Interview: YOUNGER's Dan Amboyer Talks Returning to Hit Series in New Role (SPOILER ALERT!)

When TV Land's YOUNGER returns for its third season premiere on September 28th, fans will no doubt be clamoring around their TVs, eagerly awaiting the outcome of Liza's life (and love!)-changing decision. As avid viewers can recall, she and her boss shared a kiss toward the end of last season's finale, before her younger ex-boyfriend showed up on her stoop, announcing his decision to take her back. But while we're all caught up in the struggle of choosing between #TeamJosh and #TeamCharles, we cannot forget the other key contributors to the hit sitcom's male roster: Thad and Chad - and the man who effortlessly brings them both to life: Dan Amboyer.

Born and raised in Detroit, MI, Amboyer has enjoyed a diverse career in a variety of roles in theatre and film. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Amboyer drew from his past roles and experiences in classical theatre to nab roles that contrasted so drastically with his Midwestern persona. Referencing his turn as Prince William in Hallmark Channel's 2011 film, WILLIAM AND CATHERINE: A ROYAL ROMANCE, he says, "I don't know anything about being a royal child. But I have played Shakespearian kings.... I've studied the accent, and... [I] can understand this world, so, in that [way], I was prepared to play these roles." (In the case of Prince William, Amboyer even beat out proper English actors up for the part!)

He went through a similar creative process while auditioning for his role on YOUNGER. Pulling from the movement exercises he trained with in his theatre classes, "I kept asking myself, 'what animal would [Thad] be? What color would he be?'" (Needless to say, it worked!)

Throughout his 20's, he continued on this path - his mature looks and taller stature afforded him the opportunity to play roles that didn't necessarily match up with his real age. And sure, the other side of that coin is that he missed out on other age-appropriate parts ("SPRING AWAKENING had just started when I graduated," he recalls. "I was literally 21, and they're like, "Nope. You're too old!"), but he insists he's not bitter.

Of course, he has no reason to be - at least, judging from his success on television. Not only is he working with his idol, series creator Darren Starr, but he's been gifted once again with a role much different than himself. "Thad was the complete opposite of me," Amboyer states, when asked why he was attracted to playing the "Wall Street, bro-ey douchebag" (his words). "He was always an acting challenge, which was fun."

It helped, too, that the cast was gung-ho from the get-go. Recalling his reaction during the show's first table read, he says, "It really came alive in such a special way. There was a great energy between the cast [members] and Darren's sensibility and comic sense. [It felt like] the show at new life breathed into it." When speaking about how the cast has gotten along since, he couldn't be more appreciative or complimentary. "It's been such a great experience for me," he continues. "It feel like you're with a group of old friends and family," each bringing "an energy that broadens the show" with every episode.

Which is most likely why it was all the more saddening for Amboyer, when the writers "threw [us] a curveball," and Thad suffered an unfortunate "death by beam."

"When you're the guy inside of a character and you've lived with it for almost two years" -the time span of shooting the pilot through shooting his demise - "you're always a bit defensive about the character, and you want to root for the character you're playing," Amboyer states, on the subject. Though he acknowledges "there's a little validation that the guy got a bit of what was coming to him," nonetheless, "it's hard to see a character that you've lived with for [so long] die."

But while Thad is indeed gone forever, YOUNGER's in no way done with Amboyer - as introduced in last season's finale, he'll be back in a new role for Season 3: Chad, the shy and sensitive counterpart to his "aggressive and outspoken" twin brother.

"I was completely shocked," Amboyer says, recalling the moment when he first heard the news. "Again, Thad was a big acting challenge for me [but] the big acting challenge now became how to play a twin without being shtick-y or creating something that felt unbelievable, and [to] try to be simple and truthful as possible, while still trying to be a completely different person."

It wasn't just a challenge for him; it also posed some difficulty for his co-stars. "I remember in the second season finale, there's a scene where I have a quick kiss with Hilary [Duff, who plays Kelsey, Thad's ex-fiancé], and the day we were filming it, she was like, 'I don't know why this feels so strange. We've kissed so many times before, but all of a sudden, you just feel like a different person.' All of a sudden, I felt a distance between us, as if [we were] re-discovering each other in a weird way."

But fortunately, that discomfort settled quickly, and Amboyer jumped right in to filming with his second family, which includes the writers who consistently hit us viewers with twists and turns as only they can do. And Amboyer teases that this season will be no different - in fact, lest you think last season's penultimate episode was a shocker, he urges you to prepare yourself for a "big reveal" in regards to Chad, adding only that "[it's] a surprise you would never see coming."

In addition, he also confirms he'll be back live-tweeting the show when he can, stating he'd never miss the opportunity to connect with fans: "If I were growing up and I had access to talk to an actor and have a conversation, I would've loved that." In regards to tweeting with YOUNGER fans specifically, he says, "I think it's pretty cool to have a dialogue [with fans] about the show and characters and situations. I just love engaging with them and sharing with them another side of me, and another side of being an actor."

But it's not just his tweeting duties keeping him busy; in addition to his work on the sitcom, Amboyer has another exciting venture in the works. Come October, he'll play a collegiate English professor in the off-Broadway premiere of A. R. Gurney's SQUASH, a project he's excited about for personal reasons. "I did [Gurney's] play THE DINING ROOM when I was in middle school," he shares. "He's someone that I've always admired and I'm so excited to do this play." According to press notes, SQUASH tells a remarkable story about the fluidity of sexuality on a college campus in the '70's before gender was upended. Adds Amboyer: "It's an interesting topic worthy of being discussed today."

But 'til then, you can watch him Wednesdays on TV Land palling around with the friendly cast, a group about which he just can't say enough: "[Being] on YOUNGER is great because you're with the same actors and writers and producers. It feels like a family. The characters evolve over seasons, but it's still the same group of people around you physically.... unless, of course," he says with a laugh, "your character gets killed off."

Catch Amboyer as Chad on TV Land's YOUNGER, premiering its third season on September 28th at 10 PM, and as Dan (no, really!!) in SQUASH at the Flea Theater (41 White Street, NY, NY) from Oct. 10-Nov. 21.

Matt Smith is a writer and theatre enthusiast based in New York. For more information or further inquiry, including additional writing samples, please visit mattsmiththeatre.com.

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