Here’s a new show for you to add to your “can’t miss” list: the new family mystery series OPEN HEART. The show premiered January 20 on YTV in Canada and TeenNick in the United States and it’s already amassed a large fan following. OPEN HEART introduces you to the world of Dylan Blake (Karis Cameron), a troubled teen who has just been ordered to complete community service volunteering at Open Heart Memorial, the hospital where her mother and sister are doctors and her grandparents are board members and benefactors. Most importantly, it is also the same hospital where her father was last seen alive! Although she is supposed to be staying out of trouble, Dylan sees a great opportunity to put her old delinquent skills back into service, enlist the support of some of her new volunteer friends and find out the truth about what happened to her father.

Despite their new mission, Dylan and her friends still have to report back to their watchful volunteer leader Jared (Mena Massoud). He is a snarky and upfront guy who plays by the rules and embraces the limited amount of authority his position gives him, but under those layers of jerk, Jared has some secrets of his own.

I chatted with Mena to get all the inside scoop on how he celebrated his university graduation with the OPEN HEART cast, memorable moments from the set and his upcoming short film MASTER OF NONE.

Tell us about OPEN HEART and your character, Jared.

OPEN HEART is a hospital teen drama and it follows a young girl who’s on a journey to find her father and stay out of trouble. Jared is the head of the volunteer program at the hospital that she is volunteering at. He’s really passionate about his work and he tries to get things done, but he also has other passions like everybody else and he explores those throughout the show.

Can you tell us about the casting process for OPEN HEART and your reaction when you found out you got the part?

I was auditioning for a couple of characters to start but Jared was always one of them. I think the casting director really saw Jared in me because she kept bringing me back for him. Then, I screen tested with Karis Cameron, who plays Dylan, and the final screen test was actually on the day of my university graduation. When I found out I got the part, I was super excited!

What do you like most about Jared and how can you relate to him?

I like that he’s honest! He doesn’t hide anything and he says things how they are. He doesn’t always say it the best way, but he definitely says it how it is. I think I can relate to him because I’m kind of like that. Sometimes I don’t always find the best ways to put things when I’m being honest, but that’s what I like most about him – his brutal honesty.

If you could switch roles with any character on the show, who would you be?

That’s a tough one! I think Dylan because she’s just so kickass and she’s just amazing. She goes through a journey every episode and I think it’s really cool.

OPEN HEART deals with a lot of secrets, especially secrets about Dylan’s father. Does Jared have some secrets of his own?

He definitely does! I think a lot of the characters in this series do. I think it’s a great representation of human life; everyone has secrets. Jared does have secrets of his own and I think they’ll start to surface around the middle of the season.

What has been the most memorable moment on-set?

We were filming a scene and I got my tie stuck in a drawer and we kind of kept going with it. Me, Cristine Prosperi and Justin Kelly tried to get through the scene but with a few lines left we all had a huge laugh about it and it was just a lot of fun.

If you could pick any actor to guest star on OPEN HEART, who would you choose and what would they be doing?

Matthew McConaughey would be a lot of fun! He would probably have some secrets of his own.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a short film with a few friends of mine called MASTER OF NONE. It’s going to be a dark comedy and it’s great. Other than that, I’m hoping to just get out there, keep auditioning and see what’s next.

Tell us why we CAN’T miss OPEN HEART!

It’s probably the best show on television! In all truthfulness, stuff just gets really real and I think everyone can learn something from watching it. If people like it now, they are going to love it.

Thank you, Mena! Don’t miss new episodes of OPEN HEART Tuesdays at 9:00PM ET on YTV (Canada) and TeenNick (US).