Celebrity Travel: Go away with Charles Brice

Charles Brice portrays a CIA hacker in the new Netflix spy series, “In From the Cold." He describes his character as "trustworthy, loyal, unafraid to speak his mind and he loves his momma dearly." As for himself in real life, Brice said he's "as skilled in technology as any millennial who grew up during the time of Myspace and AOL Instant Messenger. Chris, on the other hand, is not only a highly skilled hacker — he is one of the best, which is exactly why Chauncey (Cillian O’Sullivan) conscripts his services." The Brooklyn resident will also be seen in the third season of Showtime's "City on a Hill."

Q: Have you ever traveled to a place that made you feel like you were in a spy novel?

A: Shooting “The Survivor” in Hungary was my first time traveling to Eastern Europe. One day, I took a trip with a few locals I had met to this old abandoned Soviet military base miles outside of Budapest. As I stepped through the supposedly haunted ruins of these buildings and rooms, I couldn't help but feel the presence of lives past lived. It thoroughly possessed the historic beauty and eerie mystery of places described in spy novels.

Q: Korean actor Jung Hae-in (“D.P.”) shot a travel series and one episode focused on your alma mater, Pace University. I was curious if you watch Korean entertainment.

A: I did earn my MFA at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace. Also true, I watch Korean films and shows, and I really enjoy their crime/thrillers/horror (genre). Some of my favorites are “Deliver Us From Evil,” “Train to Busan,” “Parasite,” “Kingdom,” “#Alive” and “I Saw the Devil.”

Q: If you had to cancel travel plans due to the pandemic, where were they to?

A: Interestingly enough, we were supposed to begin shooting our Netflix series, “In From the Cold,” in March 2020. I had flown out to Spain and already spent a week doing pre-production when the country went into lockdown. We were sent back to the U.S. without having begun shooting. Not only that, I got COVID-19 in Spain — the OG COVID before the variants. But I didn't want to be hospitalized, because there were many elderly people who desperately needed it. It was truly a terrifying experience, because I was extremely sick and no one really knew much about COVID then. My next project filmed in New York. I thought, "That's a relief.” And then Omicron showed up. So, with all that being said, I'm sure I will continue to travel for work and this pandemic will soon be behind us. Wishful thinking? I hope not.

Q: What's the most important thing you've learned from your travels?

A: We're all more similar to each other than we think. Despite a great number of governing bodies, belief systems and differences that may divide us, there is an undeniable common thread to humanity, which becomes more evident the more I travel.

Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?

A: I would say I pick up languages fairly easily. However, the only other language I would dare say I speak well enough is Spanish. All others are works in progress. When I travel to other countries, (natives) speaking at least two languages is usually the standard.

Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A: My tripod. I usually end up getting auditions while I'm away and having it with me when I have to send in a self-tape audition is always clutch.

Q: What is your best or worst vacation memory?

A: It was Christmas Eve and I was driving to my Airbnb after an evening out having dinner. Two men on a motorcycle pulled me over. I had actually read about this happening to other tourists, but had never expected to encounter it. They said I was driving while looking at my cellphone (which I wasn't) and that I would have to pay a fine. Then they said the station was closed and I would have to go with them to a bank and take out money to give to them directly. After I told them I was very uncomfortable with that idea, they asked me how much money was in my wallet. I took a moment and looked very hard at them, their uniforms, the guns in their holsters and the bike with the lights flashing. I told them that I only had a few thousand pesos and they commenced to taking all of it and sent me on my way. This whole interaction took place without a word of English being spoken. Honestly, I was impressed at how well I was able to speak Spanish while fearing for my life.

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(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow “Go Away With…” on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.)