GRIFFITHS, hunter alexander

HUNTER A. GRIFFITHS

TWENTY-SIX | HETEROSEXUAL | STABLE HAND | LOCALS | HUNTER PARRISH

THE INTERVIEW

HELLO. THANKS FOR COMING IN TODAY. SHALL WE START WITH YOUR NAME?

Hunter shifts in his seat, making himself comfortable. A smile crosses his face in entirety, and it is obvious that he is extremely well-trained in interview discussions. "No trouble at all!" A British accent defines his words. "The name's Hunter Alexander Griffiths. Original name, yeah?" He laughs.

THAT'S A NICE NAME. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

Hunter looks up and to the right for a moment, considering what he would talk about first. "Well, I went to Sewanee in Tennessee. Grew up right about fifteen minutes away -- St. Andrew's, yeah. My family came from England when I was just fourteen, so I was here and didn't know how to make new friends. Americans were strange to me." He licks his lips and leans forward onto his arms. "At Sewanee, I was working with horses at every shot I got. At first, I hated taking care of them, but I realized that I had to in order to get them to trust me. My favorite, Rita, was a doll. Fell in love with her and realized that horses are hard work. Like women," he winked now.

"I ended up going into becoming a stable hand out of college, even though I picked up a degree in Psychology. Work was hard, but I drank a lot in college, so it was a shocker when I left the place. I was really coddled there, you know? I sang at open mics and got the girls, thought I was a catch. I was wrong, though, and I figured that out pretty quickly. I remember going to visit my cousin up here and seeing how amazing it is. There are lots of opportunities for stable hands, and I didn't really know if it was something I wanted to do. My cousin introduced me to a wonderful couple who allowed me to visit and check out their stables, and it was just flawless. I knew that was what I wanted to do. I wasn't exactly good at it at first, but I got better. I was just staying for the summer, so I was learning as much as I could before I went back down to Tennessee to find something to do there. When they asked me to stay, I had to think about it. But I'm here, and I'm honestly very happy."

INTERESTING. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?

"For fun?" He taps a finger on his chin almost comically and smiles. "I'm a singer. You can see me at the coffee shop with my guitar. Sometimes, I even bring my keyboard. Music was my passion growing up; my mom forced me into piano lessons when I was very young. I can't say I mind now, since it got me a good few girlfriends to keep me company in college. Tiffany likes that I sing, too, even if she isn't so good with compliments. Oh yes, singing is a fantastic art. I used to want to play in a band, but I wasn't all too successful in high school. I suppose I gave up on that right before college and just found my other passions.

"Other than singing, I can say that I thoroughly enjoy cooking. Loved my mother's cooking when I was little, so I grew up to be a lot like her in that respect. My parents weren't chefs, but my mom was a stay-at-home mom until we moved here. She used to make the best desserts. I got that knack from her and carry it with me. I'm not all too good at doing my own laundry, but I can whip up a nice supper." He chuckles.

"I guess another one would be watching movies. I'm a big critic in that way. I love theatre, as I once participated in high school, and I watch movies like it's my religion. I suppose it has become a bit of an addiction, but I see the artistic value in those films. I like old and new. I especially enjoy action films, but the dramatic ones hold wisdom that I like listening to."

WOULD YOU SAY THOSE ACTIVITIES REFLECT WHO YOU ARE?

"Oh yeah, sure they do. My career also shows you a lot about who I am, I guess. I really like working with animals, kids, and all that jazz. Sounds a little creepy when I say it like that." Leaning back, he smiles with a distant look in his eyes. "I have always loved that, and I think that tells you that I'm a pretty understanding person. I don't say that to be egotistical. I just feel like I love people and I have a pretty optimistic outlook on that. People are strange and really funny, but I do think that they choose good for good, not evil because they know it is evil. When I see evil around me, I think about the great things that outnumber every terrible act. I like being positive. That's my life.

"Music tells you that I will always be an artist. I'm not exactly an academic; I got into a pretty good school, but I had no merit scholarships and I was no 4.0 student. I just got by with a beer in my hand, nothing else. I loved being involved with extracurricular and I like being the center of attention. Being the class clown always gave me some weird satisfaction, so that dominated by educational pursuits.

"My friends describe me as overly compassionate, loyal, and a little too forgiving. I mean, I just don't think things are a huge deal. When someone makes me mad, I let it slide. Sometimes, it still bothers me afterward. But I just deal with it until it fades away. I guess my kindness is my strength and my weakness. I have a pretty even temper; I don't care enough to get really worked up over much. I'd say... I talk a lot and stuff. Tell people too much about me. And some people say I'm nosy, mostly because I like asking people about their lives."

COOL BEANS. THEY SAY YOUR FAMILY SHAPES WHO YOU ARE. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOURS?

Hunter automatically smiles. "My family is the best family ever. Seriously, they're perfect. When someone says, 'I have an awesome family,' I think, 'Hell, mine trumps all of them.' As you can tell from this accent here, I'm British. Moved here with my parents. My dad wanted to come here since he was being called to the US for business constantly. He works for a medical firm that sells prescriptions to certain companies. That's awesome, but the move wasn't too easy. I had a good set of friends who lived in my neighborhood. I still keep in touch with some of them, but I suppose I've settled well in America. My parents were constantly trying to keep me busy so I didn't get too bothered about the transition, you know?

