{"id":16940,"date":"2021-09-19T07:04:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-19T12:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tvmeg.com\/?p=16940"},"modified":"2021-09-19T17:30:28","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T22:30:28","slug":"interview-with-the-cast-of-ordinary-joe-on-nbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/2021\/09\/19\/interview-with-the-cast-of-ordinary-joe-on-nbc\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with the cast of &#8220;Ordinary Joe&#8221; on NBC"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>TV Interview!<\/strong><\/h3>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- TVMEGBODY -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1056557952271337\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8801203268\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16941\" src=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/ordinary2.png\" alt=\"cast of &quot;Ordinary Joe&quot; on NBC\" width=\"537\" height=\"218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/ordinary2.png 739w, https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/ordinary2-300x122.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 537px) 100vw, 537px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong> Interview with actors James Wolk, Elizabeth Lail, Natalie Martinez, Charlie Barnett and executive producers Garrett Lerner and Russell Friend of &#8220;Ordinary Joe&#8221; on NBC by <a href=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/13\/biosuzanne\/\">Suzanne<\/a> 9\/13\/21<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a wonderful TV Critics Association panel for a fun new show. I admit that I&#8217;m a fan of lead actor <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_Wolk\">James Wolk<\/a>. He&#8217;s been great in so many shows, such as &#8220;Mad Men,&#8221; &#8220;Watchmen,&#8221; and &#8220;Zoo.&#8221; He&#8217;s more than just a pretty face. I know, that&#8217;s a terribly sexist thing to say. This is a beautiful cast, though. It was nice to meet his co-stars as well. Everyone there obviously has high hopes for this show, so I hope it succeeds.<\/p>\n<p>The show focuses on Wolk&#8217;s character, Joe, and the three choices he has in life after college. If he goes to meet his girlfriend, Jenny (Lail), then he ends up with her. If he meets up with this other woman he just met, Amy (Martinez), then he ends up with her. If he goes out with his family, then he has a different path.\u00a0 We see him on all three paths, how his life turns out, depending on which road he takes. Seeing the first two episodes was interesting. I want to see how they&#8217;ll carry this over a whole season. There is Nurse Joe, Cop Joe and Rock Star Joe. Personally, the last one is my favorite.<\/p>\n<p>Because this was a TCA panel and not a regular interview, I was only able to ask one question, and I&#8217;m not allowed to share the transcript or recording with you. It was very enjoyable, though.<\/p>\n<p>When I asked my question, which was about singing, Wolk immediately started singing a Billy Joel song to me (swoon!), so that was charming. In the show, when Joe is young, he&#8217;s graduating as a music major. He wants to be a rock star &#8211; the next Billy Joel. That struck me as a bit odd, given his age.<\/p>\n<p>In the interview, I asked, &#8220;Jim, were you a fan of Billy Joel before this show, and had you been singing his songs for fun, or anything like that? You seem a little young to be a Billy Joel fan, to be honest (laughs).&#8221; He replied that the mom of an old friend of his used to listen to his albums, and he enjoys singing his music, but he did admit that he&#8217;s not as big of a fan of his music as his character, Joe, is. Charlie Barnett (who plays his best friend, Eric) objected to my question and said that &#8220;There&#8217;s no age limit to good music.&#8221;\u00a0 Well, that&#8217;s true, but most people, I don&#8217;t think, are quite so much into real oldies that they didn&#8217;t grow up with as they are their own teenage or childhood music. Now, I don&#8217;t know when Joe was born, but Wolk was born in 1985, which was after the bulk of Billy Joel&#8217;s hits, so it would be pretty odd for him to aspire to be like him. It would be as if I aspired to be the next Connie Francis or Brenda Lee. I&#8217;m sure most people reading this barely know who those women are. The guys who wrote the show are probably a lot older, so Billy Joel was their music more than Wolk&#8217;s. He does have a lovely singing voice, though, and he sang &#8220;Piano Man&#8221; very well in one of the episodes (I was a music major, just like the character, Joe).<\/p>\n<p>Wolk graciously told us all that the other cast members present there are also really good singers, so he hinted that they may have an all-singing episode one day. Everyone seemed to like that idea.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the series and let me know which Joe is your favorite!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16942\" src=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/paths.png\" alt=\"Joe's three paths after graduation\" width=\"533\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/paths.png 777w, https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/paths-300x135.png 300w, https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/paths-768x346.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/tvpulsemag.com\/mustread\/reviewsandrecaps\/ordinary-joe-pilot-review-a-life-less-ordinary\/\">Here&#8217;s another review of the show<\/a> that gives you a lot of information. I agree with a lot of it&#8230;however, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s nearly as bland as this reviewer thinks it is. A large part of it rests on how much you like James Wolk and the other actors.