Jon Seda Jr., son of 'La Brea' star Jon Seda, talked to ET about playing a younger version of his dad's character in Tuesday's episode.
Talk about a trippy family reunion. On Tuesday's episode of La Brea, a young Sam (played by Jon Seda's real-life son, Jon Seda Jr.) has a chance encounter with his future daughter, Riley (Veronica St. Clair), in 1988 -- only he doesn't know yet that she's his daughter, and only ET debuts the exclusive sneak peek at the awkward scene between father and daughter!
In the hour, titled "Lazarus," Riley approaches her, ahem, dad after witnessing him flirting with a blonde woman just seconds before. Naturally, she's less than thrilled to have witnessed that flirty exchange, muttering, "Gross," as she approaches him.
When Sam tells her he doesn't know who she is, Riley takes his notepad and starts jotting something down. Of course, he mistakens it as her freely giving him his number.
"Listen to me, I know you don't know who I am but you have to trust me. This is really, really important. I need you to read this note and commit it to memory. It's not going to make any sense to you right now, but it will when you're older," Riley advises him, again re-emphasizing the importance of the task she's asking him to do. She then warns him not to be in Santa Monica in three days time.
Sam is confused by the forewarning, but Riley stands her ground and tells him there are people counting on him. "Please don't let them down," she says.
ET sent over a few questions to Seda Jr. about portraying a younger version of his father's character on La Brea, and he admitted over email that it "felt a little Back to the Future-ish to me."
"Just glad I wasn't flirting with my mom in the scene!" Seda Jr. joked, before praising his scene partner, St. Clair. "It was a treat working with Veronica St. Clair. She gave me plenty to work off of and we joked around between takes, which made it feel more natural. Playing Young Sam on La Brea was so much fun for me and I’m glad I got to be a part of this ever-evolving story that the show has going on."
This isn't the first time Seda Jr. has worked with his dad on one of his TV shows. The actor shared he was his stand-in during his time on Chicago PD, so "being on set with him isn't new to me."
"People are always coming up to me telling me how great it is working alongside my dad, so I try my best to follow his example. So then maybe one day people will say the same about me," Seda Jr. said. "Although we weren’t in the same scene, he still made time to check up on me like he always has and I’m glad to have the opportunity to spend time with him like that. There’s nothing wrong with learning from the best!"
He also credited the La Brea crew for making him feel at home while filming his scenes.
"I was wearing a T-shirt while we filmed on a cold winter day, and the crew took care of me and made things more comfortable. I felt like I was filming back in the States while I was in the scene, then the director yelled cut and I’d hear all the Aussie talk and I’d be like, 'Oh yeah, I’m in Melbourne…,'" Seda Jr. recalled. "The director, Adam Davidson, was awesome! He helped me focus in on my dialogue and gave me great direction with the scene. I’m so thankful I got the chance to work with him. This whole experience reignited the acting drive for me after years behind the scenes."
La Brea airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
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