411 Movies Interview: James Roday of PSYCH Posted by Al Norton on 08.23.2007
Two Tivos To Paradise Sits Down With James Roday, Star Of USA's Hit Series PSYCH
James Roday is the star of the hit USA series PSYCH. We recently got the chance to talk with him about his show, his talent for ad-libbing, and what the future holds.
TTTP: Thanks for taking the time to talk today.
JR: Thanks for being even remotely interested in talking to me.
TTTP: I don't think finding people who want to talk to you is much of an issue these days.
JR: Well, a lot of them are tied up in hospital beds and what not, so to have a healthy, upwardly mobile man makes me feel good.
TTTP: Going by the on-screen product as well as the outtakes that USA shows, is there anyone in America who has as much fun at their job as you do?
JR: I hope not, because right now we sort of live in the bubble where, because we have more fun than anyone else in the world, we feel really special. If we were to find out someone was having more fun than us, it's like the one thing that we thought we had would be taken away from us, and then I'm not really sure what we have at that point, except Canadian passports.
TTTP: Was the part on PSYCH written with you in mind?
JR: It was not written for me in particular in mind. I'm not 100% positive about this but I think Matthew Perry might have been floating around in people's minds in terms of who the prototype was. What happened for me was I had sort of sworn off television because most of the TV I was doing was pretty bad and I was starting to be pretty bad in it, and that was just not a good combination at all. I was going to go back to New York and do some theater and get my head screwed on straight – this is actor talk, by the way – and I had a movie come out called Dukes Of Hazzard, and it opened pretty well, and then all of a sudden here comes this script.. I thought, "no, I really need to take a break" but my agents, who have been really cool over the years in terms of me making decisions, they both sort of clamped down together and they were like, "no, you don't understand. You need to read this."
And of course the script read really, really funny, and I met the creator (Steve Franks), and he's a great guy and we really hit it off. It was one of those kismet things where I thought, "ahhh, maybe this is how you make good television." Maybe there is a really good feeling and everyone understands where everyone is coming from and that's how you raise the level of the product.
TTTP: Were you the first person cast? Did you read with people as the process went on?
JR: It was great. I was the first person cast, for a while, and they let me be a part of the casting process of every other role – I read with everybody – and it was a truly unique experience that way. We didn't rush; we really wanted to make sure that we got the right people for these parts, which for the pilot I think we really nailed, minus one, which these days isn't bad.
The approach to making the show was just different from anything I had been a part of before. It wasn't just herd in the cattle, pick the one that looks closest to what's on the page, sign ‘em up for six years and hope that it works out. There was actually thought put into it and chemistry was considered, all of those things you have to have to make a good show.
TTTP: I assume those differences include support of the show, in terms of marketing and things like that.
JR: Bang up job, bang up job. I had only worked on network television before, where you think that's what television is. You hope the show gets on the air and you've got about 10 minutes to become a hit, otherwise cei la vie. You go into it with the same anxiety and then you realize cable works a little differently. USA especially works a little differently; they choose their shows very carefully. They don't have a ton of pilots and they actually get behind new shows, they want them to succeed, they give you time to find your feet if you need it. The fact that we premiered so well out of the gates is just nothing that I had experienced before. It's one thing to feel like you're doing good work – that's rare enough – but then to have people tune in and watch, that's when you are really living the dream.
TTTP: What percentage of what we see on screen is improvised?
JR: That's sort of my thing; adlibbing is sort of what I do, and that's one of the things we spoke about before we started this journey together, Steve Franks and I. He was like, "Dude, I am turning you loose. As long as you respect the scripts and the stories, the rest I trust you to find what you want." I think it's a really good balance; our scripts are great blueprints, with a lot of really great jokes, and then we find stuff every single day. I don't know if I can slap a percentage on it but I can say there is a nice balance of scripted and unscripted.
TTTP: Was it hard for your co-stars to get used to that?
JR: Dule (Hill) and I had the most time together before we got started, and by the time we got rolling he was prepared that this is what is was going to be like, and he just jumped right in. He's so good on the show for so many reasons, one of which is that he gets that in order for that relationship to work, he as to be the guy with his feet on the ground. So that I can fly around and act like a fool. He totally gets that, and that's why I am able to do what I do on the show.
TTTP: Is it different when people are adlibbing off a script you wrote (Roday has written three episodes of PSYCH)? Is there any sensitivity as a writer to that or are you thinking, "this is what the show is"?
JR: Oh god, no. I encourage everybody to do what they want. Every writer sees this differently and I honestly wish more of them saw it the way that I did because I think it would make for better collaborations across the board. The script takes a life of its own and as a writer you've always got to be thinking, "you know what would be great? If these actors took this script and made it even better." And if you go in with that sort of mind set, and you're open to it, that's how true collaboration occurs. As opposed to coming in and going, "I'm a writer on television. This is one of the few mediums where I can really hold on to my work, really protect, and I can hear EVERY word that I wrote said on the screen", whether it's good or whether it's able to be improved upon or not. I think that that's the wrong approach and I think that we've broken the mold on this show. Nobody thinks they're Aaron Sorkin, no one has that opinion of themselves, and because of that we have so much fun. And the writers get in on it too; it's so great to be able to sit around and pitch new jokes on a script that for all intents and purposes you thought you were done with.
TTTP: I don't normally ask people out their personal romantic lives, but then I saw a photo shoot in TV Guide last week and figured it was ok to ask…Is it odd dating someone you work with? (Roday is currently dating co-star Maggie Lawson)
JR: You know what…the bottom line is, Dule is awesome.
TTTP: Could I have set you up for that better?
JR: You just lobbed it over, that was great…It's good…So far, so good. It certainly wasn't something that either of us planned on happening, that's for sure…It sort of happened despite all of our best efforts, so maybe that says something.
TTTP: Anything scoopish you can give me?
JR: Let's see…we're about to meet Dule's parents on the episode that will air as our Christmas special. We'll run the season, have a little break, and Monk and us both get Christmas episodes in November or December. We didn't get one last year, so we're playing with the big boys now.
TTTP: Monk did a black and white episode for Christmas last year, I think.
JR: Yes, and I think they showed a rerun of Law And Order after...We've reached that point where we can start looking deeper into our characters lives while still being a serialized show. As actors especially, you do want to start poking around and opening up some of those doors.
