Emmy winner Kristos Andrews chatted with the Hellenic News of America’s Markos Papadatos about tackling the twin character roles of Pete Garrett and Adam Kenway in the 19-time Emmy award-winning series “The Bay,” created by showrunner Gregori J. Martin.
French poet, journalist, and novelist Anatole France once said: “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” A talented individual who embodies this wise quotation is Kristos Andrews.
Andrews won the 2020 Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Digital Drama Series,” as well as for “Outstanding Directing Team” along with showrunner Gregori J. Martin, and the Emmy for “Outstanding Digital Drama Series,” where he served as an executive producer. “I am extremely grateful,” he said.
“I never take a win for granted simply because it’s happened before, and it feels like the first time all over again, especially since the work continues to become a whole new ball game each year to continually rise to with sincere passion. I am thankful to have great material to work with and to be surrounded by great people,” he said.
Andrews holds the record as the youngest to win 10 Emmy Awards in the digital drama categories, which is quite an impressive milestone.
He opened up about life during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It has its ups and downs but I can’t complain,” he admitted. “I didn’t realize how much can still be accomplished virtually or remotely. I am also thankful to have been filming, given how hard it is overall, and how fortunate it is to have gotten by as well as it’s been with the safety protocol we’ve been using.”
When asked if he developed any new skills during the quarantine, he responded, “I’ve also been writing more, as the introspective has been strong lately. Also, new ideas seem to be flowing in and the least I can do is write them down. I’ve been doing all kinds of research, as the world is changing day by day and I want to strengthen my foresight in it. On a more simple note, I’ve learned all kinds of swimming moves and dog petting styles.”
On playing the roles of Adam Kenway and Pete Garrett in Episodes 9 and 10 this season, he said, “As far as the Pete and Adam twin roles, at first I was against the idea. I just thought it would be such a risk for cheesiness if it wasn’t pulled off in a certain raw and real enough way. It wasn’t my idea, and I guess my feelings initially were self-critical.”
“Anyway, the role happened to be recast three times, since for one reason or another the actors had conflicts and what not, and things seemed just to be down to the wire here. So, it came down to Gregori as the head writer just asking me to do it, and Wendy and the writing team being all for it, and they had more confidence in me than I did,” he said.
Andrews continued, “So, after some time of kicking it around I felt I would be a poor sport not to rise to this occasion, even if it leads to it being a mistake, it would still be no mistake at heart to have tried to honor Gregori and the team’s wishes in this case. I’m thankful that Gregori and the writers did a good job with the material, and allowed me to do my thing with it the way it felt Adam could best exist.”
“I am so thankful that the fan response has been so positive, about Adam beyond what I could have ever imagined, to begin with. In fact, a lot of people are saying they like me as Adam even better than Pete now. Talk about turning a new leaf,” he added.
He also shared his experience doing the powerhouse mirror scene (where the audience got to see both Adam Kenway and Pete Garrett) in the ninth episode of Season 6, which Digital Journal hailed as “mesmerizing.”
“I always enjoy playing Pete, and experiencing all he goes through with all things hardship, passion and heartfelt,” he said. “With Adam, it took some searching around to find some darker or perhaps ignored disdain which exists in any essence; in a sense turning over all the leaves, and garnering up what I could to use as a seed for Adam, and then using the adventurous imagination to fill in the rest.”
“Meanwhile, I had to get the accent down, in an intellectual yet raw sweet spot of the British dialect, in which there’s a particular spectrum to stay keen to. Switching gears from Pete to Adam and then back to Pete, throughout the shoot, took some mental agility and I should say mostly, agility at heart,” he said.
He elaborated, “Contrary to the idea of playing Adam taking a toll on me as a person, I approached the role to treat it to the best of my ability as a form of a cleanse. To look around and find any lingering frustrations or anger, and to emphasize it dramatically, give the voice fully to these feelings, and therefore thoroughly render the feelings’ existences heard and fulfilled, I could then after, rightfully discard the energy.”
“I enjoy adventure, and beyond any physical adventure, is what one can do within their own mind and heart, and then come out of it with a clearer footing,” he added.
Andrews also spoke about the upcoming digital drama series yA, which will be released in 2021. “I am sworn to secrecy about most of the details but it’s coming out great,” he said.
“The show embraces solid truths about what it means to be a young adult in the modern time we live in, consisting of exponential growth in technology, new societal trends, social media influence, and how to navigate around the pitfalls therein. I directed it with Gregori J. Martin and had a blast,” he elaborated.
“The D’Ambrosio twins did great, as did Dante and the rest of the cast,” he said. “I’m also happy that Gregori and Wendy Riche wrote in Pete Garrett as the crossover character who manages to offer some guidance and protection. It’s currently in post-production to be released in 2021.”
For Andrews, the 10th anniversary of The Bay was a “very gratifying” experience. “An overnight success takes about 10 years. There is no story quite like that of The Bay, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of something so special,” he said.
Regarding his daily motivations, he said, “The well being of family and good friends, having inspiring work to tread forward with, new ideas, good shows and movies, and continuing the responsibility to pay attention to whatever intuitive nudges come along in the process of life.”
On the commonalities that he sees among champions, he said, “Champions are less defined by memories of the past than they are a vision of the future. Champions know failure is merely experiential guidance toward the peak of success. Champions will do today what others skip, so that tomorrow, they can do what others cannot.”
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he responded, “A Deep Breath.”
For his loyal fans and supporters, he expressed his sincere appreciation. “Thank you for the meaningful support and thank you for being here with me along for the ride,” he said.
On his definition of the word success, Andrews concluded, “The word success is no more about what one can achieve as a badge or statement than it is what one can achieve in the level of growth at heart.”
Season 6 of The Bay is available for streaming on Popstar! TV.
Andrews was recently spotlighted on “The Donna Drake Show” on CBS New York hosted by two-time Telly award-winning host Donna Drake.
To learn more about The Bay, check out its official website, and follow the show on Instagram, Facebook, and on Twitter.
For more information on Kristos Andrews, follow him on Instagram.
