Dan Jeannotte – The Bold Type

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) “The Bold Type” was the last couple months of my life. Before that, I had been in LA for a little while doing the pilot season thing, looking for work and putting myself out there. Now, that “The Bold Type” has wrapped I’m back to “normal life” for an actor, which is the constantly looking for work and not knowing what comes next.

Q) We recently saw you on the series “Reign.” What was your experience like on the series?

A) That was a great experience. It was a year and a half of my life. What a wonderful show to be a part of! I came on at the end of the third season and then we had our fourth, and last, season. It was such a cool show to be a part of. Such cool actors from England, Australia and Canada. We shot this 16^th century epic in Toronto. It was so much fun! I got to ride horses, swing a sword, do archery and be a hero. I just loved the work I got to do.

Q) You played Mary’s brother, James. James and Greer were paired together, but we never got to see them pursue something as a couple. Is that something you would have liked to have seen that storyline explored?

A) Absolutely. I thought it was a really great pairing character-wise because Greer had gone through so much in those four seasons and she had all these ups and downs with the Queen and fell on hard times. She ended up running a brothel and her marriage with Castleroy, which was maybe not done for the right reasons yet she tried to make it work. But it didn’t work. She had her affair with the pirate. It felt like she had really gone through hell and she didn’t know where her future lay anymore. She didn’t know what her chances were for happiness because I think she kind of felt she’d used up her chances at happiness. Then, you had James who was in a position of power, but at the same time because he was a bastard never got the respect that he wanted and would never rise beyond the status of bastard. So, I felt like he was kind of resigning himself to this life in between worlds in a way. He’s a noble, but will never be fully accepted by them. So, I thought that the two of them felt right and made sense. These two people who are worldly, have gone through a lot and understand that life is tough, but still want to find happiness owed it to each other. I saw it coming in the storyline before it was ever explored and said anything about it or written in the script – maybe I was just wishing for it. [laughs] I saw James had an eye for Greer and that was nice to layer that in. It would have been so nice to see them go further in their relationship, maybe just because I really loved Celina Sinden who played Greer. She was so smart and so funny. I just enjoyed hanging out with her on set so it would have been really nice to have had more scenes together. Unfortunately, the show ended perhaps before its time. There were a lot of stuff that didn’t get the wrap up that they would have liked to give it since they had to tie it up pretty quickly. It was a bummer in general that the show didn’t continue and for sure that James an Greer didn’t get their moment.

Q) Would you have also liked to have seen James help Mary more with ruling Scotland?

A) Yeah, the role James turned into was this great supporting role where I was Mary’s (Adelaide Kane) right-hand man and confident. In the fourth season, I’m the one who knows Scotland. I don’t know if I can trust her. She doesn’t know if she can trust me. Then, as time went on we realized we’re family – we’re on the same side. Let’s work together. The characters had a really nice rapport and I thought it was nice for the show to have a brother/sister relationship that was positive and supportive since there were some other more fraught and tense relationships. But it was nice to have that kind of positive, supportive relationship. It was always fun to play the guy who is trying to be strong and stable and do the right thing, but he’s also so worried for his sister and so worried for the country. There is a lot of things in James’ head all the time. It would have been great to see where things would have gone and how the writers would have stuck with history, but deviated a bit as they did throughout the series. It would have been neat to see what happened and it would have been great to work more with Ady because she’s amazing.

Q) How was your character, Ryan Decker, on “The Bold Type” originally described to you?

A) That’s a good question because the character has changed a little bit. When I first read for the part, I don’t even think I knew his name was Ryan. He was in the script as “Pinstripe Guy.” He was supposed to be this very confident, very cool writer for a rival men’s magazine and the scenes that I read he definitely came across as maybe a bit of an ass, but he had a kind of humor to him that I really liked. But I think what we figured out as time went on was that we had to make him a little less cool and a little bit more like me. I’m not cool. I’m not a cool person. I can have my moments of confidence, but I’m kind of silly, use humor a lot and I’m self-deprecating. So, I think bringing a little bit more of some of my personality traits to the character maybe made him a little bit more human and well rounded. It took a little bit of time for us to figure that out, but we got there and the character changed and became someone I think that connects with Jane’s character (Katie Stevens) even more. I think when I started on the show they had written a couple episodes, but they hadn’t written them all. So, the writers are writing while we are filming. They are writing future episodes. I think that they liked what Katie and I were doing together. They liked our rapport and they actually did change the storyline a little bit because they wanted to see where this was going.

Q) What was it about the role that drew you to the series?

