The wait is nearly over. With Job Guys releasing on Friday, April 24th exclusively on Amazon Prime, it was the perfect time to catch up with “Job Guys” writer, co-producer and costar Dave Beaudrie to talk the series, his character “Frank Walcot” and what happens next.
Q: What is your background as a writer and actor?
A: It’s my first time at both. Hope it works out…just kidding. I started acting at seven years old doing theatre and just never stopped. I moved to LA in 2002 after college and have been really fortunate with the opportunities I’ve had to work on fun projects with great people. Writing-wise, I started writing short stories at around 11 or 12 (years old) as a hobby and a form of escapism and then transitioned into one-act plays when I first moved here. I wrote a feature-film “The Miracle Man” that released in 2012 and have written other features and multiple shorts, some of which we’ve done under the Digital Myth banner. Others are in the pipeline. I’ve also written comedy articles for Cracked and articles for other sites under various pseudonyms.
Q: Where did Digital Myth come from? How did you get involved with Kevin and Brook?
A: I met Kevin years ago on a set. I had a migraine and was wearing sunglasses even as the sun went down, and I remember explaining the situation and that I wasn’t being “Hollywood cool.” We stayed friends and we always both had a drive and desire to create our own content and not just wait for other people to give us opportunities creatively, so we started collaborating a lot on short films with the goal of expanding to larger projects with more resources. That got codified with Digital Myth, since we were already working together so much that we ought to make it official and give it a name. I met Brook through Kevin, and Kevin pitched him to direct “Game Night,” a short we did several years ago that planted the seeds for “Job Guys” in a lot of ways. Brook did a phenomenal job with it and both Kevin and I loved working with him, so he was the natural choice to take the reigns on “Job Guys” as well as director and also a vital part of the production team.
Q: When you're writing the script, where do the jokes come from?
A: That’s really hard to answer. Where does anyone’s sense of humor come from? I think it really derives from having a strong sense or idea of who the characters are, at least on the page since they change once actors start playing them, and using those character dynamics to bring the humor out. If I think something’s funny, hopefully the world’s a big enough place that a lot of other people will agree. Then I just think of scenarios to put these characters in so they can react in a way that’s both true to them and that’s funny from an outside perspective looking in.
Q: What are some of your biggest writing influences?
A: There’s not a single name that comes to mind that I tried to emulate, but I’ve loved movies so much from such a young age that I think I internalized things like the three-act structure, which is different for a series like this one but speaking generally, and took ideas, characters and stories I liked and started blending them together while trying to put my own unique spin on them. Narratively, Dean Koontz is a favorite author, so I’d say he was and is a major influence from a prose standpoint. Then hopefully I keep getting better the more that I’ve done it.
Q: When crafting your character, what was the thought process? Is Frank inspired by anyone?
A: Maybe Jerry Maguire in a weird way? The main thing with Frank was that he truly sees himself as the hero in any story and is so self-absorbed that he can justify anything to himself. I always joke that Frank’s just misunderstood, but the truth is I wanted him to be this absolute snake hidden under a humorous or charming facade. He’s really fun to play and I really enjoyed the contentious dynamic between myself and Kev’s character Dominick.
Q: How was it acting alongside Kevin, Brandon, and Leesa?
A: I’d worked with all of them before and really like and admire each of them, so that was probably the most fun for me and what I was most looking forward to. Kevin exudes that tough-guy 80s hero persona that we purposely leaned heavily into that he could then contrast with really comedic beats that can catch an audience off-guard. He’s hilarious. It’s always enjoyable acting opposite him and our dynamic here was different than what we’ve played in the past. He’s also one of the most driven people you’ll ever meet. Brandon’s a chameleon who was down to do absolutely anything we asked him to and always brought his own ideas to the table as well. Leesa’s one of my favorite actors to work with as she’s so warm and funny as a person that it translates directly into whatever character she plays.
Q: What's it like to hand off your script to someone else (the director)? How was it working with Brook as director and editor?
A: That depends, as I’ve had both very positive and very negative experiences in that regard. This was the best kind. Brook is one of the hardest-working and dedicated pros I’ve ever seen on a set and that includes his work as editor as well. I had no concerns in him being in charge of set or of shooting, and the three of us (Dave, Kevin and Brook) were the three linchpins to the project where it couldn’t have happened in any capacity without all three of us involved. I can’t speak highly enough of Brook’s talent, attitude and dedication to making this the absolute best it could be. All three of us shared the desire to go whatever extra mile we needed to in order to make that happen, which was essential to “Job Guys” turning out as well as it has. He deserves to be recognized for his work and I hope it leads to other opportunities for him as well.
Q: What was one of your favorite moments from filming?
A: I’m not sure about moment, but all the stuff at Andre’s house was shot in one day and that was maybe 19 hours of shooting. It involved all sorts of shootouts, fight scenes and story beats that we really needed to get right for the season as a whole to work, and everyone there came together in such a beautifully collaborative way and had such a great attitude about everything. The end result was definitely worth it. I’m really proud of the entire team both in front and behind the camera on how that day came together,
Q: What's next for you?
A: I’ve got a small role in an episode of “Perry Mason” that debuts on HBO in June, but my main focus now is just getting “Job Guys” to the largest possible audience we can. I’m really excited to share the show with the world and I couldn’t be more proud of the final result. I’m nearly finished with a feature film script that I’ll be showing to the Digital Myth team in the near future and see if that’s something everyone wants to put their time and resources behind. Maybe “Job Guys” will return for a Season 2…it’ll really depend on what the reception and demand is for it. I can’t wait to find out.
