DAVID WEBSTER on The Way Home, Elliot Augustine, and Strong Scripts Beyond Budget

David Webster is a Canadian actor and a star of The Way Home, a TV series from The Hallmark Channel, who believes that independent films with little or no budget — but with a strong script — are the purest form of love for the craft, and that established actors should take part in them. He also writes his own scripts and plans to make films, so he understands the true value of independent movies — driven purely by the passion of people willing to overcome hardships to bring them to life.

With the first episode of the new season of The Way Home already out, David decided to share insights into his approach to understanding his characters.

David’s character, Elliot Augustine, is like a book of secrets — forced to carry the burdens of the entire Landry family and to know the outcome of every story in advance, including his own. To better understand the character, he created an “Elliot playlist” and listened to music between takes, essentially living through Elliot’s life events through the lens of sound. The tracks began with something lighter and gradually shifted into more melancholic and dramatic tones.

David shared with the founder of Drive Music Media Asya Radko how it all began for him, what the series means to him personally, the roles that changed his life, and his experience working on independent films.

Interviewer: Can you take us back to the beginning of your journey on The Way Home? What do you remember about the audition process and your first day on set?

David: My journey on The Way Home began with an audition for the role of Nick Oates (ed. Samuel Braun) . I had a guitar and did one of the scenes on the beach with Alice. I think only a month or two later I had another audition for the role of Teen Elliot, and I was so shocked to see that I booked it after one audition (normally there would be a callback of some kind for a role like this). 

Behind the scenes, I discovered that they had seen my tape for Nick, and thought I’d make a great Teen Elliot, reinforced by my tape for that role, and as soon as production secured Evan Williams (ed. Adult Elliot) they offered me the role. My first day on set was one of my favourite days I’ve ever had as an actor. Sadie Laflamme-Snow (ed. Alice Landry) and I had the first and last scene of the day. This meant that I had the whole day in between to explore the farm and listen to music. I remember lying in a corn field and shutting my eyes for a while - it was a really beautiful day. Later we shot the scene where Alice walks with Kat past the barn and she’s introduced to Colton and Teen Elliot for the first time. It was such a great experience to meet everyone for the first time and I knew this was going to be an amazing production to work on.

Interviewer: You play a very important figure in the lives of Kat and Alice — almost like their personal keeper of secrets. What was it like portraying someone who knows so much about his life in advance? How did you approach preparing for this role emotionally? 

David: It was a weird experience to play someone who knows what the future has in store, like a book that was spoiled in advance. Realizing that Alice, Kat’s daughter, was not his own was obviously a huge blow to Elliot, and I think he didn’t want to believe her. Something that I think started to happen in my own mental landscape of the character, was that Elliot began to resent Alice a little. 

From his perspective, his life was really wonderful when she arrived. He had a place to stay at the Landry’s, acting as his second family. He was beginning to get closer with the girl he loved and everything seemed to be shaping out exactly how he had hoped - until Alice arrived. She told him how his life was going to turn out (to an extent), and it wasn’t what he had expected or hoped. Even worse, it starts to come true. Alice arrives, Kat leaves for the summer, Brady appears, Jacob goes missing and to top it all off Colton dies. I mentioned this idea to the showrunners and they actually incorporated this into the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2.

