David Giuntoli: A Supernatural Talent
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Forte Magazine

David Giuntoli: A Supernatural Talent

“It changed my life more than anything else,” David Giuntoli says of landing the lead role on the supernatural series Grimm.

“It’s been one of the most trying and positive events that has ever taken place in my life. The greatest things that I ever go through are all so incredibly jarring and difficult, and they’re also the most rewarding.”

While the late night recording and the resultant lack of social life certainly counts as a negative, meeting his current girlfriend on set and gaining the opportunity to direct several episodes (his third will come next season) are rare occurrences in the industry.

Something even rarer is the bond Giuntoli shares with German YouTube comedian sensation and friend, Flula Borg. And it’s a pairing that soon lead to their own film, Buddymoon.

“Flula and I met when I was travelling abroad after college. We hit it off and I said, ‘If you ever come to LA hit me up’,” he says.

“And he showed up in LA, instead of calling me, three months later and he stayed in a tent on my porch for like a month – no joke. We’ve been working together for 10 years writing fun things.”

Ten years of friendship enabled them to write a film that’s both funny, unexpected and testament to their dynamic together. Essentially, after breaking up from his fiancé, Flula soon decides it’s time he started to wingman for David’s character to help him move on – something David can only attempt with a bit of liquid courage.

“Oh God, I’ve only been a good wingman when I’ve been in a serious relationship. Otherwise I’m just too nervous,” he laughs.

“When I was in my single days I was just an awkward guy, so I find that girl friends are the best wingmen because they kind of just vouch for you in a way by being there. Other people look at you and they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s passed a certain test he has women friends. Which is great.”

“Though my favourite wingman is just Miller Lite [a popular American beer],” Giuntoli adds confidently.

Beer might have been the answer for him when it came to getting the confidence with women, but it was the right connections through a role on Grey’s Anatomy that caused a major shift in his life.

“Ellen Pompeo on Grey’s Anatomy said, ‘You need to go to my manager, I think you can be something’. And she really helped me out. She didn’t need to but she did too,” Giuntoli says.

“Saying that to me was huge. I’m now a lead of a show and I know how tired leads get and how much work they have and how much they have on their plate, so for her to take that on herself and find some extra room in her brain to help a kid [was incredible].”

From that point on, Giuntoli would move on from managing a little apartment complex called Little Armenia in LA (a smart choice that eradicated the need to pay rent) and gain a lead role as the specially-skilled detective Nick Burkhardt in Grimm.

With five seasons completed and the sixth underway, it’s a series that Giuntoli credits to changing his life and one he hopes to continue.

“I’d love for Grimm to go for as long as possible and I’m having so much fun with it – it’s our home now Portland, Oregon,” he says.

“As long as it lasts I am happy to show up to work.”

David Giuntoli will be heading to Oz Comic Con in Melbourne this weekend alongside stars Rose McIver (iZombie), Lucy Lawless (Xena) and more.

When & Where: Oz Comic Con, Melbourne – June 11 & 12