Just when it seemed as if Lifetime’s impossibly great game-changer for their network couldn’t get any better, it does, continuing to peel away layers of their thickly developed characters like the richest of onions as they offer TV-land some of the best character-driven television in history. Every week on UnReal seems to have a more outrageous reveal, and yet, it never has a “jump the shark” feeling to it as the story remains completely character focused, always zeroing in on the many elaborate shades of grey that the extremely fleshed out roster of colorful characters possess. With UnReal, one of the most sophisticated elements to the make-up of the show is that none of these characters are good or evil, but they are all highly human- stripped down and bared naked to their ugliest and darkest flaws, which, like the hook line goes, makes for good TV. But, beyond good and entertaining television, it makes for intelligent programming as these characters offer some of the most brilliant looks into the human psyche that media is giving- and the latest character that UnReal is offering up on a silver platter for a compellingly intense psychological evaluation is the nice guy gone bad; Jeremy, and actor Josh Kelly has more than risen to the occasion to help tell this highly riveting story of the evolution of this dark turn.
In truth, Jeremy might never have really been a fully “good guy”- and there was clear foreshadowing of that all through the trajectory of UnReal. That is what makes UnReal so smart and the actors so well-deserving of the critical acclaim they’ve been receiving- they have been carefully reeling audiences in without fully spoon-feeding them the answers, while instead offering up subtle and nuanced hints that rival Mad Men in it’s genius undertones- yet, UnReal always manages to keep the adrenaline high while offering these low-key hints. Kelly and screen partner Shiri Appleby have been performing off each other in a refined and elegant game of actor racquetball for two seasons now that reached a startling culmination in this season finale where they showed just how talented both of them were in the final five minutes of the episode with nothing more than the haunting looks in their eyes. As Kelly uttered the words; “I told you I would do anything,” his true acting prowess became abundantly clear more than ever before and, as disturbed as his character may be, he clearly earned his seat at the Everlasting round table of inner-demons.
What speaks such volumes for the excellence of Kelly’s talent is the masterful way he hid any trace of darkness Jeremy might have had from the audience, having fans fooled into thinking that he was in fact the “good guy” option. It was only little clues along the way that gave proof to his pettiness and overall bad behavior- for example, running to Rachel’s mother at the end of season one when feeling spurned, showing his rage issues when he punched Adam, or having not just one affair- but two affairs, and then feeling entitled enough to be angry at Rachel for doing the same. And Kelly managed to craftily and covertly play off these personality shortcomings in a way where his character always seemed victimized, giving proof to his distinguished talent that was foreshadowing in it of itself that we were about to see the actor break out as one of the most outrageously interesting people to watch on the show. Kelly’s Jeremy up until now had seemed like the more basic, “good” one amongst those so stuck in moral ambiguity like Rachel, Quinn, Jay, Madison, Chet and Adam- only to now reveal himself as perhaps having always had some of the darkest demons of all. However, as always, UnReal kept Jeremy completely fascinating by never making him evil, and instead, keeping him locked in the murky grey bayou of right and wrong that the characters of the show are so deeply entrenched in.
However, off-screen, fans can rest assured that Josh Kelly is nothing like his fantastically flawed character. In fact, he’s quite a bit of a hero, having served in four tours in the army for both Irag and Afghanistan. Kelly has the deepest consideration for our veterans and always looks to bring light to one of the most sadly overlooked causes going on in the world today; PTSD amongst soldiers- so much so that he even made two short films to try and bring attention to the subject; Prisoner Of War, and Cope. And if that doesn’t say enough for the kind of hero Kelly is in the real world outside of UnReal, he is also an extremely prominent advocate for The Wounded Warrior Project. Talk about a class act!
In the interview below, Kelly details his devotion to the veterans and his work with his short films, plus what it was like tapping into the evolution of Jeremy for UnReal, where the show might be headed, and what else he hopes to do next!
UnReal has been very vague about Rachel’s exact mental diagnosis, and sort of gives the idea that her mother concocted a cocktail of disorders to protect herself, however Rachel truly does exhibit many of the traits her mother is diagnosing her with, particularly borderline personality disorder- which does have a high correlation with early childhood abuse. Also a common correlation with BPD is being obsessively attracted to the type of person that was your abuser- which is how the show started; Rachel wanting Jeremy in an obsessive manner, only to have him be her abuser. Can you touch on this dynamic a bit and how Rachel might have always known, somewhere deep down, that Jeremy was not a good guy?
