ABOVE: Watch Orlando Jones talk to reporters at the Shaw Media UpFront presentation.
TORONTO — In the supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow, Orlando Jones plays Capt. Frank Irving, chief of the titular town’s police department.
The 46-year-old actor, equally known for his comedic (MADtv, Everybody Hates Chris) and dramatic (Runaway Jury, Primeval) work, said in June he is relishing his role in the hit series that returns to Global on Monday night.
Jones sat down with Global News to talk about the show, what it’s like to act in a show heavy on visual effects and what’s coming up for his character.
What was your reaction when you were pitched Sleepy Hollow?
These people are crazy, was my first thought. I have been a fan of (creators) Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman for a really long time so I had a little bit of faith. And I was a huge fan of Underworld and (director) Len Wiseman so that core team tends to inspire some faith. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this could really work and I really want to do this.’
What are the challenges of acting and reacting to things that aren’t really there at the time?
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There’s no framework for which a demon would probably attack me. A lot of it has to do with attempting to ground yourself in that moment fully at that time. The monster element is just another level of difficulty when it’s really just a bunch of people standing there pointing cameras at you. What it actually looks like is sort of crazy. It’s weird, it’s against the most beautiful backdrop in the world trying to find the most angry, horrible place and somehow make that come to life. Hopefully we’ve done a reasonable job of it.
Are you enjoying the relationship with fans of the show and of this genre?
I live tweet every episode of the show. I live tweet Supernatural, I live tweet Orphan Black, so I’m active in the fandom. I’m enjoying that there’s a whole group of other people who might not have been familiar with my work. But to me it’s less about that and more that I get to play this really cool character that I really enjoy, who’s humourless, and then be someone entirely different in real life. It’s kind of not a bad gig.
What can you tell us about what’s happening to you at the beginning of the upcoming season?
I now am in jail. I have a target on my back. That creates an extraordinarily interesting set of circumstances, particularly with what just happened. It’s a really tense time and rather than jump ahead of the messiness of that time, I’m really excited that we’re presently in episode two and what I can tell you is we’re not even four days past that accident yet. That’s a lot of ground that we’re covering but it’s really juicy stuff so I’m really excited about the character this year.
BELOW: Watch Orlando Jones appear on Global’s The Morning Show.
This is an updated version of an interview that was originally posted in June 2014.
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