"Anyway, I wasn't the only one with a struggle. My older brother, Haven, was going through more. He's a real big guy with brown hair and brown eyes... Real lady killer. He really got all the ladies and stuff, got involved with a bad crowd. Of course, I'm his baby brother, so I wanted to be just like him. Got him in trouble, the whole thing with being a bad influence and stuff. He was just trying to fit in here and in Tennessee, it was easy to get in touch with some of the crazy college kids. They were really close to St. Andrew's, so they got us to try some drinks every once in a while. My brother's really nice, though, and when he came to Sewanee, he busted his ass in pre-law so he could become a malpractice attorney. He's not the best, but he's doing well over in California. It's great for him.

"He and I are very close. We still keep in touch, and I'd say we're closer than most brothers are. It helps that we have really supportive parents as well. I mean, my mom is sort of tough on us. She works as a baker in her own business and has opened up three shops around Nashville. She's had a real ball with that, but she was always stressed out at home. She smacked me upside the head when I was out of line, you know, like most moms. But other than her quirks, she really was awesome. We knew each other really well growing up, and I'd say my dad was just as responsible. It wasn't all too easy to get away from their watchful eyes, but hey, it was worth it in the end. They really taught me some valuable life lessons like that.

"Now that I'm in Brunswick and on my own, I have a dog to keep me company. I adopted her from the shelter right when I moved here, which was three years ago. She's a real beauty. I named her Jane. It's simple, but she's pretty simple. They all told me she'd be bloody mean, but she's sweet as can be. Tiffany doesn't really like her -- oh, Tiffany? Yeah, I haven't told you about her! You know, she might as well be family. She's a neighbor a few doors down. She moved here rather recently, at least compared to me, and she's just the cat's meow. I mean, we're best friends. She's not exactly the most talkative person I've met, but she's so interesting. Talk to her about anything and she'll teach you something new. She's much more intelligent than I am, for sure. Yeah, she's great. Jane doesn't like her too much, still..."

AND YOUR LIFE? TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PAST. I'M EAGER TO HEAR.

"My life? Well, moved here in my early teens. Before that, I guess you could say I was your typical kid. I was always outside, trying to figure things out from there. We lived in an alright house by the woods and I had a lot of fun there most days. I played with the neighborhood kids and we shot little guns and went sledding on snow days. Nothing really special. I had a dog back then as well, and his name was Roo. He and I were just the best of friends.

"Anyway, I moved here in a blink of an eye. I feel as if the important parts of my life are all right here. I came here and became a relatively popular kid. I tied down a high school superlative -- funniest, I think it was -- and managed to become the Homecoming king. I wasn't a big shot, but I had friends. I had a girlfriend I loved in high school. Her name was Tessa and she was the prettiest person I've ever met. Well, now that I think about it, I think she was just really pretty at the time. She was really great and we dated for three years before we broke up. Yeah, she broke up with me. Real heartbreak right there.

"Sewanee was great and I dated the majority of the girls in the equestrian team and all. It was a great time for me. I just went hiking all the time and had a great deal of fun on that campus. It was pretty easy to tie down a job right after that. I guess it was nice to be close to home, but I'm so glad to be in Brunswick now. My parents can't bother me constantly. I love them, but it really was time to leave their side. They weren't ready and probably never planned to be ready, but that's alright. They love me and we all keep in touch. Haven and I come back for holidays and all that jazz.

"When I met the Remingtons, I didn't think I'd end up working for them for so long, but they're alright. Mr. Remington can be really bossy, but I like my job for the most part. Being a stable hand can involve a lot of belittling, but I get over it. I don't mind since I feel like I know I'm competent. No big deal."

What about a secret? Everyone has a secret.

Hunter frowns deeply for the first time. "It's not something I'm proud of. If I have to tell you, I will." He sighs and looks away. "Back at Sewanee, on this one night, I was at a party. A really pretty girl was there, and we were just fooling around. I barely remember since I was so drunk, but that next morning, I remember waking up to her crying." His eyes travel to the window and look distant. "Well, I forced her into doing some things with me... And I swear, I didn't realize it at the time. I was just so damn intoxicated. Don't know what I was thinking. She was so upset and I tried to apologize. So she said she wouldn't tell anyone, but it might come back to bite me. Karma scares me that way. I mean, I can barely forgive myself. I took advantage of a girl when she was pretty drunk, and I... I really don't want to talk about it anymore."

ALRIGHT. TIME'S ALMOST UP. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DREAMS. QUICK!

"Oh, dreams?" Hunter barely lightens up and robotically answers. "My dream is to own my own stable someday to practice horse therapy. It'd be incredible. I mean," he says with a bit more passion, "I like working with kids. And horses. If I can combine that with my psychology degree... It'd be perfect."

AND THAT'S A WRAP. IT WAS NICE GETTING TO KNOW YOU.

"Good day!"

BEHIND THE MASK

LAM | SEVENTEEN | EASTERN | DON'T PLAY AROUND | HAYDEN SCOTT, KURT CARRIGAN, AND CHARLOTTE DUFFY

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