Photo Credit: Riker Brothers Photography

Tonight is a big night for Nic Robuck!  The talented young actor that soap fans first noticed and came to love as James Ford on One Life to Live stars in his first film, which will have it’s premiere tonight on the Lifetime Movie Network (LMN) at 8P.M. ET/PT.

In Dark Desires, Robuck plays a young man desperate to be connected to the people close to him.  And … that may lead him to some devious measures to achieve that desire.  When the young man comforts the unhappily married mother of his recently deceased roommate, while she mourns the loss of her son, she realizes that Shane (Nic Robuck) may have been the one responsible for the death of her son.  And that is only scratching the surface of this steamy tale!

On-Air On-Soaps chatted with Nic about his exciting project, Dark Desires, and his lead role as Shane opposite the beautiful Kelly Lynch!  In addition, Nic reveals his hopes for the future, and what his time at OLTL meant to him looking back a year later after he filmed his final scenes in Llanview.  With the brightest future ahead of him, and his startling performance in Dark Desires, Nic will be hard to resist, in more ways than one.  Here’s what Nic had to say about it all!

Looks like the Dark Desires planned released date was moved up!  Even you were originally surprised that it is airing tonight!

Courtesy/LMN

NIC: Yes, correct!  It was supposed to come out in January, and then the distribution company for the film saw a clip of it, loved what they saw, and said, “We need this film immediately for the holidays!”   So then they were on a huge time crunch to get this movie completed, edited and screened before it started to run on Lifetime.  It’s been a whirlwind.

How did you land the part in Dark Desires?  I know you have been very excited about the role and your performance in it. 

NIC:  I auditioned twice, and the second time was for the director.  He shook my hand after I auditioned and he said, “Great job,” and they never to do that.  So, I kind of had a really good feeling about it.  Then I was waiting to hear that I booked it, and they called and said, “We would love you to come back in for a chemistry read with the other actors!”  And I thought, “Oh no. I thought I booked this already.”   So I go in and I read with a couple other actors, but I was reading a whole lot, so even then I had a good feeling about it, because I was now reading with so many other actors.  I found out early the next day that I booked it, and this is my first film, so I couldn’t have been more pleased.  A couple of weeks later there was the table read, and then we began shooting.  This was all a quick process.

The character you play, Shane, was abused.  He is quite the tormented guy!

Courtesy/LMN

NIC:   He has a very rough bringing up.  His mom died very early, and his dad was very abusive.  For Shane to survive it and make it to college and everything, he had to say that he was an orphan.  His dad agreed to it, so he could get a scholarship and an education.   So there wasn’t much love going on between the father and son relationship, even though Shane would have liked that.  The father was very physically and emotionally abusive to him.

So now from there, somehow Shane (ala you) ends up having sex with Kelly Lynch (Laughs)?

NIC:  (Laughs) So he goes to college, and goes to a great school, and is on a wrestling scholarship.  Since he wasn’t loved very much growing up, when people show him love and affection he latches on in a creepy way.  He and his roommate become fast friends, and the roommate takes him home to meet his mom, played by Kelly Lynch.  He sees this family life that he never had, and he really likes that and wants to hold on to that feeling.   He then latches on even more to his roommate, Brandon (Brian Borello), in creepy way. When Brandon gets a girlfriend he starts hanging out with Shane, less and less.  He does what he can to change that situation, and things transpire (laughs) and the roommate dies.  And, in mourning, Shane comforts Caren (Kelly Lynch) and they kind of start this romance.  Her husband is not around to comfort her, and Shane is.  They have an affair, and again, he latches on to her …

… Let me guess!  In a very creepy way?

Courtesy/LMN

NIC:  Exactly … in a very creepy way, and she gets hints and clues to how damaged this guy really is, and the measures that he will take to get what he wants.  Then some other people die and she sees his true colors, and the ending … is a surprise! (Laughs)

Is this a cougar thing with Kelly Lynch’s character?

