Interview with Jasper Cole
Sarah Burbank 
The ever-versatile Jasper Cole has captured roles in nearly every form the entertainment industry has to offer. From writing plays, taking over the radio waves in his program, “On Set with Jasper Cole,” to his hilarious role in MacGruber, Jasper is portrayed as the bad-guy character actor, taking on roles as the neighborhood “crack head” in Everybody Hates Chris to the homeless guy on the street. Jasper is anything but a ‘bad-guy’ as the TheCelebrityCafe.com had the chance to sit down with the light-hearted man who has set out to follow his passion.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You have dominated the entertainment industry; you have starred in everything from your Fandango commercials to movies, along with some of the most popular television shows nationwide. Can you tell me where your passion derives from?
Jasper Cole: I know I do all of the things in the industry, but acting has been my passion. I started in theater, as many actors do, and I started by co-writing and co-starring in a play. Theater is my great love…you know what it is? I love being able to be a part of something that takes people out of their day-to-day life that either makes them laugh for a moment or feel better, or makes them think about something. That is how I am as an audience, so I like the escapism I guess.
TCC: You had mentioned in an interview once that you enjoy playing the role of the “bad guy." If you could chose your next bad guy role, who would you want to portray?
JC: Well right now I am really into Westerns. I’m in this national Fandango commercial where I play Reno, a cowboy, so I really haven’t done the Western bad-guy yet except for on the commercials, so I would really love to work with Clint Eastwood or Quentin Tarantino, the Coen brothers on some real gritty level; or even a funny Western would be a lot of fun.
TCC: What comedies have you worked in so far?
JC: For many years it was all the dark villainous roles and then I got onto Everybody Hates Chris, the reoccurring role of the neighborhood crack head. And so, after that I got MacGruber which was an SNL comedy, then I got Funny or Die for HBO, The Tonight Show comedy skits, so I’ve been able to do more comedy. Today I went in for an audition for The New Girl on FOX and that co-stars Zooey Deschanel, so suddenly you get one comedy on your resume and, I mean, I’m still playing the same creepy druggy homeless whatever guy. Like today, I was playing the homeless guy, but at least I am going in for sitcoms again. Early on in my career, before I sort of had the bad guy image, I was just sort of the boyish-whatever kid, and I did sitcoms but I am just grateful to work honestly that I really don’t care what it is!
TCC You’re so busy. You act, write, produce even. Your production list ranges from plays such as A Quiet End to reality TV. You produced Tori and Dean: Storibook Weddings, are you going to continue to add other things to your production list? Or, are you focusing on acting?
JC: You know it’s interesting, I kind of made a pact in terms of scripted stuff I am only going to produce things that I am in, but on the reality side, my producing partner is Denise Boutte, who stars on Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns, we have several projects. We have a one hour dramatic pilot, sort of a police procedural, we also have a reality show that is based on a big city police department…I can’t really say which city yet, but she and I and her company and my company are producing things together, and stuff I’d like to act in as well.
TCC: Very good…and in all of this you have found time to have your own radio show. How is that going?
JC: Oh my God it’s going great! You know I have just sort of taken the Hollywood bad guy from the screen to the mic. But actually you know, it’s the chance to show a different side of my personality, to be really kind of funny and light… I like to tell it like it is! I love like Howard Stern and Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin…but it’s all entertainment and we just cover behind the scenes and in front of the scenes of show business. I have a hilarious co-host, Ralph Cole Jr., and we have an entertainment dish segment with Dara, and it has been going fantastic. It’s really been something I’ve enjoyed doing. It’s a nice outlet for performing in some way.
TCC: Your representative had mentioned you are up for the lead in a new movie, can you tell us about that?
JC: Well I actually HAVE the lead! How lucky am I that this amazing writer who happens to be from Georgia, Jerry Lee Davis, has written this poignant, beautiful film called Mountain Boys, and he wrote the part of Rodney for me. An amazing actor, Peter Youngblood Hills, is going to play Dustin. Peter was in Band of Brother and The Beach and Hideous Kinky so basically it’s just kind of like a Winter’s Bone, just very gritty, drama small Appalachian town about these two, kind of lost souls, that come together. Underlying it is prescription drug addiction and what that does to someone’s life. One guy, Dustin, is an Iraqi soldier and I am a divorced father of two. For me, because I am from Georgia, I know these people and I know this region, it’s a chance to pay homage to that area. I am thrilled about that, so hopefully we will shoot early January-February so we can make the deadlines for all of the film festivals. To the point this is my first lead because I am usually a character actor, the side-kick…it’s exciting and a little daunting!
TCC: Will you have to put your radio show and other writing/producing on hold while you do this film?
JC: The beauty of doing this show is why I named it “On the Set with Jasper Cole, “ I thought it would be great while I’m working, because it’s internet radio, I can call into the show wherever I’m at and I can do the show wherever I’m at and let the cast members be guests. My co-host, producer and technician remain in the studio, and it’s fascinating because I can be anywhere in the world and basically do the radio show.
TCC: So you get to pull in the actors you're working with and make them a part of the show as well?
JC: Exactly! In fact, tomorrow night I am doing, my favorite writer show, and Jerry Lee Davis, who wrote Mountain Boys, is actually one of my all time favorite writers, which is perfect since he wrote me a part… no I’m kidding! But, he is coming on the show, and when we start production on the film, I will absolutely do the show live from the set. Sally Kirkland is playing Granny in the movie, we have a great cast so I’m really excited for all of them to come on the show.
TCC: With all that you have going on, where can fans plan to see you next?
JC: You can see me now in the Fandango commercials, as it is running worldwide. I also have a Montana commercial that is running national; we just re-upped for the seventh year. More importantly MacGruber, the film I did with Val Kilmer and Will Forte is on DVD and is playing on every cable, HBO, Showtime, it has thankfully developed this sort of cult-following with colleges and young kids. I’m grateful because I pop up somewhere in TV shows. You know at three in the morning there is a CSI or a Without a Trace airing somewhere. I also did a movie called Fluid this summer, an Indie film, that hopefully will be out somewhere in 2012 as well.
Follow Jasper onTwitter or catch him online with "On the Set with Jasper Cole!"
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