Nick Viall is stretching his wings and tackling acting — but he’s playing a role he knows very well.
The former Bachelor star, 39, is playing a reality TV star in The Coop, an eko exclusive eight-episode interactive series made in partnership with Funny or Die, which creator Nora Kirkpatrick told Us Weekly exclusively is “Big Brother meets Clue.”
“It was a lot of fun,” Viall told Us exclusively at the L.A. premiere on Tuesday, November 19. “I had a lot of fun and got to work with some incredible actors like [Veep’s] Tony Hale and [People of the Earth’s] Brian [Huskey]. It’s great. Just a really cool opportunity and I think it’s really smart comedy and just happy to be a part of it.”
It’s not the ABC star’s first foray into acting — he previously appeared on episodes of Teachers and Speechless and played himself on General Hospital.
Viall told Us that he got advice from celebrity pals including Topher Grace and his wife, Ashley Hinshaw, about taking on projects he’s passionate about, but admitted that he’s not expecting to be nominated for an Oscar anytime soon.
“I assume people have very low expectations when it comes to my acting career so I feel like, nowhere to go but up!” he joked.
But Kirkpatrick told Us that Viall is selling himself short. “He was wonderful and very talented. A joy to work with,” she said. “He was there on set 100 percent as an actor. He did a wonderful, wonderful job.”
Viall — who has recently been linked to Rachel Bilson — added that he’s waiting for the day when “people care more about my acting career or podcasts or other things I’m doing rather than who I’m not dating. That would be great.”
While he confirmed to Brad Goreski earlier this month that he’d “hung out” with Bilson after the pair sparked romance rumors in July when she appeared on his “Viall Files” podcast and subsequently traded flirty comments on social media.
But he told Us on Tuesday that he hopes “to be very excited” when he does meet someone special.
Viall, who was the Bachelor in 2017, also gave the new season Bachelor, Peter Weber, some advice: “Listen to the producers. Don’t be stupid. Stay off social media.”
With reporting by Taylor Ferber
