From the middle of Nowhere Boys

At just 16 years of age Dougie Baldwin has had a big year.

He’s appeared in two ABC series, Upper Middle Bogan and Nowhere Boys, currently screening on ABC3.

He also appeared in the film The Turning, and says his interest in performing came naturally.

“I’ve just always wanted to be in front of people I suppose, playing guitar with my tennis racket in front of my parents!” he says.

“I was part of an acting group for 5 years doing little plays and theatres, and got told I was ok. So I thought I might try and do it for a living.

“My sister is with the same agent and she put my name in.

“We have a drama coach, Greg, who is fantastic and I’ve had a couple of audition preparation classes, with a coach. But no official training.”

On Nowhere Boys, Baldwin plays Felix the Goth, a polar opposite from the 3 other boys he is paired with on a school excursion in a forest. But after getting the lost, the 4 emerge to discover none of their families and friends remember them.

“He’s the one who’s different to the rest. He’s cynical and kind of broken, due to a bad past. I like to think he’s been stopped in his way having a nice life and then something happened to his brother,” Baldwin explains.

“So he’s not a positive person at the moment.

“He doesn’t fit in. When the boys were put together he was very reluctant, at first.

“He sees them as people who conform and play to people’s egos. Loving popularity. The normal, stereotypical teenager he doesn’t like and he’s grown apart from them.”

Filming Nowhere Boys for Matchbox Pictures was a much different experience to the comedy work in Upper Middle Bogan.

“Upper Middle Bogan was a comedy, but we learned with Drama it’s about playing the situation,” he says.

“The shoot has been exhausting but amazing. My last job I was working with older people so as much as I loved it, it was very intimidating. But now I’m working with the other guys, we all get along. I’ve never laughed so much in one day.”

But while it may be a drama, the four “nowhere boys”, also comprising Matthew Testro, Joel Lok and Rahart Sadiqzai, have been up to their fair share of mischief during filming.

Baldwin puts it down to being a sign of their chemistry.

“We don’t really notice how ridiculous we’re being until the Extras start reacting to us. Then we know ‘Ok that was weird,” he laughs.

“The hardest part has been keeping the energy up. It’s been fun but there are 10 hour days and you have to keep the energy going through the scenes for each take. So that’s something I’ve tried to focus on.”

Despite a strong year of work early in his career, Baldwin isn’t yet settled on the kind of work he wants to do in the future, but he puts Robert Downey Jr and Johnny Depp high on his wish list of dream co-stars. I note that both are eclectic, intense performers. Is this where he sees himself?

“I do like to play the weirdos and the outcasts. I’ve had many auditions to play the jock but I just didn’t really click,” he says.

“I don’t have a specific genre I want to do, but just to keep doing what I’m doing.”

But first he has to get through his current workload, including completing Year 11, something he’s had to juggle during filming.

“Homework I do whenever I can fit it in. Whenever I’m not filming my tutor will come and grab me and I just do what needs to be done,” he shrugs.

“But I don’t complain, I’m very lucky to be doing what I’m doing.”

Nowhere Boys airs 6:30pm Thursdays on ABC3.