Jacob Buster Talks ‘Colony’ Season 2 and ‘Suits’ [Exclusive Interview]

For Jacob Buster, becoming an actor was meant to be.

You might recognize Buster from his role as young Mike on Suits or from the holiday film The Christmas Project. 

Now, Buster stars as Charlie on USA’s Colony along with Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies, who play his parents.

I had few questions for Buster about his role on Colony and what we can expect for the remainder of this season, as well as what is was like working on Suits.

Tell-Tale TV: What made you decide to get into acting? Your father is a director, correct? Was that a factor?

Jacob Buster: My dad is a director/writer and my mom is a casting director, so I always knew about the business a little, but wasn’t totally interested. When I was 7 years old, my mom was casting a local UT film and the director asked her why she never brought me in. I went in to read and the director chose me.

Being cast not only surprised me, but my mom as well. I just fell in love with the process on set. I’ve never been in a play and didn’t know at that age that acting was even something I would be good at or love.

After that first project, it just kind of felt meant to be. I love becoming a character. I love exploring emotions and working with other creative people.

Up until that point, I had been all about soccer. I didn’t even realize my creative side. Once I did discover it, though, I was hooked!

Also, being a social person, I really love meeting new people. Acting allows me to meet new people and get to know them in a really deep way pretty quickly. I really love that part of acting.

Tell-Tale TV: You currently play Charlie on USA’s Colony. What drew you to that role, initially?

Buster: Charlie comes from a loving family that is going through an extremely difficult time. Charlie has been through a lot trying to survive on the other side of the wall. I think all of us go through difficult times in our lives, and love is one of the greatest forces we have to help us through them. That’s what drew me to Charlie.

Tell-Tale TV: In the Season 2 premiere, we got to see a glimpse of what Charlie was like before the invasion. Is there anything you can share about what we’ll see from your character in upcoming episodes?

Buster: Charlie’s journey this season is a universal journey we all face. How do we return to normal after we’ve gone through something tragic, something that pushes us beyond what we thought our limits were?

And what if there really is no going back? Only going forward. Not only is the nation divided, so is his family. This is a big portion of Charlie’s journey in Season 2.

Tell-Tale TV: What else can we expect from Season 2?

Buster: Anyone who watched Season 1 knows the show is about a nation divided and how the love of a family endures the battle of good vs. evil. In Season 1, we only see how the city of Los Angeles has been taken over and cut off from the rest of the world in an alien invasion.

In Season 2, Will goes beyond the wall to save my character, Charlie. We also discover that Los Angeles isn’t the only Colony. There are others. It’s quite the ride.

Tell-Tale TV: What have you learned from working on Colony that you think you can carry with you into future roles?

Buster: Josh and Sarah have not only taught me so much about acting by just watching their process, but they are so kind and humble. They are the kind of people I would like to be, as actors and as human beings.

I know lots of people in film say things like this, but in this case, it’s actually true. I hope to carry this with my into my life, not just future roles.

Tell-Tale TV: You’ve also appeared on another USA show, Suits, where you played young Mike. What was that experience like for you?

Buster: I loved that set. Everyone was amazing to work with and it was my first time in Toronto. Usually when you only film one day, your role doesn’t have much substance, but I got lucky here.

I had two really powerful scenes where Young Mike hears his parents have been killed in a car accident. I got to experience such deep emotion. This is what I love to do.

I was truly grateful for this role and experience. It was my first network drama and the role was right in my sweet spot.

Tell-Tale TV: If you could work with anyone on television, who would it be and why?

Buster: I would love to work with the cast of Stranger Things. It’s just my favorite show right now.

Tell-Tale TV: What other kinds of things do you like to watch on television?

Buster: Crazy enough, I love watching old episodes of Friends. My brother’s kind of sick of my Chandler impersonations.

Be sure to catch Jacob Buster on Colony, airing Thursdays at 10/9c on USA.

Featured image credit: Birdie Thompson

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