Talking The New AMC Horror Hit Yaga With Sam Krochmal

From a young age, acting and drama class always felt like a safe space where I could be myself. I have always loved getting the chance to be silly and play make believe. I felt like I owed it to myself to give this passion a chance to become a career. It hasn’t been easy, but I have been chugging away for 10 years and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

I think my career has been a series of little breaks rather than one big moment, but Yaga has definitely been a milestone. Getting to play in a show like this has been pretty surreal.

What do you look for when you consider a part?

I’d say I definitely love anything silly to comedy leaning, although I find intense, dramatic work equally rewarding.

I guess I’m drawn to characters who feel human, messy, and contradictory.

As for the projects themselves, any script that is trying to tell a story in an unexpected way is really compelling to me. If I can work on anything that sticks with audiences or perhaps changes an opinion or two, I’m over the moon.   

What attracted you to the part in Yaga?

I loved the world of the show. It’s such a unique mix of horror, dark comedy, and crime, and I was drawn to how it moves between those genres.

Billy is a rookie cop entering a world that’s much stranger than he anticipated, and I thought there was something really fun about playing someone trying to find his footing in all that chaos. I love an underdog and I often joke that it kinda felt like I was just playing myself.

Anytime you get the chance to take on something so in your wheelhouse, it makes the work feel really easy. 

What sort of prep work did you do for your role in Yaga?

Beyond getting really familiar with the source material and traditional folk lore, it was key for me to find the real stakes for Billy, what is on the line for him personally, what happens if he succeeds or doesn’t? I think the comedy of his character comes from him taking things really seriously. I didn’t want anything to feel casual or low stakes. 

How challenging is it to adapt a series from a play?

It’s a daunting task, going from a really intimate three hander to this extrapolated vast cinematic world. I think the challenge is finding the balance between the heightened, theatrical elements and the intimacy of television.

On camera, sometimes the smallest reaction says everything. With Yaga, it was about embracing the show’s unique world while making sure the characters still felt like real people.

What challenged you the most about the part?

Finding the balance between Billy’s earnestness and the increasingly bizarre situations he finds himself in. I didn’t want him to feel like he was in on the joke.

And as a very expressive and energetic person/actor, I was constantly reminded to “do less”. Trust me, the camera doesn’t miss anything and sometimes when you feel like you are “doing nothing” it’s actually right in the pocket.

What was working with the cast like? Do you have any special moments from filming you can share?

The cast was incredible. Everyone was so committed to the world of the show, and there was a real sense of trust and buy-in from everyone that allowed us to really get into it and explore the work.

Getting to work alongside such iconic Canadian actors was a gift, and I was often just trying to be a sponge and soak up all their talent and perspective. 

If you could describe your Yaga role in 5 words, what words would you choose?

Earnest, Excitable, Overwhelmed, Empath, and Puppy (as in I feel like he is like a puppy in human form lol)

Are you a fan of horror and what are some of your favorites?

I love horror when it does more than just catch you with cheap jump scares. Particularly love anything with like, found footage – I find that supppppper haunting. Blair Witch, and Sinister come to mind. 

You have done some writing and voice work. Can you compare/contrast that to your acting career and which is more challenging?

I love that they let me approach storytelling from different angles. Acting is about interpreting someone else’s story, while writing is a different kind of vulnerability because you’re putting your own ideas out into the world. Voice work is its own challenge because you lose so much of what you normally rely on as an actor (ie. your face) and have to communicate everything through voice. I wouldn’t say one is harder than the others, they just challenge different parts of you.