Over the years, Jean-Luc Bilodeau has been busy making a splash in Hollywood. You may remember the Canadian actor from his breakout television role as Josh Trager on KYLE XY or as Jay in the original Disney movie 16 WISHES. Now starring as Ben in the ABC Family sitcom, BABY DADDY, Jean-Luc is entering a whole new phase of his career. We caught up with the former Vancouverite to chat about his dance moves and life as an actor in L.A.
How did you go from being a dancer to being an actor?
I fell in love with acting. I was about nine years old when I first starting auditioning for roles and I started weaning dancing out. It was too hard to balance both acting and dancing. I still love dancing, but I don’t move the way I used to, that’s for sure!
Have those dance moves ever come in handy for any of your roles?
Actually, I’ve used my dance moves in just about every role I’ve ever done. In my show, BABY DADDY, I dance-off with Tahj for a girl in one episode. For a lot of projects, I incorporate dance. The producers and writers love to hear that I’m a dancer, they get intrigued.
What has it been like playing Ben on BABY DADDY?
Working with a baby is completely different than any other acting role I’ve ever done. While I’m acting, I have to think about working with this breathing, real baby that I’m holding. It’s a different level of maturity that I haven’t touched upon yet in my acting life.
You’ve acted in some movies too, including Miley Cyrus’ film, LOL. Are you planning on making any more appearances on the big screen?
Yeah, I would love to. It’s all about timing. I have to make sure that it fits in my schedule with the show that I’m on [BABY DADDY]. That’s obviously my number one priority right now. But, I would love to do another movie.
What tops your list of things to do when you’re not filming?
I love to sleep – a lot. That’s a big thing for me. I love to do anything on the water, like boating and jet skiing. I also love going camping and being outdoors.
That makes sense, considering you’re originally from B.C. Now you live in L.A. Do you miss living in Canada?
I miss Canada every single day I’m in L.A. and It’s such a different vibe. I used to think Vancouver was a busy, crazy city, but then I moved to L.A. I’ve been here for three years and I definitely miss Vancouver. I go back and forth as much as I can. I just love the lifestyle inVancouver more than I do anywhere else. I haven’t been to a city that’s topped my hometown yet!
Fans still comment on your Facebook page about your role as Josh on KYLE XY. What about that character was so special?
I think fans got to see Josh grow up. I was 15 when I started KYLE XY and I grew a foot. Josh gets a girlfriend and he’s maturing and growing up – I think that fans like seeing that. The writers were amazing and they wrote me a lot of funny stuff, as well.
What’s your favourite genre to work in?
I’ve always loved comedy, for sure. I love drama too. I don’t know what I love better. It’s all fun!
What do you have coming up that you’re excited about?
For BABY DADDY, I’m really excited to start season two. The fans seem to really like it, so hopefully I’ll be shooting season two pretty soon. We do a lot of fun stuff and we love working together, so I want to keep going with that.
Thank, Jean-Luc! Be sure to catch season two of BABY DADDY when it returns to ABC Family in spring 2013!