ComingSoon Associate Editor Spencer Legacy spoke to Shoresy stars and hockey vets Brandon Nolan and Jon “Nasty” Mirasty about their characters and the show. Shoresy will debut on Hulu on May 27, 2022.
“Foul-mouthed, chirp-serving, mother-loving Shoresy join the Sudbury Bulldogs of the Northern Ontario Senior Hockey Organization (The NOSHO) on a quest to never lose again,” says the official series synopsis.
Spencer Legacy: Was it ever confusing trying to remember when each Jim spoke in each scene?
Brandon Nolan: Yeah, it was. Getting there, we didn’t know who would speak first. I noticed right away that I was Jim number two. So if I read the script and I focused on, Jim-two lines and I’d always follow Nasty, Jim number one. So if he said and spoke, I knew I was next. They kept it pretty easy for the Jims.
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: Yeah, actually Jordan was my go-to guy. I didn’t really study the scripts, I’m an old-school guy. I found that I followed Jared Keeso a lot, right? So when Jared Keeso would be speaking, it was kind of good too, because he’d always look at me and acknowledge that I was up. So yeah, it was pretty cool, but being the three Jims was definitely a different experience, to be able to know our roles.
Did you know going in that you would all be Jim, or was that one of your ideas?
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: When I first got the transcripts, I looked and we see three Jims. So it was a bit confusing at first, but now that you watch the storyline, it makes it quite funny and enjoyable.
Awesome. And Brandon, what was it like working with your brother on the show?
Brandon Nolan: Oh yeah, it was awesome, anytime we get together with my brother. We do a lot of work in our Indigenous communities. So anytime we get a chance to get together, it’s always fun. And this was no exception. This was absolutely an amazing experience, getting to work with my brother then Nasty, and a couple of other guys on set. And obviously Keeso, just a genius. So we had a lot of fun in those six weeks in February.
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: I think it was great. Obviously, I never met Brandon or Jordan through our careers, but we obviously knew who each other were. It made the transition to … we’re first time actors where, you know, it was nice, because it was almost like a hockey setting, being on the road with a bunch of guys, visiting the dressing rooms and in the rooms and hotel rooms. So it was really a good transition to have all three of us and a couple other guys, and like Jared is almost a hockey guy too, so it really made it easy for us.
John, you got into a lot of fights in your hockey career and there’s a fair amount of fighting in the show. Did your real life scraps kind of prepare you for those scenes?
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: I got in trouble a few times because they always said, “what about 30%?” And when I fight, I don’t have 30%. So I think we might have accidentally cut a few guys open while we were trying to do the imitation fights. But yeah, I mean, obviously I think Jared brought us in for a reason, to make the fights look a little bit more real. A lot of these hockey shows, you watch the fights, they look fake, you know? So Jared did a really good job of bringing us in and being able to explain how to make it more of a real fight or how you’d do in that scenario. So yeah, but I think the biggest challenge I had was trying to go 30% when I’m only used to going 100% .
Brandon following up on that, were a fair amount of creative liberties taken when portraying the hockey games or was it pretty realistic?
Brandon Nolan: Oh yeah, it was super realistic. I remember filming the one with … some of the scenes. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but something would happen or we’d like film something. It was like, “holy man, like that looks really real.” And then just some of the stuff like … so we’re mostly all hockey players trying to act.
So they didn’t find actors and try to make them hockey players. They went out and got real hockey players. So the hockey aspect of the show was totally real, totally relatable. So it looks really crisp and clean. And I think a lot of the die-hard hockey fans, not only of Letterkenny, but hopefully new Shoresy fans here are going to absolutely love the hockey.
I’m Canadian too, so I really liked how the locker room scenes felt completely accurate to a real locker room. Was it a lot of improv or was that all scripted?
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: Like we said about Jared, he’s really good at, at that area of hockey, you know? So having all these hockey guys in there, we were even switching our stalls around. It made it more realistic, how we did it when we played pro hockey and stuff. So having a group of guys that have actually played the game and have been there really helped, and improvised and made it a very interesting show.
John, now that you’ve given acting a try, are you interested in pursuing more roles?
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: It was definitely an experience that’s for sure. Jordan and Brandon and I have all spoken … yeah. It’s something fun, and something that I definitely would keep trying to continue to do. [I’m] not getting any younger though. But it was a lot of fun and like I said, I really appreciate Jared bringing us on. It was a great time.
Brandon, what were your thoughts when you were first approached to be a character on the show?
Brandon Nolan: Yeah, I’ve said it a couple times. I honestly thought it was a joke. One of the producers, Kara, reached out to myself about my brother Jordan being on the show. And she just mentioned … I knew what Letterkenny was. I knew how big it was. And she said, “we’re gonna create a Letterkenny spinoff called Shoredy. Would you guys be interested?” So I called my brother right away. I’m like, “we just got asked to be on this new spinoff LetterKenny show. I think it’s a joke. I think someone’s messing with us.”
And then we just ended up talking to Kara a bit more and then found out more about like the show and how they wanted myself and my brother and Nasty, the three Jims altogether to be a part of the show. And like, after reading it and Kara explaining how they envisioned the show to be, it was just like, wow, so honored to be asked to be part of something really cool. So it just started off as a joke and then I’m glad I took the call and took it seriously.
John, you’ve had a horse farm, you’ve owned Tim Hortons, you’ve played hockey, you’ve acted. Are there any other career avenues that you’re really interested in checking out?
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: Yeah I’m a man of many careers! I’ve just enjoyed it time at a time. And like I said, I take everything for the day that I’m there and it’s fun. Those all prepared me for the stuff that I do nowadays. And it’s awesome. But you know, horses, like you said, is my passion. So I really focus on that and just keep giving her.
Brandon Nolan: Going to be a model next!
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: Yeah, like I said, I’m better looking than Brandon.
Brandon, which job has more pressure hockey or acting?
Brandon Nolan: Oh, geez. That’s a tough one. I mean, I always felt pressure with hockey just because you wanted to perform well. And I mean, I always had some level of pressure every game, just as you wanted to be great when you played hockey. But with acting, it was really tough, especially at the beginning. I remember like the first day, two, three days, Keeso would like run his lines and I’d just be there beside him, but the hardest thing was trying not to laugh.
That was, for me, trying not to laugh was the hardest thing and after day two, I’m like, “how am I going to do this?” Not mess up the scenes and laugh. So for me, I felt a lot of pressure trying not to laugh at at the jokes that would be said, because sometimes he’d say things that didn’t end up making the show or he wanted to try like a new scene or a new way to do it. And I was dying inside. So for me that was like the toughest part, a lot of pressure not to laugh.
What’s your favorite Tim Horton’s order?
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: Double double. That’s what I usually go to that’s my go to double double and the steak and egg sandwich.
That’s a good that’s mine too.
Brandon Nolan: Yeah, just a simple, medium, regular and got to go with an apple fritter. So if I get those two on a daily basis, I’m a happy man.
Brandon, you had heard of Letterkenny, Jon, had you heard of Letterkenny before the show or were you a fan?
Jon “Nasty” Mirasty: I was kind of laughing at Brandon’s story. I was the same thing when I was first approached by Kara. I thought it was a joke and I’m not much of a TV guy, so I’ll be honest. I didn’t know what Letterkenny was until I told my wife and she Googled and she goes, “oh my God!” Now that I’m fully aware of it, I can’t believe the popularity. It has, even local guys in my hometown can’t believe [it], “oh, you’re part of Letterkenny or the Shoresy show!” So it’s actually a very popular show, but I guess I’m just too stuck on the farm and hunting and being a cowboy that I don’t get to experience the television that much.