To address your question more directly, I really wanted to play up the teen angst of Elliot to contrast Evan Williams performance as an adult, and over the course of the series I slowly became more like Evan as a response to all of the things he endures throughout his late teens and early 20s. What I did to prepare specifically while shooting, was to develop a pretty diverse and very “Elliot” music selection. I would listen to music between shots and throughout the day, treating it interchangeably between what Elliot is listening to in canon, but also as a soundtrack to his life. I often think about how director Sergio Leone would have the soundtrack written prior to filming his movies, and play it on set for the actors to listen to while doing the scene. The resulting performances were stunning, every actor operating at the same rhythm with the music in such a unique way. I tried to recreate this with my earbuds on The Way Home. Everything had to be contemporary, because I think music heavily reflects the times in which it’s created, even if the artist who wrote the piece didn’t specifically mean to do so. When things were great for Elliot and everything was so idealistic, I was listening to a lot of The Smashing Pumpkins and Björk, before moving to Radiohead when things started to fall apart. I think that Elliot was really into electronic music, as I’ve noticed that people in my life who are similar to adult Elliot in age and personality are really into artists like Bjork, Boards of Canada and Brian Eno. The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails was a big motif for Elliot when everything was falling apart and he became angrier. What was particularly fun was that throughout Season 2, I was able to progress throughout the years musically so quickly and cover a lot of material. That I would say was not only my primary process mentally for Elliot but acting as a whole.

Interviewer: The series explores themes of grief, acceptance, and the idea that some things can be changed while others — like Colton’s death — remain constant. What does The Way Home mean to you personally? Has your perspective on the story evolved over time?

David: When I read the first few scripts of The Way Home, I was really shocked by how heavy it was. Grief and acceptance are the central ideals of the project, and I think it’s really important that the past cannot be changed. We can’t accept and move on if we are stuck thinking about changing the past. However, exploring the past like the characters do (literally and figuratively) is a key part of this process. You have to understand and analyze the situation fully before you can accept what happened and look forwards. That’s what The Way Home means to me.

Interviewer: Is there a particular scene that left a deep impression on you — whether it was sadness, pain, peace, or a sense of love? What was the scene about, and what was the filming process like? 

David: There are so many scenes that left a deep impression it would be so hard to pick just one. Some scenes that I wasn’t directly involved in would be Kat and Del arguing about Jacob and how their family fell apart in episodes 1 and 2, Alice finally revealing her true identity to Colton, and adult Elliot helping Colton build the loft - which I think was one of the greatest moments in the show. I also think that Kat finally finding Jacob only for him to be arrested moments later was very very impactful, largely because I was there on the day and watched Chyler in real time. Her performance was incredible, and her mental strength to put on those performances while in Lake Ontario during October was so admirable.

Speaking of my own scenes, I think that when Elliot lashes out at Alice in the beginning of season 2 was super impactful for me personally, partially because it was a great outlet for something I had been dealing with personally at the time, and also because I got to deliver that scene in my own words. I asked the show runners to let me say what I felt Elliot would say in that moment, and they so graciously gave me full control. 

The other major scene would be during the party in the manor mid Season 2. Specifically the moment when I realize that if I leave with Kat, Alice will no longer exist. I still get chills thinking about it. I was using the song The Great Below by Nine Inch Nails as my internal soundtrack for that moment. Elliot being willing to sacrifice Alice for an unknown future really speaks to the desperation of a man whose life was painted out for him when he was only a teen. What he was willing to do for a chance at a better future. 

Finally that leads to the final Teen Elliot scene in season 2, when a pregnant Kat comes to visit him. That was when I fully embodied the mannerisms of Evan Williams’ Elliot, and bridged the gap between the two different versions of the character. But it’s not empowering or satisfying. We see a broken man. A husk of the Elliot we knew in 1999. That scene is his rock bottom in my opinion. However, it’s not without hope, because that was the perfect time to hand off the character to Evan. In the present, Elliot would begin to find himself again throughout the show. Evan performed this so beautifully, finally giving Elliot the redemption he deserves.

Interviewer: How do you feel knowing that the story is coming to an end, especially with the first episode of the final season being released?

David: The beginning of season 4 has been a really humbling experience for me. The Way Home has been such a constant in my life, and like all things must, it’s now coming to an end. I’ve really loved my time on this show. It's been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Everyone has been so wonderful to work with, I would happily join any member of the cast or crew on another project in a heartbeat. 

Interviewer: Aside from The Way Home, which projects have left a significant mark on your acting journey? What made those stories meaningful to you?

