Stepping into the shoes of a telepathic child trapped in a sinister institution isn’t something most kids have to imagine—but for Viggo Hanvelt, it was all in a day’s work. As Avery, the powerful but gentle telepath who grows into a reluctant leader in The Institute, he brings sensitivity, strength, and a surprising sense of loyalty to the screen. In this exclusive interview, we sit down with the young star to talk about ping pong battles on set, learning to think like a telepath, and what it takes to bring a Stephen King character to life.
You play a very powerful telepath who is equally sensitive and loyal. What kind of preparation did you do to understand the complex emotions that Avery has to balance?
I mostly just imagined I was Avery to play him the best I could. I also listened to the director.
What kind of direction did Jake Bender and Brad Turner give you?
They would tell me to raise my voice or speak my lines more quickly. They would give me ques like that to make Avery the way he imagined him to be and to make the show as best as possible.
Avery’s bond with Luke is deep and brotherly; he eventually becomes his closest ally. How did you build that dynamic with your co-star, Joe Freeman?
We would play ping pong a lot in between scenes because there was a table on set. We also ran lines together while we waited for our scenes, and I had a lot of scenes with Joe. He was really nice.
As you know, Avery evolves from a scared child to this sort of leader amongst the other kids. What was it like to make that mental transition in your character?
I followed the lines of the book because I read it. I just tried to imitate that as best as I could and it was super hard, but eventually I made it through.
What parts did you find challenging?
I found it challenging to perfectly match how the director wanted Avery to be. Even though I struggled at times but I wasn’t overwhelmed because I had a lot of support on set. How I overcame this was I would look at the scripts and the scenes that I was in over and over, until I completely understood it. Sometimes, the director would make a couple of changes which made some of it easier.
What was it like playing a telepath and was it weird to pretend to have that power?
For telepathy, I basically just imagined there was a conversation in my head. I was literally answering in my head to Luke because I knew what the lines were from the script. I had never done that before but it actually worked pretty well.
How has your experience been as a series regular, for the first time, on such a big show?
What as definitely different was that it was much larger and I got to know the cast much better. They were amazing! I learned that I prefer this type of set over a movie set.
You’ve already worked on nine movies, what is something you’ve learned on set that has shaped you as an actor?
Um, there are tons of things. One lesson that has stuck with me is I’ve learned to know, always, that anything could happen and anything could change. There was one time on a show where I had lines that I had memorized for quite a while. Ten minutes before we shot the scene, the lines were completely changed! I had to learn knew lines in ten minutes and I was seven at the time so I was nervous because I wasn’t as good as remembering lines in scripts as I am now.
Finally, do you have a favorite role you’ve played so far? What made it special for you?
Definitely The Institute! It was such a cool and thrilling show, which I don’t get often.