I’ve always thought that Rachel was never really interested in Jeremy, until she maybe got to know him for a long time. So, I don’t think she always knew he wasn’t going to be the best of guys- I think she maybe tried to push him and kind of do what she does on the show toward him. In many ways, she produced him. She produced him into being someone that even though she maybe knew she wouldn’t like, she would be attracted to so that she would have someone to go after.
The entire first season we were lead to believe that Jeremy was “the nice guy”- was that the way he was pitched to you? In truth, he never really seemed like a good guy. He wanted to control Rachel, simplify her, diminish her shine, or keep her a secret as he had secret affairs with her. He was always a cheater- no matter who he was with. He constantly showed signs of a temper that might have looked heroic at the time, but in retrospect seem petty and filled with rage. And then, in the season finale of last season, he went and tattled to her mother like a petulant child. In your mind, were you really thinking Jeremy was this good guy and this season was a result of him being heart-broken, or did you always have the inclination that he belonged in the world of moral ambiguity that was Everlasting and that he had that dark side?
I think everyone has a dark side. We all have tons of emotions. So, I wasn’t planning on him going over to the dark side- as if there would be some sort of character shift- I just figured that he would always be a well-fleshed out character- especially on a show like this, and everyone has the capabilities of doing things that they are not proud of.
It also says a lot that Jeremy ran to Rachel’s mother last season and formed an alliance, considering that her mother formed an alliance with Rachel’s abuser when she was younger. Did you know that was meant to be foreshadowing? It’s clear that Jeremy suffers from addiction and rage issues. Was that something that was ever previously discussed, or was that new knowledge to you this season?
Not really, it wasn’t previously discussed- so for that time period I had to create a backstory for Jeremy in my head as I was learning about him with the rest of the world. It was just becoming more clear what he was capable of as time went on, which has been interesting to learn and play.
Let’s talk about the physical transformation for the role. You are an extremely beautiful man and you really willingly put your appearance on the back burner, gaining a significant amount of weight and hair. Has the transformation been daunting for you, and how has it been going back now that it’s over? Are you in the gym harder than ever?
I just felt like I wanted to just truly commit to this as an actor, and it was very much like a costume- so I didn’t really get too hung up on it. It was like wearing any other costume that was necessary to make a character believable. So, I just sort of went with it and gained about forty or fifty pounds, and grew out that beard. It’s nice to have that beard off! [laughs] And I have about ten pounds to go, but I’m pretty much back to what I was!
You have played a soldier several times in films like Jarhead 2: Field of Fire, and Zero Dark Thirty, and you were born in Japan and grew up in a Navy family. You also did four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Your passion for veterans goes so deep, you are an advocate for The Wounded Warrior Project. Talk a little bit about your army life. How would you feel about guest starring on The Last Ship on TNT, considering it has the full support of the U.S Navy, and is produced by Michael Bay- who you know from your work in the Transformers franchise?
I really enjoy playing military roles, and I’d totally be open to doing a military show. I loved being in the military and I learned so many lessons, it really helped me to learn a lot about life. So, I’m not necessarily seeking out roles like that, but I would do them in a heartbeat, because I am totally supportive of veterans, and the roles are very interesting and they can be fun- it’s always fun to get back in gear and dress up as a soldier.
And talk a little bit about the film Cope- your short about two soldiers suffering from PTSD.
We made Cope during the writers strike when we had no money- and it was just a really valuable experience, and one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in the industry because we were so empowered by being in charge of making a movie- and it was awesome. And we went with this dark subject matter that was bothering my friend, who was also an army ranger, and he was dealing with quite a bit of PTSD. And I learned a lot about myself while making it and it was a really great experience. And even though it really never went on to many places, the value that we got from making it was so worthwhile that it really is irreplaceable.
So, what is coming up next, what would you love to do, and who would you love to work with?
I always have to go with my favorite actor when asked that question; I would love to work with Sam Rockwell! And I guess I’m looking to play interesting roles of all sorts, but the little kid in me needs to play a superhero some day! And season three is going to be fun! With this show, I’m always curious to see what they’re going to do and how they’re going to do it! Next season should definitely be an exciting ride!
And with UnReal’s tendency to never shy away from showing a heavily flawed and deeply complex character, let’s hope we see plenty more of Jeremy- and Kelly for that matter- and that his role really is Everlasting!