EXCLUSIVE: Jordan Fisher Talks His New Park Ambassadorship & His Love of the Ocean

Liv and Maddie and Hamilton actor Jordan Fisher is using his celebrity to connect with a cause that means the world to him (literally) — national parks.

Jordan is now a National Park Foundation ambassador, and he is helping to launch the newest content series, Parks 101, to celebrate the 101st year of the National Park Service.

Jordan‘s Parks 101 story at Hamilton Grange National Monument (yes, that Hamilton) is the first in the series, and he will be live-streaming a behind-the-scenes tour of the monument to share more about Alexander Hamilton’s life in Harlem, New York, tonight at 6 PM EST on his Facebook Live.

We chatted with Jordan about why he connects with this cause, how it relates to his performance in Hamilton, and his deep and unwavering love of the ocean.

Read the full interview inside:

JJJ: What inspired you to be a National Park Foundation ambassador?
JF: I mean, coming from Hamilton, my patriotic spirit and love for my country is renewed. I think that has become the case for a lot of people, especially fans of the show. It instills a newly kind of revitalized spirit in terms of learning about the cultivation of our country. There are over 400 parks in all 50 states that represent our country and that are enriched with stories that tell about how our country became what it is today. There is a lot of history that is frozen in these places and you can go and see and touch and feel and smell these beautiful places.

JJJ: Did starring in Hamilton and learning Alexander Hamilton’s story make you connect with the memorial in a unique way?
JF: Oh yeah, 100%. I’m the kind of person that needs to learn as much as possible about whatever I’m doing. Being immersed in that story for two and a half hours every night really instilled a sense of ownership in history for me.

JJJ: What do you hope to accomplish with this project?
JF: I just encourage everybody to hop on Google and type in “national park” in whatever state they live in and see what beauty lies in their own backyard. It’s that simple. There’s beautiful trails you can hike, incredible homes and establishments and tombs and mountains and parks to camp in and hike and love and experience, and the moment you do that, you recognize that’s yours to have forever. You’ll find a beautiful new love for our country and our story.

JJJ: Tell us about a time and place that you’ve felt a special connection with nature.
JF: I am from the South originally, but I have been on the West Coast for about 10 years. I am mixed with a whole bunch of ethnicities, but my love for the Tahitian side of my blood definitely helped me find a passion for the ocean, and Hawaii is my getaway. It’s where I re-calibrate in the midst of the craziness that my life is. It’s where I go to become Jordan Fisher again. I’m the best version of me when I’m there. The ocean has always been that thing for me, being in a body of water that’s connected to the rest of the world is something from a young age I’ve always thought about. It’s a kind of existential thing that you experience when you start thinking about the Earth and how young this planet is, and you can kind of scale back and think about how many solar systems and galaxies there are. I have that same kind of experience when I’m swimming in the ocean, and it’s something that I love and am passionate about.

JJJ: That’s very Moana of you.

JF: It’s VERY Moana of me.

Make sure to catch Jordan on Facebook Live tonight @ 6 PM/EST