hanks taught me more than I learned in any acting class I ever went to.”
He also plays the role of Indo, the comical pothead in the sci-fi thriller Project Power, which is slated for release in August premiering on Netflix. Project Power was directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, and it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Foxx, and Machine Gun Kelly. “It was so awesome. Actually the same casting director from Greyhound also put me in Project Power. I have some really funny lines in it,” he said.
Poliquin also portrays Brian, a cancer patient opposite Jessica Rothe in the romantic dramedy All My Life, which will be released later year on Universal. “To be honest, people will find a Notebook vibe to it. I really feel that way,” he said. “My character is technically not based on reality. The movie is a true story about Jenn Carter’s life, and she told me that my character is one of her favorite characters in the film.”
On being an actor in the digital age, Poliquin said, “It is getting weird. As actors, our biggest dream is for people to see our work on the big screen to experience it for the cinematic appeal. The digital age is not too bad since it is getting more people to see our films.”
A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Poliquin began his entertainment career as a touring musician (guitarist and singer) in the rock group Henry the Fifth. While he still performs with the band, his primary focus is acting. “Music is pretty awesome, and now after the Greyhound trailer, my music is getting more attention,” he said. “I have always been touring the country on my own time and with money out of my own pocket. My biggest goal is to make music that will help people get through a tough day.”
His first break was as a featured background player on the TV series American Horror Story, where he was encouraged to pursue acting by fellow actors Evan Peters and Kathy Bates. “Evan Peters became a friend of mine on the set. He was really cool, and he was my mom’s favorite actor at the time, and I am sure he still is. Thank you to Evan Peters for believing in me,” he said, effusively. “That was really awesome. They were really nice people.”
Poliquin made his feature starring debut in #FollowFriday, where he played a college nerd that develops a website for amateur local detectives, becoming one himself on the track of a serial killer. He has also written, produced, and directed two independent feature films.
He concluded about Greyhound, “I hope people get inspired by this film, especially with what we are going through today. I hope they feel empowered after they watch the movie.”
Poliquin defined the word success via a Maya Angelou quote: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” “Success is not about the money or the fame, it’s about liking what you do every day and being happy,” he said.
To learn more about actor Joseph Poliquin, check out his IMDb page, and follow him on Instagram.
