That Time I Discovered Josh Stewart’s Secret Fluffiness.
Photos by Josh Stewart & Illustration by Matthew Gray Gubler
Having seen (and enjoyed) many of the characters that Josh Stewart has played, I’m not going to lie — I was expecting a rather brooding fellow. He so convincingly embodies individuals, who more often than not are slightly “troubled.” Men who are constantly perturbed, or teetering on the edge of something truly awful happening. Leaving us all wondering what the character does after the day is done, the scene is over, and the credits have rolled.
Whether he’s agent, mute or thief, it usually involves a window, a sense of foreboding and a large glass of Bourbon. I mean do you see ‘Detective William LaMontagne, Jr.’ going home, relaxing with a hot mug of cocoa and soaking his tootsies in the Foot Spa? Nor me, although he really probably should. So imagine my surprise when a few minutes after our “hellos,” I realized Josh Stewart is, in fact, one of the fluffy bunnies of the world.
Those few genuinely ‘good’ people, who enjoy dappled sunshine and feeding ducks. The ones you would want to give big hugs to and protect from all the troubles of the world. Odd when you consider nine times out of ten (on screen), it’s usually the world that seems to need the protection from him. The actor who portrays the ‘melancholy and macabre’ so well, has an alluring coziness about him. A comfort-inducing tone that makes you want him to read you a bedtime story before tucking you in for the night. It’s bizarre, but I think I want Josh Stewart to be my dad! What-The-What? Which makes no sense at all, as I’m at least one year his senior. So instead of trying to convince him to adopt me (*which I was very tempted to do) or that he and Robert Pattinson could pass as family, we talked about how utterly gruesome his new film “The Collection” is. And his impressive portfolio of fictional character names and why he wouldn’t mind being his wife for a day.
I give you (the-not-at-all-creepy) Josh Stewart!
FW: Your accent is none descriptive, where are you from?
JS: Originally from Diana, West Virginia, I was in NYC for a while working, so it’s kind of all over the place now. I don’t why, but a lot of people think I’m English.
Perhaps it’s because you are so very pale?
This thought had no business leaving my head.
I am Scotch-Irish (laughs), with a bit of Cherokee thrown in.
You also tend to play the rather unhinged sorts, don’t you?
Yep, yeah. Exactly.
Saw you on “Grimm” I think you were a beast of some kind?
Well, there you have it. At least it was the kid who was really troubled this time; I was just a decoy.
I did think you were the culprit on sight.
That might have been deliberate. Maybe they thought “who can we get, that everyone will believe as completely unstable and guilty? Josh Stewart!”
Even the cops you’ve played, seem to have — issues?
If I’m the cop, it’s the one you probably don’t want to be partners with (laughs).
Why do you think that is?
To be honest, I think…
… it’s because you’re so pale, isn’t it?
To say I ‘lucked out’ this gentleman understood my British humor, is an understatement. In retrospect, this could have all gone pear-shaped at this precise moment.
Yes, yes that’s right, ha! No, when you first get to Hollywood and work, it’s whatever you remind people of, is how they cast you. When I first got here, some people kept saying I reminded them of a young Sean Penn, who was associated with more intense or complicated roles.
Well, that’s a compliment.
Absolutely, but that’s how they saw me. So you are steered towards those types. I can play those types, they come to me easily, and it’s been good to me.
They suit you.
So why fight it? And it’s fun to get in the heads of those kinds of people.
Mmm, you are troubled, aren’t you?
Although his giggling, didn’t really back that idea up.
Put it this way, I’ve been here over ten years now, and I’ve auditioned one time for a sit-com. No joke, one time.
Wow, they don’t even look at your picture and think “happy.”
No, more like “what’s wrong with this guy; let’s call him in.”
You ever auditioned for “Twilight?”
Nope, I’m not pretty enough for those kinds of movies.
Now, to be fair to Mr. Stewart. Although he sounded like a seasoned cop, grizzled FBI agent, or cowboy storyteller, he does not photograph that way.
Have you seen those dudes? Besides, I have a few years on all of them.
Just how gruesome is “The Collection?”
It’s completely offensive in EVERY possible way.
Hoorah!
Seriously, I’m in it, so I know what’s gonna happen next, I can’t watch the really bad parts. I still cover my eyes or turn my head away.
I saw the trailer with the dance club scene. Oi ve, ouch. Do you still snowboard or box?
I use to be a competitive snowboarder. Everyone thought it was a fad then, the ski patrol didn’t really want you there or the skiers. We were constantly getting our lift tickets taken away from us. When you look at how it’s transformed free skiing and how far it’s come. With boxing you figure the older you get, it’s not really that much fun getting punched in the face.
Especially with what you do for a living, are you allowed?
I guess that’s more the question right? (laughing). Fortunately for me, the characters I play — if I get a real black eye, they say “ah it’s fine.”
How did you start acting, being into more athletic pursuits?
My father was a baseball, basketball and football coach. So I grew up in that world and theatre wasn’t even on my radar. By chance, my speech teacher from high school was directing a play, and she told me to audition. First time on stage, I knew, this is it.
You have the best character names; ‘Arkin,’ ‘Barsad,’ ‘Holt,’ and ‘Pleasant Curtis’ — my personal favorite.
I tell you Pleasant Curtis is the best name, in history. I’m not gonna argue with that. Wouldn’t that be the best name for a bar?
Barsad comes from a “Tale of Two Cities” a lot of the Batman film’s storyline came from that.
