Q: Are you currently going to work on any future projects?
JR: Currently I am focusing on writing. I have three projects started with a great friend of mine in Sydney (in Australia, just in case someone reading this didn’t watch the Olympics!). Writing is something new to me as an art form, so I haven’t placed any great expectations upon myself to excel. Because of this I feel free to experiment to find what works. I will also be taking up either percussion or drums. Why? I find that participating in art has always opened up my world. This, in turn, makes me a better performer and, primarily, a better human.
Q: What or who influenced you to become an actor?
JR: I guess all I can really say, and you have heard this a million times before, is that as far back as I can remember I have always wanted to it. I have not known a time in my life where I didn’t imagine me telling stories to an audience as a performer. It could be that I was born to do it, or maybe I just crave attention! Life in the theatre, TV inclusive, has taught me much about the world around me, as my job forces me to observe this world we inhabit. I learn about people. What are the issues? What drives us? What are the connections? But these questions have more to do with me as a person as opposed to acting. One can spend way too much time thinking about those things. Finally, I have an answer. I act because it is what I do. I am a storyteller. While some of the stories I tell will educate, many will entertain and when I get to do both at once I am the happiest Man around. What other influence could I need?
Q: How old were you when you knew acting was your calling, and what was your first play?
JR: I just sat here for a good ten minutes trying too answer this, only to discover that I can’t honestly answer this, as I don’t honestly know! My first play? I didn’t do my first complete play until I was 16. It was a play called “ The rule of Zip”. It was an amazingly violent piece for a school production. Then again, my collage had a reputation for drama.
Q: How do you perceive yourself and how do you want others to perceive you?
JR: I am who I am. I know who that is and I am happy in my skin. How others perceive me is neither my concern nor my business. I can’t live my life being concerned with how someone else sees me. My friends and loved ones truly know me, and the fact that they haven’t disowned me or sat me down to say “ Jackson, you have a problem”, is a fairly good indication to me that I must be doing alright. If you met these people you would understand. They are beautiful humans. Being an actor means that I can’t concern myself with this question of how I am perceived. If I worry about how people perceive me then I would never get to play roles like Hannibal Lecture or Jack the Ripper, as I would be too afraid that I wouldn’t be liked. Sometimes the story behind these characters has to be told, and the stage is not my place to judge, only to play. I will save my judgments for when I am at home, watching another actor giving their performance. Society has place many rules upon itself that it needs to function. These rules help us to prevent crime and much heartache. They help us to co-exist with one another, and many rules are required to cover many different types of people. In the theatre, there is only one rule that one has to abide by, did the audience get what it came for. Were you entertained?
Q: It seems on the show everyone has martial arts background. Would you say that it is a prerequisite to be on the show? (lol) Though seriously, you practice Tae Kwon Do, Do you practice any other form?
JR: At the moment the only form I practice is bad form! Since starting BeastMaster, my private time has dwindled and the bad habits set in. But that all ends here. No longer will I succumb to the evil of lethargy. I have started training again and will attempt to do so all season. I don’t know if that is a promise to you or to me.
Q: In this business, the actors seem to eventually end up in the director's seat. Do you hope to sit there some day?
JR: Absolutely!
Q: What is it like to work with DG?
JR: Most days are great and some are not, that’s life really. Overall, Daniel is a great friend and what you see on the screen is a reflection of life. We are two opposites. Yet our similarities bind us in ways that have been both unexpected and life changing. How can you not enjoy working with someone who has touched your life in such a way?
Q: Did you know DG before you started BeastMaster? (If so how long has your friendship been.)
JR: Daniel and I met at my last audition for Tao.
Q: Working with DG, you would know him on a personal and professional basis, what would you say be assets of DG and his career?
JR: Daniel has two great assets. 1. His intelligence. 2. His drive to succeed in every aspect of his life.
Q: Did you read the script with DG to see how it would work between the two of you before the cast was selected of BeastMaster?
JR: No. We walked on to the set and started. Thankfully, the first script we shot was the Obsession episode, where Dar and Tao’s relationship is still forming and many questions are still being asked (mostly by Tao surprise, surprise). This enabled Daniel and I to work each other out.
Q: With guidance and support of your class mate we know Dar compliments Tao and visa versa, Do you have the same comradery off screen with DG?
JR: Often Daniel and I don’t need to talk to communicate complex conversations. Says it all really.
Q: What attracted you to your character Tao?
JR: His humanness. He is just a guy. All of his knowledge was worked for, not granted. He suffers the frailties that plague all of us and yet his quest to make things better is unrelenting. Positive people are inspirational. They try to make things better in spite of the obstacles.
Q: Will your character continue to grow spiritually and aggressively as the season progresses and still stay true to him?
JR: We all grow. We gain experience, experience teaches us lessons, and from these lessons we grow. Tao is the same and how he grows depends on what happens to him. If I am true to that then Tao will be true to himself.
Q: Tao seems to have grown this season. No longer does he seem the naïve young man who was terrified by everything around him. Does the character growth allow you to take Tao in a new direction that you didn't foresee last season?
JR: I never had a clear direction for Tao; it didn’t suit his questioning mind. But know that so much has happened and particularly this season, I do see opportunities for new direction. Tao is becoming a Man. How will he grow? We’ll have to see.
Q: This genre creates very loyal fans. How do you feel about the attention BeastMaster has brought your way, and do you have anything to tell your fans?
JR: Living in Australia has kept me out of the limelight. They don’t show the show here and I am very much an unknown quantity in my own country. The net is the only way that I am able to keep in touch with you guys, and what a blessing it has been. As some of you know, and you know who you are, I am a private man. Yet, like most actors, I do enjoy the attention. I have reached out with Tao and you have answered back with your time and support. I am warm and fuzzy and for that I thank you.
Q: Is there any particular actor or actress you would like to see guest star on the show?
JR: Not particularly. All are welcome.
Q: My final question is what does Ruh have to do with your age? I'm still trying to piece together all of the stripes. If not an answer, then maybe another clue?
JR: If you know my age then you can work backwards from there. Treat it as a cultural experience (clue). If you don’t know my age yet go to: www.sapphiremage.net/tao and follow the links.
