Benjamin Mackey Says He Was 'So Excited' When He 'Booked the Role' in New Series 'Happy Face': 'I Love Suspenseful Stories'

Though Paramount+'s new show Happy Face, which premieres on March 20, focuses on some dark material, Benjamin Mackey, who plays Max, was game to be part of the series.

"I really love dramatic and suspenseful stories, and Max is such an awesome character — he represents a younger generation and hope. Everyone needs a Max in their life!" the young star exclusively tells OK! about the series, which follows Melissa Reed, daughter of the Happy Face Killer. "I got to audition for the role of Max in person instead of on Zoom, which was really cool. The casting director even flew to L.A. from New York! Everyone was really nice and it was a lot of fun. I got an in person callback and then a work session. I was so excited when I found out I booked the role."

Moore's father earned his nickname after sending letters with smiley faces to law enforcement and the media, and he's claimed to have killed as many as 160 people. In the new series, viewers will get to see Moore, portrayed by Annaleigh Ashford, and Dennis Quaid, who plays Jesperson, as she endures ongoing harassment from her father and works to help the Happy Face Killer's victims.

"It's a really good show, and I feel lucky to be a part of it and work with such an awesome cast and crew," Mackey says. We were there for each other during scenes and in between we played games like football and UNO. Working with different directors was also cool. My set sister Khiyla [Aynne] and I became like real-life siblings. We had so much fun hanging out and going on adventures together!"

Mackey knew he wanted to get into acting at a young age because of his older brother, Judah [Mackey]. "We were both signed to an agency [The Osbrink Agency] when we were 3 and 6 years old. I started going out on commercial auditions and it was a lot of fun working on them. I booked my first theatrical audition for The Morning Show and it was such a cool experience! I knew I wanted to keep acting after that," he says of rising to fame.

He continues, "I think it would be awesome to play a villain someday — maybe in a horror movie, or something with zombies, or even Marvel or DC. Villains are cool because they're complicated and fun. Also, I'm really interested in being a cinematographer one day because I love seeing how everything works behind the scenes. I'm really grateful for all the opportunities I've had so far, and I want to keep learning and growing as an actor."