Jarod Joseph

Jarod Joseph has been making a splash onto the acting scene over the past two years with roles on TV shows like Fringe, The Killing, and most recently, The LA Complex. Now he has a permanent role on the new DirectTV show, Rogue. Although Rogue doesn’t come out until early next year, keep an eye out for Jarod in guest star appearances on other shows. We chatted a bit about his acting, The LA Complex, and the new show.

Arin: How did you get involved in acting?
Jarod: Well, I was living in Alberta — and it was probably one of the coldest places to be in Canada — so I was doing odd jobs and not really sure where I was gonna go next. I wasn’t going to go do any post-secondary work [and] nothing was really hitting me, so I was hanging out with a lot of guys that were very supportive me as a person and they were like, “you should really look into doing something,” and I was kind of like, “well I don’t know.” I was just at a complacent place in my life at that time and a friend of mine suggested that maybe something in entertainment would be up my alley, and it was pretty much that moment where I was like, “that’s not a terrible idea.” I kept working and made the decision about two weeks after that and literally just packed my stuff and drove to Vancouver to pursue it. [I] got right to it.

A: Some people don’t realize that a lot of the filming for American TV shows and movies takes place in Canada, so did that make it easier to break into the industry and find jobs?
J: Yeah. I think so. I guess, realistically, I had the option of Toronto or Vancouver, but Vancouver is the province over right next to where I was living so it was: A) easier, and B) warmer than Toronto. I thought my chances were realistically a bit better. Vancouver is a bit of a smaller pool in a lot of ways and when I had talked to a few people who had a little bit of familiarity with the industry, they suggested Vancouver had a bit more work at the time as well so it made more sense.

A: What has it been like to have some of these larger, recurring roles lately?
J: It’s been pretty cool because I would say in the last two and a half years, I’ve had some pretty establishing circumstances in terms of recurring like a semi regular position on a show, [and] a lead in a movie. Not necessarily the biggest productions in the world in the beginning, but I had a lot of experience leading up to it. It seems like everything has been going on an uphill level at this point, so it’s pretty exciting to kind of get thrown into the den and it’s a new experience for me. I started out doing a lot of walk on stuff and just getting familiar with the set etiquette and all that stuff; so by the time that I got to do these recurring things, I was more comfortable and I think everything is happening at the right time for me.

A: Is it ever weird to film so far in advance and then see the cut of the episode later on?
J: Yeah absolutely. This is my first time actually watching something that’s still being shot. I know the folks back in Toronto were still shooting by the time my first episode aired. You kind of watch it on the fly. I was still shooting one episode while one was just airing for the first time. It’s pretty cool; they have the most amazing editing staff on that show. So I always felt like I was in good hands, even if I felt a little apprehensive about my work that day. But everything is looking really good so far. I’m really proud of the show.

A: You’re working on a new TV series, Rogue, so what can you tell us about that show and your character?
J: It’s on Direct TV’s Audience Network; it’s a joint production between DirectTV and E1. It’s a Thandie Newton vehicle, it’s a drama set in Oakland, police are involved, organized crime is involved… It’s another brave show, it’s dark, it’s moody, it’s sexy in a lot of ways. The writing is incredible, I think a lot of people are gonna dig it. I’m very fortunate that I got a chance to be on it. Being in Vancouver, it’s not everyday or every year that something of this magnitude comes through. It’s the biggest thing I’ve done so far, I think, in a lot of ways. I’m in it for the duration and it’s another challenge.

A: What has been one of your favorite roles?
J: When I talk to a lot of my friends who aren’t really into the whole acting thing but are extremely proud of me, they always ask me for something to watch that I’ve been in and I usually send them in the direction of the episode of The Killing that I did last year. That, for me, was at the time the biggest thing for me and I’m really proud of it. I’m really proud of that show and I made a couple [of] lifelong friends off of that three day experience. I got to play a Somali murder suspect and it was my first soiree with accents, and I’m really proud of that experience.