Josh Kelly – UnREAL

By starrymag | August 8, 2016

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

Q) Jeremy had an interesting arc this season that led to a downward spiral. Was he a victim of Coleman and Hot Rachel/Yael or just of the show?

A) I would say he is a victim of being in love with Rachel (Shiri Appleby). That would be the only thing that would get him away from what he has been feeling and doing. He can’t leave her.

Q) Was his hookup with Hot Rachel/Yael because he couldn’t have the real deal?

A) He was in some ways trying to make Rachel jealous. Also, it was just to get some sort of response from her. It might have been the first episode where he brings up the “Hot Rachel” thing, but he is just trying to get some sort of response from her.

Q) We have seen Jeremy trying to bond with Chet more. What did he see in him as a mentor?

A) It was more having someone kind of believe in him. When you’re going through breakups and depression, you really look for support and if anyone gives it to you then you normally cling on to that. I think that’s what Jeremy did.

Q) It was interesting as well that Chet went through a rebirth, trying to be a new man yet reverting to his old ways.

A) I thought that was pretty clever writing and smart of them to do. He sees a pretty girl in need and he feels like he has to save her.

Q) What was it like working with Shiri this season?

A) Shiri is a remarkable, remarkable woman. It’s cool working with her.

Q) We also saw quite a shocking moment this season where Jeremy and Rachel get into a physical fight. What did you think when you initially read that scene?

A) I was concerned because I wanted to make sure that it made sense and was truthful to the character. I never felt like he was the kind of person who would go out there and hit someone for no reason or just because he was angry. So, we made sure that he is inappropriate and drunk, but he doesn’t hit her first. She hits him first and he kind of reacts. If you watch it, right afterwards he is going to try and help her, but Chet (Craig Bierko) gets in between. Jeremy immediately regrets what he does. I’m happy with the scene. I think it came out well.

Q) What kind of feedback did you receive from fans about that moment?

A) It is interesting. Some people got it and understood and saw that it’s an unfortunate situation. Other people are like, “What an asshole” and “hitting girls is wrong.” I agree with that, but it’s funny because sometimes people see things the way they want to see it.

Q) Talk a little bit about breaking down that scene with Shiri and the choreography of it.

A) We worked with a stunt coordinator and we had talked about it for a long time because we were pretty concerned about doing it well. Then, we shot it and we both kind of worked our way into it. We worked together for a while now so we are very comfortable with each other. I liked how it ended up airing. It starts out almost intimate as we’re very close to each other. It looks like we may kiss, but then we fight. It’s a cool scene. Shiri is always awesome to work with and I love acting to work with her. I like difficult scenes because they are a challenge. I was drinking nonalcoholic beer leading up to it to just get into the feeling. It’s always fun though to do a challenging scene.

Q) We know that Jeremy returns for the finale. Is he looking for revenge or redemption?

A) Kind of both. He’s trying to prove himself to Quinn (Constance Zimmer), Chet and Rachel and he’s going to go way too far.

Q) What can you tease will be the consequences of Yael’s manipulation of Jeremy?

A) Coleman (Michael Rady) and Yael (Monica Barbaro) have definitely picked a fight with the wrong people. Quinn and Rachel are two people I would never want coming after me. Chet also for that matter! Jeremy is kind of trapped trying to prove himself as one of them.

Q) Do you think there is any loyalty of the crew of “Everlasting” or is it more about opportunity?

A) I think there is definitely loyalty. Quinn, Chet and Rachel love each other. Chet loves Quinn, for sure, and is loyal. And Jeremy loves Rachel. They would all do anything for the ones that they love.

Q) It seems kind of like an incestuous relationship between them all since they all are like family.

A) I think it does and they are a really messed up family.

Q) Speaking of messed up families, this season saw the return Rachel’s mom. We saw Quinn fighting for Rachel. It was nice at the heart of it is Quinn’s love and admiration for one another.

A) It is ambiguous. You can’t really tell.

Q) There are many blurred lines on the show. Each one has professed their love for one another, but you can never tell if it comes from a sisterly, motherly or romantic way.

A) A lot of times love is complicated and you don’t know with certain people how you feel. You just know you feel something. I think that it is kind of cool that they have done that with Quinn and Rachel.

Q) Since Jeremy wasn’t around for a bit, how aware were you with the bigger picture and themes of the show this season? For example, with Romeo getting shot and the Black Lives Matter theme.

A) I knew about it. I went to the table reads and stuff. It was cool. The show continues to boggle me with how socially relevant it is. Season One, the episode where Jay (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) comes out of the closet was the day Gay Rights was legalized. It was like, “Are we in the Matrix? What’s going on?” [laughs] Then, with Romeo (Gentry White) that episode was very topical. It’s remarkable. It’s really impressive. The writers are very similar thinking and it is very cool. I’m very fortunate to be on a show that isn’t afraid to really talk about these issues and things that are true and honest.

Q) What was it like working on this season of “UnREAL?”

A) It’s a fun process. The table reads are fun and we all care about each other. We all enjoy it. They are pretty fun. [begins speaking in British accent] When Freddie [Stroma] was returning, he wasn’t there yet so I got to do my Freddie voice and I played Adam for the table read. It was a lot of fun!

Q) What do you hope fans take away from this season and are you happy with where we leave Jeremy?

A) Yes, I’m really happy. They seem to be bringing him back and adding elements to him. He could have been a very vanilla if he stayed the same as Season One. They allowed him to push his boundaries and I would say that I’m happy that the fans are still fans. I’m excited that people are willing to stay open and the honesty that the show exposes and talks about. It’s a cool show. It’s the first show I’ve done that all of my friends like.

Q) What has it been like for you watching this season of “UnREAL?”

A) This season has been interesting because I wasn’t able to watch it. The first season I think I had three days off total and this season I had weeks off. It was a lot more fun to watch as a fan because I didn’t know how everything was going to turn out.