Actor on the rise Joe Daru played Division One Baseball in college and represented the Thai Baseball National team in the Asian Games in 2014 and 2018.
If that wasn’t enough Joe, aged just 24, moved to LA to pursue a career in acting. He has also become a brilliant stuntman that has given voice to his athleticism.
Joe is making waves in television, especially now as he can be seen lighting up the screen as Detective Danjarat alongside Amanda Seyfried in the outstanding police crime drama, LONG BRIGHT RIVER.
Over the Shoulder was lucky to chat with Joe, all the way from London to the capital of Hollywood, L.A.
Congratulations on your new show Long Bright River, playing Detective Danjarat. How did you prepare for Detective Danjarat and was there anything unique about the character that drew you to the role?
I did the audition in February and then I started working on the show in April.
The detective is a straightforward, no-nonsense type of guy. I feel like a lot of the parts I play are a cop or law enforcement roles, so tone-wise I feel like I understand that well in terms of being direct. My dad worked for the government for a while, so everyone always says I give out law enforcement vibes.
I read the script and then just tried to understand where the storylines were going to go which is important, especially when you have a bigger role. The characters start to have a little bit more layers to them compared to going on a show and doing one day. It was a lot of fun. I had a blast.
How was it working with Amanda Seyfried and the rest of the cast?
She’s so down to earth and the easiest person to work with. She’s not high maintenance at all. I feel like when you’re on a show, everyone kind of feeds off whoever is at the top.
Nikki Toscano was our showrunner, she’s super down to earth too and because Amanda is very kind and talks to everybody, I feel the other actors feed off that.
The material on this was dark stuff. Murders, drugs, people going missing, but it did not feel like that. Everyone was happy and very positive on set.
Were there any memorable moments on set?
One day there was a solar eclipse happening. Around midday Amanda said that she thought everyone should be able to see it.
Amanda said, ‘Let’s take a break. This happens very rarely; everyone should be able to watch it!”
We took a 45-minute break to go outside. They gave everyone the little glasses so you wouldn’t crush your eyes, and we all had so much fun.
Everyone was just hanging out in the middle of the day watching the sun disappear for 20 seconds.
I think the prime spot to see the eclipse was in Ohio, so we were not too far away in New York. It was cool. It was my first time experiencing it.
Normally on a film set they’re so regimented in their schedule, so to get a 40-minute break in the middle of the day is rare.
Which one of the cast members broke character the most?
I would say pretty much all my scenes were at the police station where it’s a lot of information giving. I would say there wasn’t a whole bunch of breaking character in terms of us guys. We were setting up the storyline, so we had to concentrate on that.
When did your love for acting first start and was it a slow burn?
I was playing baseball my whole life and I thought I would go to the major leagues and make a ton of money and play forever. That was my dream since I was five years old.
I never really thought much of acting, but looking back now as a kid I used to make little home movies with my brother and my parents. In eighth grade, I remember I was going to an International School in Thailand and there was a filmmaking class.
I used to make short films with my friends. We used to edit them on iMovie, and I remember that being one of my favourite classes, although my focus was still baseball.
I used to mess around with my teammates all the time. They would just have no idea whether I was serious or joking. I felt like I could fool some people.
So, perhaps it was inevitable I was going to give an acting career a shot. I moved out to LA and then every year has gotten better and better. I learn a little bit more and I meet more people, and I would say since COVID it’s been pretty good.
You have experience working as a stuntman. How do you feel about there now being an Oscar category recognising this work?
I think it’s fantastic. I know it’s something that stunt performers have been pushing for a while. I think stunts are a huge part of films.
It takes a lot of work, a lot of creativity, a lot of planning. It is awesome. It’s about time. It’s a huge part of the creative world and I think it’s a huge win.
I know a ton of people who have poured their heart and souls into it, so it’s great they can contribute to a film or a project and be recognized for it.
What is a recent film or show that you have been obsessed with?
I’ve been watching The Studio and Your Friends and Neighbours on Apple TV. Those are two good shows. I just went to an FYC (For Your Consideration event) yesterday for this show called, High Potential.
I liked it. I think that it might be the next show I’m going to investigate.
There’s so much stuff out now that sometimes when I’m scrolling there are so many options that I can’t find anything!
You played Division 1 College Baseball; do you still ever play for fun and what was your experience like representing the Thai national team in the Asian Games 2014 and 2018?
It was amazing. Playing with the Thai team was some of the best experiences I’ve had playing baseball. My moms from Thailand so getting to represent Thailand was a dream come true and the ability to play in international competitions and travel the world playing baseball was the best thing ever.
I don’t play baseball like that anymore. I play softball. It’s like for old people!
Are there any other sports than baseball that you like and did being an elite sportsman help in any way becoming an actor?
I enjoy watching American football and golf is great too. I play golf, so I have an appreciation for when they hit the ball well, because that’s exactly what I want to do, and I do not do consistently enough on the golf course.
I do watch quite a bit of baseball.
I would say playing sports has helped kind of shaped my values and build up my character. In terms of work ethic, focus and dedication to something, these are skills that were built up from playing sports.
Playing sports has geared me up to always trying to find the right attitude to perform the best that I can.
You have lived in so many different places (Laos, Florida, Barbados). Do you have a favourite?
I feel like each place was good for the age I was there. I was born in Thailand.
We were in Laos from when I was two, three years old and then we moved to Hawaii. I started preschool there and that’s when I starting to play a little bit of baseball.
Hawaii is very family oriented so that was a cool place to be. We then moved to Barbados which is very laid back. We moved back to Hawaii, and then we moved to Fort Lauderdale from when I was 8 to 12.
I feel like that was the perfect age to be there and it was a great environment for me and my family to be in.
We then moved back to Thailand, and I lived two years there, which was fantastic because I really got to touch base with my Thai roots.
I went boarding for high school in Florida, mainly for baseball. It was very competitive and then I went to college in New York.
Now I am based in LA, which I love. The weather’s great, the work is here and there are always activities to do.
I feel like each place was good for me, for the age that I was there.
Is there a favourite baseball player that you have always looked up too?
There’s a guy named Juan Pierre. He’s a left-handed hitter. He was a speed guy, and he was the type of player who would be the first to show up and the last one to leave. He did all the little things right and was always in the right position.
He did not have the strongest arm, was not the most powerful but he was the hardest worker. He was respected by all his peers, and as a kid I always gravitated towards that.
No one’s asked me that question since I was a kid!
Have you ever wanted to do theatre
I haven’t really thought about it that much. I worked on this show called East New York and the director was a theatre director.
He was one of the best directors that I’ve ever worked with. We were chatting and he said, “theatre’s a great form to go and practice and train.”
I think it would be something I’m interested in, but work’s been busy here.
I don’t know if I could just take off four months and commit to it every single day at this point as I am focusing on TV.
Opportunities come out of nowhere often. That’s something to think about though, for sure.
Are there any future projects that you have lined up?
There are a few things that are potentially in the works, mostly in television and then a couple films too hopefully.
Work comes and goes in waves. There will be slow weeks, and then there’ll be times where you think, I can’t breathe without having to memorize a line!
With Joe’s talent and commitment there are sure to be long periods where he must get down to the hard work of memorizing lines, as demand for his work continues to grow.
Over the Shoulder will be looking out for his future projects, which we hope will see him diversify his roles and grow his art so that he can continue to express himself through his acting.
We still want to see him play tough but kind cop roles too though!