Friday, February 24, 2017

The Cast of Nickelodeon's "Ride" Share Behind-The-Scenes Stories

On a scale of 1-10, is your obsession with Nickelodeon's newest series, Ride, at about an 11 or 12? Because, same. The show takes place at Covington Academy, an equestrian boarding school in the UK where part of students' days revolve around horseback riding competitions – and it turns out that a lot of the friendships and adventures we are seeing and obsessing over onscreen are totally happening when cameras are off too!


TWIST recently caught up with actors Kendra Leigh Timmins (who plays Kit), Jonny Gray (Josh), Alana Boden (Elaine), Rameet Rauli (Anya), Manuel Pacific (Nav), and Oliver Dench (Will) and got them to spill all about what really goes on behind the scenes of the series.

Scroll through the gallery to see what the cast had to say about meeting the team of actors and horses, working with animals, and shooting on location around the world. Then, let NickALive! know if the show is one of your own fave series by dropping a comment below!



The show features an international group of friends, and the real-life actors are from different parts of the world as well who came together to film in Northern Ireland and Canada. We asked the cast what they've picked up from this experience.


"The best part has definitely been learning new things," Kendra Leigh Timmins tells TWIST. "From new words/slang, cultural differences in what we eat, or how we celebrate certain holidays. It made for some great playful arguments, hilarious miscommunications and new things to try."

"It was and continues to be wonderful to be able to share our diverse experiences and learn from each other," Manuel Pacific shares. "We traded idioms, music, art and lifestyles. Much like the characters in the show, we learned from everyone's different 'styles' and approaches to life. Most importantly, embracing diversity not only allows us to enrich our lives in all aspects but in a beautiful irony allows us to see how at the core we're all human and we share much more than we might think. So all that and the amazing food exchanges that occurred. Chocolate Turtles are a new favorite of mine. Try them."


"You learn a lot about everyone’s culture and see how similar and how drastically different things are. I think my favorite part is learning all their really cool slang," Jonny Gray adds.


"It's nice to be in such a melting pot of a cast. I particularly enjoy Manuel, who is giving me a few pointers at speaking Spanish," Oliver Dench tells us.

Eager to learn more about the actors themselves? I hear ya! TWIST got the cast of Ride to dish all about their personal connections to their characters!

How do the actors relate to the roles that they are portraying? What do they hope viewers take away from the stories that unfold in the series? Which stars are just like their onscreen personas IRL? (And, one of the biggest questions of all: is beloved horse TK as moody when the cameras aren't rolling?) You may be surprised to find out!

Scroll through the gallery below to see what each cast member had to say about their character, and leave NickALive! your reactions in the comments section below.

Kendra Leigh Timmins (Kit)


"I hope that people can relate to how Kit is a mix of a bunch of different things and doesn't fit into a stereotype," Kendra tells us. "I love that so much about her. She's a free spirit, but she's stubborn. She's a tomboy who likes to get into trouble, but also loves dressing up and having sleepovers with her girlfriends. She's confident, but has fears. So I hope fans can see that and go, it's okay for me to be a mix of different things too!"

"I think we are all a little bit like our characters in some ways," Kendra adds. "I think Rameet is the most like her character Anya, who is really sweet and genuine. Alana is definitely the least like her character Elaine, who is sometimes harsh and a crazy perfectionist. Alana is much more laid back."

Oliver Dench (Will)


"We've all sometimes been tongue-tied talking to a boy or girl that we fancy. Will's no different," Oliver tells us. "All the characters on Ride are just trying to get along with their fellow students at school – that's something we can all relate to."

"Most like their character? Probably Jonny. He truly is that laid back and cool. Much cooler than me," he jokes. "And least like their character? Has to be Sara - she's not that stern, or that English. She's cool too."

Manuel Pacific (Nav)


"I hope fans are able to see past Nav's arrogant exterior and know that he is genuinely trying his best and wants to help his friends as much as he can, even though he sometimes misses the mark," Manuel shares. "I think one of the most relatable things about Nav is being stuck in this strange situation of liking the same girl as his best friend (and roommate) but having to rise above it. I think most of us will experience a time where choosing what is right is not easy because of the circumstances but doing so is what gives that choice value because it's hard."

"I think we all have some similarities and some differences with our characters," Manuel says of the cast. "In terms of differences, I like to think I'm not as arrogant as Nav is. I'm also not as stressed and intensely competitive as he is. I try to be kind, humble and celebrate other people's success."


"In terms of similarities, I think Jonny is quite a lot like Josh in that they're both extremely cool, charming and constantly relaxed," he adds. "Chilling – or as Jonny himself would say – 'mossing.'"

Jonny Gray (Josh)


"Josh loves to help his friends in any situation even if it is risky," Jonny tells us. "He really values real friendships."

He also echoes his co-star Kendra's thoughts on the cast's similarities to their roles.

"Rameet is most like her character Anya! Alana is the least like her character, Elaine," he says.

Rameet Rauli (Anya)


"I think we all have some traits of our character which makes this show very special," Rameet tells us. "The most similar has to be Jonny. He brings so much energy to every scene and is so caring just like Josh in reality. He got all the cast members a care package when we were filming in Canada to deal with the winter. Complete with socks and woolly hats! #Lovehim! I can imagine Josh doing something similar too."

"The least like their character is definitely Alana," Rameet adds. "She is so sweet in real life and not mean like how Elaine can be sometimes."

Alana Boden (Elaine)


"I think Elaine is actually really relatable. You see how hard she tries and things don’t always work out. I personally know how this feels," Alana tells us. "But Elaine doesn’t give up and I think that is such an important message to remember."


"I think Jonny is most like his character Josh," Alana adds. "And I would probably have to say that TK is the most unlike his character. TK is a little crazy but when the cameras stop rolling he is such a well-behaved horse!"

Visit Nick.com/Ride to learn more about the series and its characters and follow @RideOnNickelodeon on Facebook and Instagram. #RIDEonNICKELODEON

More Nick: "Ride" Inks Publishing Deal With Candlewick Entertainment!
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