At age 5, all Tanner Buchanan wanted to do was dance.

“I was always into tap dancing,” the 18-year-old Lima, Ohio, native recently told The Blade.

These days, he stars in ABC’s hit drama Designated Survivor, a show about what happens when the president of the United States is killed by an explosion and a low-level cabinet member is sworn-in to replace him.

Designated Survivor returns from its winter hiatus at 10 p.m. Wednesday on ABC (WTVG-TV, Channel 13).

Aside from his acting career, Buchanan enjoys visiting his hometown of Ottawa, Ohio, for downtime.

“Everything is so crazy in California, and coming back to Ohio is very relaxing because nothing goes on here,” Buchanan said. “There’s so much going on [in California], and to go to nothing is kind of nice to come back and relax when I can.”

Life in Ottawa

Born in Lima, Buchanan attended Glandorf Elementary from kindergarten until October of his fourth-grade year. While involved with soccer, baseball and basketball, he became interested in tap dancing at Center Stage Academy in Ottawa between ages 5 and 8.

“He’s always been very outgoing,” his mother, Marlona, said. “He was reallygood at soccer, and I think it was based on his dancing. He had a lot of coordination.”

He’s still remembered at his former school.

Scott Ketner, principal of Glandorf Elementary, said he remembers Buchanan as a “great kid.” He said when a new episode of Designated Survivor is about to air, school staff members will say, ‘Hey, there is a new episode on tonight, I wonder if Tanner will be in it!’

“He was very talented, especially when it came to music and dance,” Ketner said.

The elementary principal was also Buchanan’s cub scout leader, where he saw the child enjoy spending his time with his friends.

“He was just one of the boys; all the kids liked him,” he said.

Buchanan’s tap dancing prowess enabled him to compete in New York on a national level, where he placed second in his competition. That attracted managers and agents asking if he was interested in moving to New York or California for acting.

“It was very overwhelming,” Marlona said.

He also worked on his dancing with Wendi Davis at Starbound Talent in Toledo.

“He always looked at me so intently, like he really wanted to follow directions well,” she said. ”He was a very good listener and learner. He always did what I asked as far as giving him directions. Kids that really have the passion for it I just know will be successful, and he definitely had the passion.”

After talking it over with her husband, Steve, who often travels for business, Marlona quit her job and moved with her son to Burbank, Calif.

California bound

They rented a one-bedroom apartment without buying much furniture from IKEA.

“We didn’t think we would be there for that long and tried not to get as much furniture as possible just because we didn’t know how long we were going to be there. That way we could get rid of it easily,” Buchanan said.

After landing several national commercials within weeks, one specifically for Pam cooking spray, that initial six months eventually turned into a permanent stay.

“That was the beginning; he loved it so much,” Marlona said.

She enrolled her son in online schooling as soon as they moved to Burbank. The subsequent television shows and movie jobs allowed the two to meet more people to further his acting career.

“The industry is smaller than what you think,” she said. “You would not believe how true that is. It’s a lot of word of mouth.”

Still at a young age, doing homework between scenes and working long days never led the actor to change his mind and return to a normal life in northwest Ohio.

“I was so young and I didn’t have [a real idea] of how big it actually was and what I was stepping into. I just knew I wanted to do it,” Buchanan said.

‘Designated Survivor’

Buchanan plays the role of Leo Kirkman, the son of U.S. President Tom Kirkman, played by Kiefer Sutherland, and his wife, Alex, played by Natascha McElhone.

He said Leo is a rebel who loves his parents, yet they sometimes get on his nerves.

“He just wants to have fun and explore life,” Buchanan said.

He said he relates to his character on the show because he too feels the need to be adventurous. “I have a pretty good hold on who I am and what I want to do, but there’s still more to explore in life.”

While he said Leo is the type of person to go out, Buchanan tends to stay home, usually to play his guitar. He said studying his surroundings has helped him bring Leo’s character to life.

“I pay attention to the world around me; I think that’s my job as an actor to watch everyone who is around me and analyze everyone,” he said. “I’ve done quite a bit of that for a long time.”

He was given the script of the show’s pilot episode and knew right away how he wanted to portray Leo. When it comes time to get into character, he’s noticed music helps with the transition.

Buchanan said his character enjoys electronic dance music, indie music, and even Pink Floyd.

“That’s more based off of what I have when I have a role to pick between,” he said. “If I had two roles and I was on two different sets, I’ll use music as a trigger to switch my mind.”

Although still in his teens, Buchanan has already logged a host of roles, including on TV shows Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, The Goldbergs, and The Fosters and films Jake Squared and the short film Alone In The Dust.

According to Tribune Media Company, Designated Survivor’s last episode in December drew to 12.37 million viewers. The show’s audience percentage gain — 142 percent — tied Modern Family for the second-largest total gain behind The Big Bang Theory.

The Ohio native said working with other actors on set, specifically Sutherland, has improved his acting ability.

“Just stepping back and watching how they go about things has really helped,” he said. “It’s made me realize a couple of more things I need to do in order to make me a better actor.”

Remaining grounded

Buchanan still makes several trips a year to visit relatives in Ottawa. Although Ohio is a much quieter environment than California, the trips are something he looks forward to every time.

“I come back and it’s not even about acting; people never really ask. They do care, but I’m no one special,” Buchanan said. “It’s nice to surround yourself with people who treat you normal and keep you grounded. Everyone here is genuine.”

While his mother is a firm believer in having a back-up plan in case his Hollywood career stalls (she said she’d enjoy seeing her son attend college), for the time being Buchanan continues to draw inspiration from the lights and the cameras.

“I was always into competitive dancing, so I was always used to being in front of people and putting on a performance,” he said. “That’s what I enjoyed doing, and that’s what acting has allowed me to do.”

Contact Geoff Burns at: gburns@theblade.com or 419-724-6110.

First Published March 5, 2017, 5:00 a.m.