Max Jenkins – The Mysteries of Laura

By: Jamie Steinberg

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

A) Max Carnegie kind of pops in every once and a while, says something funny and then I have a day or two to do what I want. I don’t go out on missions or run around chasing bad guys with Debra [Messing]. I’m always in the office Googling things for them. I’m still kind of amazed and grateful to be on a TV show so I kind of spend my free time sitting and meditating on what an incredible achievement it is! I’m just so excited, happy and grateful. It’s just incredible! I take a lot of time in my spare time to sit and reflect on it. I’ll also sit down with friends and figure out other projects to work on, other creative endeavors to collaborate on. People I respect, love and went to school with all sit down and have meetings kind of about TV shows we could create or movies we could make over summer break.

Q) How was your character Max Carnegie originally described to you?

A) I don’t think they really knew. That’s the beauty of a TV pilot, it’s sort of left up to the actors to make them unique and special. I think it was my audition that made the showrunner, Jeff Rake, go, “Oh, maybe this character could be this weird guy.” I mean, the one thing I know is that I’m kind of bizarre and would never do the audition like anybody else. Every actor would do it in their own crazy way, but for some reason they vibed with my weirdness. So, they didn’t describe it to me in any way. Actually, his name was first Max Gupta so I think they imagined him as a Middle Eastern gentleman, which I don’t really fit. I think they pictured someone who was really good at Math, smart and kind of geeky. I don’t know if the character I have created is necessarily that smart. I think he just works really hard. I think that is something different from what was originally envisioned. The writers give me the funniest stuff and I get to just say it in my voice. I definitely brought my strong pipes to the mix. My singing voice is something that has sort of crept into the character. It’s all a result of me being nervous. When I’m nervous I’ll sing a line or be stupid because it makes me a little more comfortable. We have to pepper it in because it would be annoying every episode. It is me. I’m just being myself. If you name something the character does, it’s undoubtedly something I do in real life.

Q) The show is almost a dramedy because there are comedic elements within the drama. How does that dynamic work?

A) To me, the heart of the show is a sexy, screwball comedy. I think that’s what the show is and I think it was originally designed to be that, but has taken on a whole new dimension as a result of the chemistry between Debra Messing and Josh Lucas. I don’t know if it is how they engage with one another or if it is the writing that comes alive, but when you have those two in the studio together doing lines it is like Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. It feels very much old Hollywood to me. There is something about it that reminds me of an old black and white movie. To me, that’s the how the actors feel on set. We feel it is a screwball comedy that is also sexy and scary. Sort of all screwball comedies have an element of intrigue and drama. It’s very much in keeping with the classic Hollywood formula. As for the comedy, Debra Messing is one of the funniest TV actresses of all time. So, we’re often just taking her lead. Janina [Gavankar] and I have noticed she finds the funny in dramatic scenes and finds the drama in the comedy scenes. She brings everything to the table no matter what we are working on. We just take her lead. It trickles down from her. She brings all of her comedic chops and all of her dramatic chops. So, we have no choice, but to follow her lead.

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

A) It feels like summer camp. Janina and I are always kind of running around the hallways and cracking up. It’s this vibe of feeling free in this environment where you are supposed to be professional. Everybody else is working and we’re working really hard too, but the way we are working is that we act ridiculous. Also, there was the time when I didn’t really realize I was supposed to be on set and I was kind of just chilling in my dressing. Then, I realized I was supposed to be there so I ran with my shoes untied. When I got there, everyone is sitting there – like the whole cast. They were sitting in a booth on the bar set, Callaghan’s, and they are all chanting “ten one!” I was like, “That’s hilarious,” but I was not aware of what they were talking about. They are all seasoned actors so they know the lingo. It turns out they were making fun of me because they were acting like I was in the bathroom pooping. I just want to state the case that that was not what was happening! I was just sitting there. There is also a time on the pilot when I was dancing during a take and trying to make Debra laugh. So, I dropped it like it was hot and my pants split down the middle. It was in the middle of a take and I was dancing. Everything falls silent and Debra asks, “Did you just split your pants?” I said, “Yes…” She goes, “Okay, go take care of that.” I said, “Okay, bye!”

Q) What do you think it is about “The Mysteries of Laura” that has made it a quick fan favorite show?

A) It’s really good. It’s so great that we were underestimated in the beginning because we had a chance to fight hard for what we want the show to be and what we have decided it is. I can see how critics of the show in the beginning would say, “So, she thinks this is a surprising twist? She’s a mom and she has a job? Wow! What a shocker!” Through that criticism, we realized we are commenting on what it means to be a single mom today. We can have fun with that, go for that and figure out what that is. We’re just a quirky show in an honest, fun, breezy way. We’re just like, this is what’s up…Debra Messing is a single mom. Josh Lucas is a single dad. We’re talking about that on set and figuring out what it means. I think people can tell. I have so many moms following me on Twitter and screaming how obsessed they are with the show. I just think it rings true to them. I think that is kind of the main thing.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is it important to you to interact with the fans?

A) I was on Twitter, but I never checked it. When I started working on the show, I realized all of my castmates were serious Twitter users. So, I decided to step it up and get on it. Janina claims to be the first actor on Twitter. I can’t vouch for the validity of that statement, but I’m going to go with it. Laz Alonso has zillions of screaming fans breaking his Twitter daily. Josh and Debra are hugely famous! And in New York I kind of never get the opportunity to talk to fans because I’m always running down the street because I’m always late. There have been a few moments where someone will scream, “Oh my gosh! It’s Max!” And I know they are talking about Max Carnegie, not Max Jenkins. But I’m in such a rush that not able to stop and talk to them or hug them or whatever. It’s really exciting to just know that people are watching. You see the numbers and that there are a zillion people watching our show, but I didn’t fully believe it until I checked out Twitter. I’m still figuring it out and I hope that this show lasts forever and I can continue to build a relationship with the fans of the show because it is just so cool. As an artist, it is wonderful to get feedback on ones work.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the show?

A) I would like to ask, “Do you have any friends with Neilson cable boxes and if so, could you just tell them to turn on the old clicker at 8pm on Wednesdays?” Actually, I guess I would say thank you. I would say if you’re not laughing at what I’m doing that’s a big problem. So, you need to contact me on Twitter at @maxjenkinksyall. If you’re not laughing out loud to at least seventy percent of my lines then we can figure that out together and I can take some constructive criticism from you. Actually, I’m going to go with ninety percent of my material on “Mysteries of Laura” to be laugh out loud funny. I want them to join Twitter so I can hear their thoughts. I know that we have had up to ten million viewers in a single airing of the show and there are not ten million followers on my Twitter account. So, there is a discrepancy here.