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.