Grooming: Audur Jonsdottir @audurs
When Dominic Goodman scored the role of Apollo Burns in Netflix’s hit series First Kill, it’s safe to say he knew the series was going to be a hit. Well, it turns out he was more than right, as the YA Vampire slayer drama quickly rose to the top on the streaming giant.
“I’m competitive in every single thing I do, so mentally I was like, ‘This is going to be in the top five.’ But you still have no idea how fans are going to be react once it’s out. The love is amazing. I truly appreciate all the fans for watching, and it’s cool to be welcomed into this world,” the actor exclusively tells GRAZIA USA of his first big break.
The series, which is executive produced by Emma Roberts, focuses on two brothers, Apollo (Goodman) and Calliope (Imani Lewis), who against their family’s wishes, fall in love with vampire Juliette Fairmont (Sarah Catherine Hooks).
From the get-go, Goodman was intrigued by his character, who is an “adrenaline junkie brother that loves the thrill of the hunt.” The handsome hunk first sent in a self-tape, and one day later, he was notified that he received a call back audition. To prep for the exciting moment, Goodman watched some Muhammad Ali flicks since he’s one of his mentors, and the late boxer’s confidence helped motivate the rising star.
“When I did get the callback, I went in really confident, like the role was already mine,” he admits. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is already my role.’ I was really excited to dive into into that and see where I could take that with my own creative spin on it.”
“I think the fun part about my character is that it allowed me to be myself and just fully immerse myself in this world of hunting,” he shares. “I was just going around my apartment flipping a knife and practicing with the sword in my front yard.”
Additionally, Goodman got to do his own stunts, which was a real treat for the Netflix personality. “I’ve always known that action was what I wanted to do since I was a kid,” he shares. “You grow up watching these Marvel movies and these DC Comics movies and Power Rangers. I’ve always known that as an actor and as an athlete that I was physically capable, and when I got the opportunity, I was going to push to do my own stunts.”
Grooming: Audur Jonsdottir @audurs
“When I got to set, I was like, ‘Hey, guys. Teach me everything that you can possibly teach me because I want to do my own stunts,’ and it was hard,” he admits. “I was going to the gym twice a day. I would get off the set at three in the morning and go straight to the gym. I was pushing myself physically and mentally, and I think it showed because when you watch it back, it’s way more authentic when you see the actor doing the stunt themselves.”
Despite being in a bit of pain, Goodman wants to keep doing more action-packed moves, which is why he is still training. “I’ve gotten a lot better, and I’m excited because I don’t think the action extent of my career is going to stop at First Kill. I’m physically ready, and I’m ready to push myself.”
Though Roberts, 31, and Goodman didn’t interact too much on set, the actress gave him a really nice compliment on his performance, and it’s something that will stick with him for a long time. “When we had our first meeting, she said, ‘It’s rare that you get your first choice on every character,’ and she said that she got her first choices on all of them. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s an honor that I was the first choice,'” he recalls.
“It’s cool that I’m in a place now where people that I looked up to are either mentors or they’re somebody I can reach out to in this industry,” he adds. “Having Emma be a part of this project was really nice. We filmed a lot of in COVID, so the majority of meetings were on Zoom, but I did meet her and talk with her at the premiere.”
First Kill hasn’t been renewed by Netflix just yet, but Goodman reveals that everyone is “hoping for another season.”
“I feel like we have unfinished business,” he states. “We need to get back there and dive deeper into these characters. It’s been an honor to play Apollo and see this representation on screen. I think First Kill inspires a lot of people, and I have all of these fans reaching out to me every day saying it’s so nice to see somebody that looks like them on screen. For me, that is an honor in itself.”
Aside from playing Apollo, Goodman, who previously starred in Young Rock and He’s All That, has a lot of things left to do. “I feel like I’m just getting started. I love films, I want to do more movies, action and comedy,” he says. “I also wouldn’t mind doing some rom-coms.”
