RM: I feel like we’ve seen you on so many different projects, congrats with that! What’s the best part about your job?
JM: Thanks very much. There’s a lot that I love about my job. The fundamental thing that I enjoy the most about it, is that it’s constantly changing. Each project, no matter how similar the role might be to something I’ve done before, is inherently different, because I’m different. I’ve never felt comfortable in a routine, and so this allows for my work to change and evolve as I do.
RM: Did you always know that acting was the route you wanted to take?
JM: When I was little, I wanted to do everything and be everything. I couldn’t decide. I wanted to go to outer space one minute, work as an FBI agent the next, then firefighter, archeologist, anything. My mom pointed out, that none of these jobs were nearly as fun as they looked in the movies. I remember her saying that and realizing that she was right. The only way I’d be able do all of these things the way I want to do them, is to get into movies. I was obsessed with the stories, not exactly the occupations.
RM: You previously were on NBC’s Are You There, Chelsea, starring alongside Laura Prepon and Chelsea Handler. How much did you enjoy working with two funny women?
JM: Very, very funny. Laura and I had been friends for years before the show. It hardly felt like going to work.
RM: Who could forget your performance as Phillip Markoff in The Craigslist Killer? We really felt like we got a glimpse into his state of mind. How did you prepare for that role?
JM: Production had gathered together a binder full of research about the case, that they gave me a couple of weeks before we started. There were links to news coverage, court transcripts, interviews, you name it. The story had reappeared in the news right before we started filming because of his suicide, so there was a lot to read and familiarize myself with. At the same time, it was important to do justice to the version of Phillip Markoff that was written in the script. That was who our story centered around.
Jake McDormanRM: Fast forward, and now you’re on Showtime’s Shameless. What was it about the series that made want to jump on board?
JM: Pretty much, everything. I hadn’t seen much of the show before I joined the cast. We shot the last 4 episodes of Season 3, and then had almost a year break before coming back for Season 4. In that time, I caught up and watched every episode from Season 1 to the end of Season 3. So, coming back to shoot was completely different. I was coming back as a fan, and I knew so much history about all these characters. So, that was really fun. Getting to work in a world you’re also a fan of.
RM: What do you like most about your character, Mike Pratt?
JM: I like that he has no ulterior motives. He’s almost incapable of lying and wears his heart on his sleeve. I think that’s admirable. Our lifestyles couldn’t be more different. He has a steady office job in a family owned business, which is something I know absolutely nothing about. I’d go cuckoo.
RM: As the season goes along, what can we expect from the character’s development and the culmination to the season finale?
JM: Well, Mike and Fiona come from very different worlds. Like I was saying before, he works at the family business and has a pretty stable routine. Fiona, has never had a chance to have a secure well paying job, because she spends most of her time helping the Gallaghers scrape by. She’s used to a chaotic environment. She thrives in a chaotic environment. It’s this new, slow paced, “normal” environment that she has trouble understanding.
RM: If you weren’t actor, what career path would you most likely take?
JM: With little to no education or credits to support this claim, other than finding it fascinating, I’d say a journalist, maybe?
Jake McDormanRM: Which actors’ work serve as personal inspiration and who would you want to work with?
JM: There’s too many to list. Two actors that I loved as a child, and wish I saw more of their work in movies now, are Gene Wilder and Michael Keaton.
RM: We look forward to seeing more of your role on Showtime’s Shameless. What other projects can you tell us about?
JM: Last year, I worked a movie called Me Him Her, written and directed by Max Landis. It’s going to be awesome. I can’t say much about it, other than it’s going to be awesome. But, that’s the truth. I’m about to start work in NYC on a pilot for ABC created by Jeff Lowell with Analeigh Tipton.
Twitter/Vine: @JakeMcDorman
Facebook: Jake McDorman
Instagram: @Jake_McDorman
Photography: Gilles Toucas
Grooming: Tracey Taylor