A) When I first auditioned for the show I was only reading scenes that were between Ryan and Jane. I didn’t get the rest of the script. So, at first, just seeing their interactions I thought it was a great realistic depiction of two strong people who are coming together and want to be together, but are fighting it a little bit. It felt like a kind of relationship that I could see myself in – in previous times before I was married. [laughs] I could picture this kind of sort of antagonistic yet supportive relationship that they have. I could kind of picture myself being in something like that. I thought, “This makes sense to me. It’s fun, sexy and smart.” Then, I got a chance to actually read the rest of the script and I was like, “Oh man! This show is awesome! It’s smart and political and has a great pace to it. It’s very funny.” So, it was really when I got to understand what the whole tone of the show was that I was just hooked. I was like, “I’ve got to be a part of this.”

Q) Was there instant chemistry when you and Katie Stevens began working together or did you spend some time together to bond?

A) Well, we had to actually do a chemistry test. That’s an audition where you are acting alongside another actor who already has the role. So, when they were thinking of hiring me they had me fly to Montreal where the series is filmed to do a chemistry test with Katie and the first time we met was two minutes before we got on camera together to audition. I was nervous about what kind of person she was going to be and whether or not we were going to like each other. I would say like within thirty seconds of talking with her we were really relaxed. I was like, “Oh gosh, she’s a normal human! She’s a nice person and this is going to be so much easier.” [laughs] Actors are a very particular bunch. You never know what your costar is going to be like, but we had a nice rapport from the get-go. Once I got the role, after actually two chemistry tests, they gave me the role and we made sure that we got to spend a little bit of time together before we started shooting to get comfortable with each other and get to know each other. I’m really glad we did that and I’m really grateful to Katie for putting that as a priority – putting some time aside so we could hang out a bit. We really get along well and have a lot of fun together. We just laugh a lot together and I’d like to think that our chemistry or our rapport or connection comes across on the show.

Q) What do you think it is about Jane’s character that attracts Ryan?

A) It’s her strength. The fact that she makes these decisions about what she wants and goes for it. She’s got a lot of will power. She’s got a lot of inner strength and confidence. That is absolutely what does it for Ryan. I think maybe he is used to women who are maybe putting on a bit more of a mask or who are trying to be likeable or trying to be liked. And Jane has a bit more of an attitude of, “I’m going to be myself. You’re either going to like it or not.” I think that resonates with Ryan because he’s like that too and it’s the kind of beautiful thing about their relationship. They challenge each other and push each other. It’s not a simple thing for them. Although their attraction for each other came pretty naturally, their intellectual interactions are like they are butting heads – in a good way. They are pushing each other. So, I think it’s cool to watch them because it’s like a meeting of equals. I think that’s what we all want really.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming the series?

A) Well, perhaps the most memorable – and this is a bit of a spoiler – I shot my first shower sex scene on “The Bold Type.” That was unique, definitely. [laughs] It was different, but funny. In the end, it went alright. I got through it. Some of these intimate moments we have had to do have been an interesting challenge, but part of the life of an actor. And I think another great memory is shooting an episode that comes later on in the season that has a bunch of the characters locked into the office together and there were some very late nights of shooting and I just remember sitting on a couch with some of the other actors shooting a scene and the people on the couch next to me – not naming any names (Meghann Fahy) – that could not keep a straight face during the scene. It was making me crack up, but I was better at keeping a straight face than she was. [laughs] That kind of late night loopy hilarity is infectious. Next thing you know everyone is laughing and we have to stop the scene. We have to take a moment to compose ourselves and start over again. It’s four in the morning and we want to go home, but we just can’t keep it together. That kind of stuff is fun. It’s great people and a really nice, warm and collaborative vibe on set.

Q) What have you personally taken away from working on “The Bold Type?”

A) Well, from my own work experience on the show I really got a lot out of this collaborative atmosphere where the directors and producers encourage the actors to make the dialogue their own, change it if we need to in order for it to sound natural and ad lib a little bit. That’s a really wonderful freedom to be given as an actor. We weren’t just making everything up, but we had the opportunity to throw in little things here and there all with the intention of making it feel fresh and alive and real. That was great as an actor to have that experience. It’ll be hard to go work on another show where that is not the case. I’ll be like, “Oh? You want me to say things exactly how they are written? No, that’s boring.” [laughs] And in terms of the show itself and the end product, what I have taken away from it is when I’m watching the show I’m watching peoples’ reactions to it on social media and online and it’s really exciting to see that people can connect with a show that is fun and silly, but also deals with real relevant issues in an earnest way. People can connect with that and get excited for that. It’s very heartening for me because I want to tell stories that mean something and are relevant. I want that to resonate with people. I want the work that do and the shows that I’m a part of to shine some kind of light in the world we live in. It’s amazing that this show that seems to be connecting with people so well and at the base of it is this message of positivity and support and this idea and feeling that especially young women are extremely capable of and can tackle this big scary world and can make sense of it and get what they want out of this life because they are amazing and strong. That’s a wonderful message to be putting out there.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure fans know about “The Bold Type?”

A) Please renew the show and please bring me back! [laughs]