After stealing scenes (and hearts) as Dimitri Belikov on Vampire Academy, Kieron Moore is pushing himself even further on Netflix’s Boots.
During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly about the upcoming Netflix series, Moore, 28, expressed his immense gratitude for Vampire Academy and the opportunities it brought into his life. But while Moore’s love for Dimitri shone through, so did his excitement to play more characters who are full of surprises.
“When I auditioned [for Nicholas Slovacek], I had super long hair. I said to them, ‘Here’s what I look like with a shaved head. This is my version of Slovacek. I can shave it off for you for the audition,’” Moore recalled about his dedication to his Boots role before even booking it. “They said, ‘Don’t do that for the audition.’ But I really wanted to play him.”
Moore’s commitment to the audition reflected his passion for his work.
“This just felt like the right time. After Vampire Academy, I wanted to test myself as a character. That was important for me — for my humility and growth as an actor — where I just thought this was a really good pivot away after Vampire Academy to show what I can do,” he explained. “So I was really committed.”
For Moore, it was important to build out Slovacek on an emotional and physical level, adding, “I remember the day we shaved it off, they really built it up. But as soon as they shaved my head, I felt like Slovacek was there. At the beginning, Slovacek feels like the one who is probably going to be OK and he’s going to get through this. He’s just got that thing about him.”
Boots, which premieres on Thursday, October 9, is based on Greg Cope White‘s memoir, The Pink Marine, and sets up a story about a gay teen who joins the American military alongside his straight best friend during the 1990s. Moore’s Slovacek, meanwhile, is an ex-con who joins the Marines hoping to stay out of prison.
At first glance, Slovacek is a classic antagonist who creates obstacles in the story. But Moore’s performance helps Slovacek go on a journey that teaches him more about himself while bonding with the other recruits through major ups and downs in training camp.
“It’s interesting that they all obviously go through these tribulations. But you have to let go of what you were to become who you’re going to be and can you do that? It’s quite reflective of it,” Moore teased the message at the center of the series.
Slovacek was a true transformation for Moore, who dug deep to show the humanity hidden underneath a mask of masculinity.
“I’ve grown up with criminals, police officers and barristers and we’ve all met in a boxing gym. Once you step through that door, none of it exists. You meet each other where you are. That was important to me,” Moore noted. “I’ve had my own stories with bullies and there’s been bullies all my life. People look at me and think I was the bully. I’m like, ‘You have no idea.’ I was a very gentle kid, but I remember what that was like.”
Moore made it a priority to understand Slovacek instead of judging him, telling Us, “I remember getting to this age where you humanize people [like that] and you see what their upbringing was like and you get this level of understanding that they might not ever see in themselves. I didn’t want Slovacek to be reflective of that. He has a lot [to] work on.”
He continued: “But I think it’s such a beautiful form of masculinity. He needs a friend and he needs guidance but he’s just so singled off in the world. He’s a work in progress. I would love it if people watch it and go, ‘He’s a nightmare.’ But then if they watch it again, by the end they go, ‘Oh, he just doesn’t know how to make friends. This is how he makes friends.’”
Slovacek is an example of how people become products of their environments.
“Where he comes from is all about masculinity and competitiveness. This is the space where he thinks that’s how it works — and in a way it is. I think he’s a good person to have on the team eventually,” Moore teased. “Once you’ve got his loyalty, you’ve really got it. I think that was something that I thought about all the way through.”
When it came to Slovacek’s background, Moore put in the work to learn more from the original text.
“I read The Pink Marine when I thought maybe I might get this role. But it was about trying to keep no expectations. And with Slovacek being from prison, I actually looked more at prison backgrounds. I spent a lot of time watching documentaries about Rikers Island, crime in the early ’90s and what it meant to be a young man around that time,” he recalled. “I thought if we can get into that mentality of treating this like it’s prison, it’ll give me room to shake that off and hopefully turn into a Marine along the way.”
Then there was Slovacek’s appearance, with Moore sharing, “I was a bit lean when I did Vampire Academy where I wanted to be athletic for Dimitri. With Slovacek, I wanted him to have prison muscle, but I didn’t really have that. That was my main goal — physically — where I wanted him to be kind of broad. So I was obviously working out in the gym and eating more. As the show goes on, he gets bigger and he gets softer as well.”
He continued: “He’s eating more and he’s training more, but he makes good friends with the biggest kid on the block and it’s like, ‘I have to get big, too.’ Obviously, [my] boxing background lent to this with me, but it’s also about street wisdom. What I learned in boxing gyms was you rub shoulders with everyone and it doesn’t really matter where you come from. You come to this place and we fight out and that’s it. I carried that into it.”
Moore’s character building isn’t a surprise for those who have followed his work so far. Before pushing boundaries on screen, Moore got his start as a competitive boxer. He made the move to acting with appearances in Emmerdale, Sex Education and The Sandman as he prepared for the breakout role that has shaped his career: Dimitri in The Vampire Academy.
The short-lived Peacock series earned Moore a fanbase that has followed him to new projects, including Masters of the Air and Code of Silence. Vampire Academy fans will also be excited to see Moore cross paths with Max Parker.
“We’re the only two British boys on this show and it’s a huge responsibility. We really want to make sure that we’re doing these characters a service and we had to earn our stripes a little bit. [We made] memories for a lifetime. I feel very lucky that I get to go on this journey with someone so close to me,” Moore gushed to Us. “At the same time, I’ve also made more friends like Max on this job. I’ve met beautiful friends. I speak to some of these boys every single day. We’re [in] a group chat still. I’m just really excited. Whatever happens with the show, I’m really excited for people to see it and have an opinion on it. I’m really excited for all of these boys to have their moments and they’re the next stars for sure.”
Moore has a lot to look forward to as well. In addition to Boots, Moore stars in Blue Film as a camboy who agrees to spend the night with an anonymous client. His upcoming film The Intimacy Coordinator will reunite him with former Vampire Academy costar Louisa Connolly-Burnham.
“I’m so excited for the Vampire Academy fans [to see this]. They’re so loyal and have been so beautiful [to] me. It’s this beautiful thing where I’m very lucky with the Vampire Academy fans,” Moore, who is somehow able to write poetry in his free time, told Us. “They trusted me with Dimitri and they’ve been so loyal as fans. But it’s been this really nice thing where they’ve gone on to watch me in other stuff and support me.”
As for what comes next? Moore is keeping his options open. He even entertained Us‘ suggestion that he play a cowboy … perhaps in former Vampire Academy costar Andrew Liner‘s Netflix series Ransom Canyon.
“I dream of having a southern accent [for a project]. I’m waiting. I just want to be on a horse. Get me there,” he quipped. “I would love to [take that on] if the right role came along. But I think there’s a cowboy in me — or get me on Ransom Canyon, I’ll come and give Drew some trouble.”
Boots starts streaming on Netflix Thursday, October 9.
