What "Borrasca" Is All About

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sprouse says:

"The environment and the setting is just as big a character as the protagonist. We wanted Borrasca to also feel like a character in this radio play."

Sprouse, also a producer on the podcast, portrays Sam Walker, who moves to Drisking, Missouri with his family during his childhood days. After he befriends residents Kyle and Kimber, Walker pays a visit to a treehouse filled with local lore: Before you step foot into the place, you must carve your name into the tree or pay the risk of disappearing forever. After Sam's sister Whitney goes missing along with several other people, Sam and his friends team up to crack the code and solve the mystery - once and for all.

How "Borrasca" Got Its Start

So, how did Borrasca jump from literature to radio? In 2015, Klingel wrote it as a novella that she found on Reddit's No Sleep section. Her story soon went viral and came to the attention of Mike Flanagan, who sought Klingel to be involved in the hit 2018 Netflix TV Show The Haunting of Hill House. Even though initially it was only 22,000 words, the story has now been adapted into an eight-episode series.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Klingel says:

"I lived in Missouri for a short time and the Ozarks have this just kind of heavy feeling of quiet mystery. I always found that so intriguing. When I moved there, I felt a bit of a culture shock and I wanted to play with that with the main character of the story. There's something hidden in these mountains."

What Sprouse Is Excited For The Most About "Borrasca"

If you have not heard of Cole Sprouse from his Disney days in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody or from playing Ross' son on the hit TV show Friends, you are definitely going to get a good look at his talent now. As someone who basically lived his entire life in front of a camera, Sprouse jumped at the opportunity to try his hand at voice acting.

He continues to say:

"With acting, you can end up relying too much on the visual cues.W hen it comes to voice acting, you don't have that crutch to rely upon — a quivering lip, a tear. Not to completely out myself as a massive dork, but video games have always kind of been my medium of choice when I was a child. I'd always wanted to step into that sort of arena."

Cole Sprouse's Career from TV to Radio

27-year-old Sprouse has definitely has his fair share of playing the "teenager type" roles. In Borrasca, he plays Sam at ages 17 and 25. His character in Riverdale, Jughead, is also 17. His most recent film, Five Feet Apart, had him playing a 17-year-old with cystic fibrosis, Will Newman. When asked about playing a teenager, Sprouse goes on to say:

"I don't really mind, to be honest," Sprouse says. "I mean, now that we're going into Riverdale season five I don't know how much longer I can pull off 17. I don't think it's something I concern myself with too much, though."

He then goes on to add:

"A lot of the young characters I've played — especially for something like Riverdale — are so based in a campiness that's almost become part of the genre — being an older actor playing a younger character." "The only time I would stop myself is if it obviously took the audience out of the viewing experience. I think I have about a year and a half [of playing a teen left] now that my mustache is coming in."

Why "Borrasca" Is Making A Huge Impact Right Now

The Borrasca team originally was supposed to release the series at a later date. However, with the coronavirus pandemic impacting the world today, they are releasing it early to give people something to take their minds off of what is going on right now.

Sprouse says:

"I found that we've turned to the arts tremendously during this time. We turn to our television and our films, to crafts and video games. When we talked about Borrasca we sat down and said, 'Hey, look, I know production could continue on this and we could really polish it up, but I know people are hungry for this content right now.' People want to sit down and listen to something that maybe helps them distract themselves — lets them immerse themselves into another world."

Catch new Borrasca episodes every Monday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and QCode.