At the time, I’m ashamed to admit, I thought it was a take on Bastard. Just pronounced like a rough Londoner, without the “T.”
What TV shows are you watching now?
I barely watch TV. If I do, it’s usually The Outdoor Channel or movies. I did watch some of the “Dexter” season with John Lithgow. There’s something to be said for a guy that can play a serial killer and make him a likable hero. You root for him, which is creepy. And you don’t want him to get caught, this person that’s doing something that’s morally reprehensible.
Then there are some, like the angel of death nurse, she wasn’t that bad.
(laughing) So, you are deciding who Dexter should and shouldn’t kill? Who lives and who dies, Falene?
Oh poop, I’m sorry Dad, you are right.
A chance to look at MIMP yet?
I read an interview; it’s been a bit of a whirlwind these last couple of weeks. So not yet. I was flying to Texas, then to NY, and I just got back from directing my very first movie, which I’m in and I wrote too. I think my brain had a meltdown. I’m sure two-thirds of it is no longer in use.
Any hobbies or skills, are you a secret knitter?
Carpentry, I have the potential to be a good carpenter.
Last film you saw in a movie theater?
“Beasts Of The Southern Wild.” So freakin’ good. On the plane, I watched “Stand by Me” and “On The Waterfront.” I thought Tom Hardy is like our Brando.
Well technically, he’s our Brando. I speak for my fellow countrymen.
(and my lady parts).
(laughing) Well, he is your (England’s)Brando, but I meant our generation. The guy has so much power in just his eyes, and he had that mask covering half his face; all he had was the eyes. He’s like a throwback to a different time.
Josh genuinely has a strong passion for good films and good acting.
What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t a working actor?
I would probably be a carpenter. I enjoy building things; I built the dining room table, chairs, some furniture in our kids’ room. It’s nice creating something tangible, something tactile.
What is your true heart’s desire?
Fly-fishing. Standing in a river. I love it; there’s nothing better; the sun just poking through the branches with Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” in your back pocket.
If you were a woman for a day, who would you like to be?
My wife.
That’s both lovely and really, really, really dirty.
(He begins cracking up). Wait, ok, my wife when she isn’t around me. My wife, not going to bed. I see where your mind went there. I can see it now, “Josh Stewart wants to be with himself.”
Awe yes, playing with his bits.
That’s right and playing with my own bits.
Fly fishin’ and touchin’ me own BOOBS!! Ah, good times. Who do you love, musically?
Johnny Cash, recently I’ve been on this kick of folksy, blue-grassy, instrumentals. Also been listening to Mumford & Sons and The Avett Bros. Where I’m from, the Appalachian Mountains has big bluegrass music following. It’s also where all the Scotch-Irish settled, the fiddles, the banjos, it all comes from a similar place.
There’s an illustration of you by Matthew Gray Gubler that says you had Salmonella?
I did, I went into cardiac arrest, and my wife performed CPR on me for seven minutes until the paramedics arrived. Then they had to shock me back. Yep, that does happen from Salmonella. So now when you go back a few questions, to why I say I want to be my wife.
Because you want to save yourself?
Kudos to Mr. Stewart for getting into the silliness of all this.
Yes, I want to save myself because I have so much to do …(goofily) to myself. The weird thing is she doesn’t know CPR, they walked her through it over the phone, and I died for almost ten minutes. I got Salmonella from feeding ducks, and now I have a defibrillator in my chest. So I took a picture and sent it to Matthew as a source for his drawing.
Josh exudes a reassuring sense that everything is going to be ok, he’s got it covered. Even as he calmly recounts his own death.
That’s really serious, man.
Crazy, right?
This interview is meant to be light and fluffy, Josh.
Alright then, I want to be my wife (giggles). I wanna be with myself… and play with my own boobs.
If you were a bar of chocolate what would you be?
A Snickers bar.
Lovely, as you should be. Word association. Red?
Blood
Kittens?
Not so much
Giggles?
River (his son)
That made the last one a bit awkward.
Ah — vagina?
Oh babies
Or maybe not, that works. Clever, well done!
Originally published on MeInMyPlace in Fall of 2012. Josh Stewart continued to work on “Criminal Minds” (which will be coming to an end in Season 15), as well as re-occurring roles in the hit-shows “The Punisher” and “Shooter.” Both, vicious (albeit attractive-looking), cold-blooded, assassins. With portfolio-worthy names like John Pilgrim and Solotov, he can add to his already impressive collection. In 2013, Josh finished filming his directorial debut, “The Hunted,” in which he also stars. Stewart reunited in 2014 with Director Christopher Nolan as the voice of CASE in the sci-fi epic “Interstellar” and then in Wally Pfister’s (Nolan’s regular cinematographer) debut “Transcendence.” The same year Stewart was cast in the Disney film “The Finest Hours.” He holds a special place in horror-fans hearts after the successes of “The Collector,” “The Collection,” “The Neighbour,” “Insidious: The Last Key,” and “Malicious.” This year he completed “The Mustang” and his passion-project (which he directed) “Back Fork” with “Criminal Minds” co-star and TV wife A.J. Cook. A story of an everyman, Waylon (Stewart), struggling to hold his life and family together after a heartbreaking tragedy that leaves him and his wife Nida (Cook) to face his opiate-addiction. Back Fork is in select theaters and available on VOD (- iTunes — Amazon Instant — Google Play — Vudu — Xbox — YouTube Transactional — Fandango Now — Dish Network — Direct TV). Stewart has yet to be cast in that sit-com.