<\/p>\n<p>MORE INFO:<\/p>\n<p>Life is all about the choices you make \u2013 and sometimes what you do in a single moment can change everything. This new heartfelt, life-affirming drama follows Joe Kimbreau, who faces one of these decisions at his college graduation. The three parallel stories that diverge from that night find Joe and the people around him with different careers, relationships and family lives, showing the unexpected ways that things change \u2013 and stay the same. But when it comes down to it, there is no \u201cright\u201d choice; no matter what happens, Joe\u2019s life is always messy, exciting, tough, unpredictable \u2026 and beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>The cast includes James Wolk,\u202fNatalie Martinez,\u202fElizabeth Lail and\u202fCharlie Barnett.<\/p>\n<p>Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner will write and executive produce along with executive producers Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Howard Klein. Adam Davidson will direct and executive produce the pilot episode.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOrdinary Joe\u201d is produced by 20th Television, Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, 6th &amp; Idaho, 3 Arts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content pr-single__main\">\n<p>breaking news | March 31, 2021<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0NBC has ordered the drama \u201cOrdinary Joe\u201d to series.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0W\/EP: Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0NW\/EP: Matt Reeves, Adam Kassan, Rafi Crohn, Howard Klein<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0D\/EP (pilot only): Adam Davidson<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI still remember when Matt Reeves shared this passion project back when I worked at Twentieth. Russel and Garrett wrote such a compelling and emotional script that was expertly executed from page to screen,\u201d said Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content, Entertainment and Streaming. \u201cWe love how \u2018Ordinary Joe\u2019 lets us experience the universal question of \u2018what if\u2019 through an incredible cast of characters and engaging storylines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Cast: James Wolk, Natalie Martinez, Charlie Barnett, Elizabeth Lail<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Logline: Explores the three parallel lives of the show\u2019s main character after he makes a pivotal choice at a crossroads in his life. The series asks the question of how different life might look if you made your decision based on love, loyalty or passion.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Produced by: 20th Television, Universal Television (a division of Universal Studio Group), 6th &amp; Idaho, 3 Arts<\/p>\n<div class=\"content bios__content\">\n<h3>James\u00a0Wolk<\/h3>\n<h4>Joe Kimbreau, \u201cOrdinary Joe\u201d<\/h4>\n<div class=\"bios__wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>James Wolk stars as Joe Kimbreau in the new NBC drama \u201cOrdinary Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wolk was recently be seen on the HBO series \u201cWatchmen,\u201d written by Damon Lindoff, based off the comic book series. He also co-stars on the CBS All Access series \u201cTell Me a Story,\u201d created and produced by Kevin Williamson, which was renewed for a second season. \u00a0It takes the world\u2019s most beloved fairy tales and reimagines them as a dark and twisted psychological thriller. He also recurred on season two of Amazon\u2019s legal drama series \u201cGoliath,\u201d created by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro, and starring opposite Billy Bob Thornton.<\/p>\n<p>Wolk is also known for his starring role on the CBS summer series, \u201cZoo,\u201d which ran for three seasons. \u00a0Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by acclaimed writer James Patterson, \u201cZoo\u201d centers on Jackson Oz (James Wolk) \u2013 a young American zoologist, who begins to notice the strange behavior of the animals, leading to a wave of violent animal-on-human attacks across the globe.<\/p>\n<p>In 2010, Wolk nabbed the lead role in the critically acclaimed but short-lived Fox series, \u201cLone Star\u201d and co-starred on the the Golden Globe-nominated USA miniseries \u201cPolitical Animals.\u201d Wolk also notably recurred on the award-winning and critically acclaimed AMC series \u201cMad Men\u201d and starred opposite Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar in the CBS comedy \u201cThe Crazy Ones.\u201d Other television credits include \u201cBillions,\u201d \u201cHappy Endings,\u201d and \u201cShameless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wolk, a native of Farmington Hills, Mich., and 2007 graduate of the University of Michigan drama school, began his career in the CBS\/ Hallmark Hall of Fame special \u201cFront of the Class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wolk also appeared on stage in the Tony Award-nominated production \u201cNext Fall,\u201d written by Geoffrey Nauffts and directed by Sheryl Kaller, for its West Coast debut at the Geffen Playhouse.<\/p>\n<p>On the big screen, Wolk made his film debut in Disney\u2019s \u201cYou Again.\u201d His film credits include \u201cFor a Good Time Call,\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s Always Woodstock\u201d and \u201cThe Is Happening.\u201d Wolk notably co-starred in the 2015 critically acclaimed film \u201cThe Stanford Prison Experiment,\u201d which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.<\/p>\n<p>Wolk resides in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content bios__content\">\n<h3>Charlie\u00a0Barnett<\/h3>\n<h4>Eric Payne, \u201cOrdinary Joe\u201d<\/h4>\n<div class=\"bios__wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>Charlie Barnett stars as Eric Payne, the best friend of Joe Kimbreau, in the new NBC drama \u201cOrdinary Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barnett is familiar to NBC audiences, starring for three seasons as Peter Mills on \u201cChicago Fire.\u201d \u00a0Born in Sarasota, Fla., Barnett began performing at a young age, participating in local opera and musical theater productions before graduating from the Juilliard School.<\/p>\n<p>Barnett\u2019s TV career began with guest star roles on \u201cLaw &amp; Order: SVU\u201d and \u201cLaw &amp; Order: Criminal Intent\u201d before landing his first series regular role on \u201cChicago Fire.