NIC:  Well, not really.  It’s kind of like this mother thing.  So it starts out that way, but when Shane discovers Caren is looking for sex and a deeper kind of love, and to connect with someone because her husband isn’t doing it, Shane kind of steps in to fill that space and void in her life.  She welcomes it, and they start this very hot, steamy, and sexy affair.

So, Shane desires her!

NIC:  The thing with Shane is that he will take love from any shape or form from his best friend and roommate, from a woman pretending to be his mom, to a woman being his lover.  He will take it, because it’s love and he never received any of that.

So when all was said and done, was playing Shane easy for you to kind of slip into his skin, and envelop playing this type of complex character?

NIC:   Here is the thing: I don’t have a problem being empathetic with any character.  I am a sensitive, emotional kind of person anyway.  I can bring a lot to the table already through that, but I often tend to want to give it all away.  What I found difficult in this role was holding back a bit.  That is when the director stepped in to keep my character strong, but also so the audience would be sympathetic towards Shane.  He reeled me emotionally, but so that it was still there on the surface.  So you see something is going on with, but maybe not the way that I would show it.

Courtesy/LMN

The big question … were the sex scenes easy, or hard to do?  (Laughs)

NIC:   First of all, it’s Kelly Lynch!  But on a soap, you are just kind of under the covers, and it is an illusion that you are having sex.  But in this movie, we are next to having full sex and we are next to naked, and it’s Kelly Lynch!  So of course, I was having some performance anxiety (Laughs).  But she was so professional, nice, and supportive, and she made it easy and effortless… and we were in it together.

I spoke with David Gregory (Ex-Ford) earlier this month and we were reminiscing about his time on One Life.  It’s been a year now since you filmed your final scenes as James.  Looking back, what did you takeaway from your One Life to Live experience?

NIC:    I owe everything to that show.  They took a chance on me; ABC, Frank Valentini and, Brian Frons.  They gave me an opportunity, and I learned how to memorize dialog like there is no tomorrow.  However, I really learned how to act, and to be with different directors, and how to be on set, and handle things in a crunch when things got difficult. Had I not done One Life to Live, I would have not been able to do this shoot.  This movie was shot in 16 days and I am in every scene of it, and there was so much to do emotionally.  Had I not had my experience on a soap, I would not have been able to give the performance that I gave in Dark Desires, which I am very proud of.

Is your goal now that you want to land a primetime TV series?

NIC:  I really would.  I like the thought that on a TV series people can see you every week, and the work is consistent, and it pays well.  But given that, I also had a wonderful time working on this film.  I am not opposed to films.  If they keep coming my way, I would definitely do them.  But my biggest goal right now is to get a part in a dramatic primetime series.

If you were to look at the dramatic primetime series that are currently on the air and you could hand pick a series to have a role on, which would that be?

Courtesy/ABC

NIC:   I would love to do an ABC Family show like Pretty Little Liars.  That is a great show and people love it.  I have a friend on True Blood, and if they called me up and asked me to be on that show, I would love to be on True Blood playing a vampire.  Honestly though, any role that is dramatic, and that I can summon up some emotion and be serious, that is kind of what I lean more towards, and I would love to tackle.  Look, I would take any of them!  I am not that picky! (Laughs)

Have you stayed in touch with your former soap leading gal, Kristen Alderson (Starr, OLTL & GH)?

NIC:   Oh yes!  Kristen only lives a mile from me here in L.A.  We plan day-dates with each other, and we hang out a lot, and talk on the phone.

What was your favorite James moment?  The very beginning with Starr, and the red car?

NIC:  That was fun, but that was also very nerve-wracking.  You know what?  I would have to say getting buried alive was kind of cool, even though it was sort of a non-event; it was a lot of fun.

Photo Credit: Lorenzo Hodges

We are all excited to see you on Dark Desires tonight!  What would you tease to people why they should check it out?

NIC:  You will see me, Nic Robuck, in ways you’ve never seen me before … both dark and naked!

And the fans go, “Yay”!

NIC: Well, hopefully they will go, “Yay!  I am tuning in!” (Laughs)

So soapers, will you be checking Nic out tonight on LMN in Dark Desires? To whet your appetite, check out this sizzling preview clip below!