David: A really wonderful acting experience I had was working with Conner Jessup on his film Julian and the Wind. Much of that film had no dialogue, and was determined largely by the vibes and feelings about a scene on the day. I had the opportunity to simply listen to Conner in real time and react to the thoughts and feedback he was giving me. We explored many different options and emotions throughout this process.

Luckiest Girl Alive was another very formative acting experience because it was where I first tried my “soundtrack method”. I have also loved to work in comedy, and would love to do more comedies in the future. 

Interviewer: When did you realize you wanted to become an actor? What were your first steps into the industry?

David: I realized I wanted to become an actor when I played Gaveroche as a child in a local theater production of Les Miserables. It was such a wonderful experience. I remember being so nervous on opening night and waiting backstage, with around 20 seconds until I was on. However, as soon as I stepped onstage, all of my anxiety just disappeared and I knew that performing was for me. This theater is what would eventually lead me to the film industry. They suggested that I do a talent competition called Faces of the North, where I was scouted by an agent who was looking in Northern Ontario Canada for new faces.

Interviewer: What do you find most challenging and most natural as an actor? In your opinion, what might people at the beginning of their journey in the film industry be unprepared for?

David: I think what I find to be most challenging as an actor would be not falling into the “realism trap.” I’m personally of the opinion that an interesting performance is almost always better than a strictly realistic performance, but the problem with this is that sometimes it can feel a little scary to do something a bit more “out there” as opposed to just acting as natural as possible.

What I find to be interesting, is that once I’ve committed to a weird performance it’s always extremely easy and freeing. Obviously I think the most natural thing for me to play is an awkward teen, as I’m sure many have guessed watching many of my performances. As for what newer actors might be unprepared for, I think as just a rule of thumb, you have to be thick skinned, you cannot take things personally, and you can’t give up. You only really lose when you give up. I do also want to call attention to what I mentioned earlier about interesting performances being better than realistic performances. You can never know exactly what casting is thinking, but if you find your own performance interesting and compelling, that’s a really great place to be.

Interviewer: Is there a role you would never agree to play? Why?

David: I don’t think there are any roles I outright would not play. For me personally I don’t feel that anything is off the table, so long as it’s interesting and purposeful. I think that everyone’s stories should be told, including people we may not like or agree with and I also think that any role can be compelling. Acting is about pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and making audiences feel something.

Interviewer: What is your perspective on independent, no-budget films with strong scripts? Have you ever taken part in one without pay, and do you think established actors should consider and pay attention to these kinds of projects?

David: I love independent low and no-budget films with strong scripts. It’s the purest form of love for the craft. I personally have partaken in many films like this, and have even been working on a few of my own. 

Recently I’ve been writing a lot of my own scripts, sitcom pilots, features, shorts etc which I plan on making with the help of friends. I think that established actors should absolutely consider working in these types of projects, because it’s filmmaking in its purest form. I think you’ll have some of the most memorable experiences as an actor, and it’s also a fantastic way to meet new filmmaking talent.

Interviewer: Do you watch projects you’ve acted in? When you see yourself on screen, do you perceive yourself as “you,” or as a completely different character?

David: I usually watch projects I’ve acted in. Not so much to see myself, but rather to see how the script that I read and thought about, turned out in the end. Whether or not I see myself as the character or as the actor, depends slightly. Oftentimes when I see myself I will think about what was occurring on set while we shot that scene or how I felt about said scene, but sometimes I’ll be really locked into whatever it is that I’m watching and will see the character as objectively as I can. I usually make an effort to watch the project as an impartial viewer might.

Interviewer: If you had to describe your acting journey in one word, what would it be and why? What mission do you carry as an actor?

David: Describing my acting journey in one word is very difficult. It’s been so many different things for me over the course of my life, and it continues to change as time goes on. So maybe that is the word: Change.  

My mission is and always has been to make people feel. I think that the purpose of all art is to make people feel. It doesn’t matter what specifically.

The interview was written by Asya Radko. Pictures were provided by David Webster