\u201d He then joined the second season of \u201cSecrets and Lies\u201d followed by a series regular role on the CW military drama \u201cValor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, Barnett starred alongside Natasha Lyonne in the Emmy Award-nominated Netflix series \u201cRussian Doll.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other notable TV credits include a series regular role on Armistead Maupin\u2019s \u201cTales of the City\u201d as well as guest starring roles on \u201cYou,\u201d \u201cSpecial,\u201d \u201cOrange Is the New Black\u201d and \u201cArrow.\u201d He debuted on the big screen alongside Will Smith and Josh Brolin in \u201cMen and Black 3.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Offscreen, Barnett is an avid history buff, enjoys cooking, volunteering, hosting friends and family, horseback riding, sailing, and almost anything involving nature.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content bios__content\">\n<h3>Elizabeth\u00a0Lail<\/h3>\n<h4>Jenny Banks, \u201cOrdinary Joe\u201d<\/h4>\n<div class=\"bios__wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>Elizabeth Lail plays Jenny Banks on the new NBC drama \u201cOrdinary Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lail, who also can be currently seen in HBO Max\u2019s reboot of \u201cGossip Girl,\u201d is best known for her breakout role as Guinevere Beck in the addicting drama \u201cYou,\u201d opposite Penn Badgley. The series premiered on Lifetime in 2018 and quickly became a big hit when it moved over to Netflix.<\/p>\n<p>Lail\u2019s other film and television credits include \u201cCountdown,\u201d \u201cVideosyncrasy\u201d and ABC\u2019s \u201cOnce Upon a Time.\u201d She made her theater debut in Ken Urban\u2019s Off Broadway play, \u201cNibbler\u201d directed by Ben Kamine.<\/p>\n<p>Lail is a BFA graduate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content bios__content\">\n<h3>Natalie\u00a0Martinez<\/h3>\n<h4>Amy Kindelan, \u201cOrdinary Joe\u201d<\/h4>\n<div class=\"bios__wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>Natalie Martinez plays Amy Kindelan on the new NBC drama \u201cOrdinary Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martinez, who will be seen in Warner Bros.\u2019 \u201cReminiscence\u201d with Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson, appeared in Quibi\u2019s 2020 action thriller \u201cThe Fugitive.\u201d In that same year, she also co-starred in CBS All Access\u2019 \u201cThe Stand\u201d and previous to that appeared in the Netflix sci-fi series \u201cThe I-Land.\u201d Additional TV credits include \u201cThe Crossing,\u201d \u201cAPB,\u201d \u201cDetroit 1-8-7,\u201d \u201cUnder the Dome,\u201d \u201cSecrets &amp; Lies,\u201d \u201cKingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the film side, Martinez\u2019s credits include \u201cMessage from the King,\u201d \u201cKeep Watching,\u201d \u201cSelf\/less,\u201d \u201cBroken City\u201d and \u201cEnd of Watch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martinez first gained recognition after being hand-picked by Jennifer Lopez to become the spokesmodel for her fashion line, JLO by Jennifer Lopez. From there, she went on to star in several music videos, and the telenovelas \u201cFashion House\u201d and \u201cSaints &amp; Sinners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Originally from Miami, Martinez currently resides in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"content bios__content\">\n<h3>Garrett Lerner and Russel Friend<\/h3>\n<h4>Executive Producers, \u201cOrdinary Joe\u201d<\/h4>\n<div class=\"bios__wrapper\">\n<div>\n<p>Garrett Lerner and Russel Friend executive produce the new NBC drama \u201cOrdinary Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Previously, they were executive producers on \u201cHouse M.D.,\u201d where they were nominated for four Emmys Awards and won the WGA Award for Outstanding Episodic Drama. Other writing credits include \u201cGlee,\u201d \u201cHome Before Dark,\u201d &#8220;Altered Carbon,\u201d \u201cRoswell,\u201d \u201cRise\u201d and &#8220;Boston Public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lerner and Friend graduated from the USC Peter Stark Program in 1995.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Proofread and Edited by <a href=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/20\/biobrenda\/\">Brenda<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/interviews\/\">Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16966\" src=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/ordinary-joe.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Ordinary Joe&quot; premieres 9\/20 on NBC\" width=\"423\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/ordinary-joe.jpg 423w, https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/ordinary-joe-300x213.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 423px) 100vw, 423px\" \/><\/p>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- TVMEGBODY -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1056557952271337\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8801203268\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TV Interview! Interview with actors James Wolk, Elizabeth Lail, Natalie Martinez, Charlie Barnett and executive producers Garrett Lerner and Russell Friend of &#8220;Ordinary Joe&#8221; on NBC by Suzanne 9\/13\/21 This was a wonderful TV Critics Association panel for a fun new show. I admit that I&#8217;m a fan of lead actor James Wolk. He&#8217;s been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,7],"tags":[79,346,818,450,817,46,597],"class_list":["post-16940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-primetime","tag-article","tag-interview","tag-james-wolk","tag-nbc","tag-ordinary-joe","tag-questions","tag-tca"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16940"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16967,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16940\/revisions\/16967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvmeg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}