Jordana Beatty & Two Unemployed Actors - Episode 90

Jordana Beatty & Two Unemployed Actors -
Episode 90

Max Belmonte, Jordana Beatty

Max Belmonte 00:12
Welcome back to Two Unemployed Actors I'm Max and today Sam has managed to catch the
plague. He's actually crook and coincidentally our Producer as well Amanda and also our Social
Media Manager Caitlin. And meanwhile, I've spent the last week in LA partying and I'm fine. But
anyway, don't fret. Today we have a special guest, Actor Jordana Beatty. Jordanna plays Bonnie
in the series Young Rock from Universal Television, and NBC. Also in the 10th anniversary tour
of Billy Elliot the musical so extremely talented, and plenty of television commercials before her
breakout US television role in the series Legend of the Seeker, but probably best known for the
lead title role in the feature film, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer opposite Heather
Graham. Jordana. Welcome.

Jordana Beatty 01:05
Hello, thank you so much for having me.

Max Belmonte 01:08
That's okay. Appreciate you taking the time. You've been in front of the camera from about the
time you learned to talk. So often, I'll ask actors, you know, how did they come to this decision
that they wanted to act? And I guess it was kind of unknown were you always on show for your
parents?

Jordana Beatty 01:31
Yeah, I mean, I can't really remember a time where it wasn't in my life. So I think that's pretty
telling. But I'm so grateful for that. Because I've got so much of an appreciation having been
involved for since such a young age, I guess. It's obviously a very different experience as you
kind of get a bit older and you get to different ages. So I'm so grateful to have done stuff when I
was young. I mean, I think there's stuff in there that I don't actually quite remember some of
that I really, really early like tvc stuff. I don't even remember it. But I'm grateful for it all.

Max Belmonte 02:05
I'm sure it looks like you had a great time and everything you've done anyway, looking back.
It's like,

Jordana Beatty 02:09
so much fun kind of before digital age, I guess was around for a lot of that young stuff. I don't
even don't even think I would have seen a lot of it. But we know it's out there somewhere in the
universe.

Max Belmonte 02:20
Well, it wasn't long before you started working in Hollywood, working on the television show
Legend of the Seeker. And, of course, your most famous role as Judy Moody. How did your US
career come about? Or was it really kind of organic, you've got this body of work in Australia,
and then it kind of just grew?

Jordana Beatty 02:38
Probably be a little bit of both. Before I got just actually very soon before I got Legend of the
Seeker I was cast in a worldwide search for Eloise for the movie Eloise in Paris. They did
auditions in Australia. They did them in lots of countries. And they narrowed it down to I think
there was five of us off the top of my head. So I was flown into America. And we did we all did a
screen test. And from there I was given the role. So I guess that was kind of before Skype was
even really, really a thing that was kind of unheard of then so you literally got flown over. Right.
I think I want to say I was about eight or nine off the top of my head. Yeah, yeah. So that was a
great experience. But then with the global financial crisis, unfortunately, the movie didn't get
made that was slated to be with Uma Thurman and a few others, but it didn't go ahead. But it
did open the doors to me for lots of I met a lot of people while I was over there for that short
stint. It enabled me to get some American representation and, you know, just make a few
connections over there, which probably helped along in terms of when we got to Judy Moody,
where I kind of had, I guess there was a little knowledge around me. It wasn't completely this
new girl from Australia by the end. So a bit of both, probably.

Max Belmonte 04:06
That's great. Well, you certainly. I mean, there's so many reasons why movies can't get made
sometimes, you know, there's so many moving pieces to it. And I think you certainly start to
appreciate the business behind it. I imagined that might have been a bit hard though as an
eight year old to try to understand you go into all this effort and then it's...

Jordana Beatty 04:28
I guess the saving grace there was it wasn't... I never officially got told 'oh it's not happening'. It
was one of those things that kind of just getting getting pushed and okay, it's this time and
then it'd be this time. There was never an official 'Oh, it's not happening'. So in that way, I
guess it was probably easier to take because then I got some other stuff along the way. I wasn't
just kind of high and dry. But I'm looking back of course it's disappointing. But yeah, again, it
did open those doors for me and it would have been a great movie. It still hasn't been made as
of yet but Um, hopefully one day someone else gets that, that opportunity. But for me, I was
lucky that it wasn't just kind of a blanket shutdown, which I know lots of people would have
experienced in the current climate. So a little bit different to that.

Max Belmonte 05:12
So you've been a child in Australia then going on to work on these huge Hollywood shows, and
films. What was what was that like?

Jordana Beatty 05:24
Honestly, it was just such a surreal feeling at the time. Like I knew how lucky I was at the time,
but I was just so busy enjoying absolutely every aspect of it that I don't think it quite dawned
on me. During the time I was there. I was just too busy having fun being on set, doing school,
still, that kind of thing. Just making all these memories that it probably wasn't until I kind of
came back and saw it on a big screen. Or even when I got a little bit older that I could fully
appreciate just I guess the magnitude of it for for that time. Yeah. When things weren't as
digital, so it was a lot different. But um, yeah, such so many great experiences.

Max Belmonte 06:04
That's great. I mean, I guess probably you focused on doing a job? Yeah. And school? That's
hilarious. Yeah, a couple of major distractions. There were lots more people running around a
Hollywood set than Australian. When you find yourself approaching a role like approaching your
character and your preparation a bit differently? I mean, obviously, now than when you are
eight, but maybe... maybe not?

Jordana Beatty 06:32
No, I see what you're saying. Honestly, for me, the big process itself is very similar. I like to
read scripts, often, like the whole script, if you've got that opportunity, which is very, I mean,
you never know if you're going to have that chance to or not. But I do love having that just to
kind of get a really good idea of the character. I always liked that back then. Except the
different ones back then my mum would often like read them to me kind of like a story. So I
wasn't kind of flicking through pages myself. So that was very lovely of her. And, but similar
thing now like to do that like to kind of get as much info about the character as you can, which
sometimes there's heaps, which is great. Other times, there's barely anything, which I also
don't mind, because you get to kind of, you know, go for Go put your own spin on things. But
yeah, yeah, I quite liked that as well. There's so many different approaches, which is, keeps it
interesting.

Max Belmonte 07:26
I imagine you learned a lot taking on the leading role in in Judy Moody, especially about
comedy. I find comedy so challenging. But I mean, as a... as a child actor too, but what what do
you think, the biggest learnings that came from from that experience?

Jordana Beatty 07:46
Oh, well, from a comedy side of things, I'd have to say that I was very lucky to have such good
writers. I mean, they wrote it all in there. There was one memory that sticks out in particular,
where we hadn't started filming yet, it was still that pre production phase. And we were in a
meeting with the director, John Schultz. And so it was him myself and Heather Graham, and we
were just reading through a few of the scenes. And I don't remember, if he said oh, you know,
feel free to change this or add something here. Or if we just did it. I remember, we swapped,
we swapped roles for a second. And I ad libbed one of her lines, and he thought it was hilarious.
And it ended up in the movie. So for me, that's my 'Oh, great. I've made my mark in the writing
there'. But that's probably it for the comedy side of things, I was lucky to just, you know, have
such great material to work with. Because I've actually, I guess, done. I mean, a good amount
of, I guess, kind of drama and more serious stuff as well. So it's good that there's been that
mix, and I wouldn't even necessarily say I have a big preference or like a draw to either of
them. I just quite like a big mix. Yeah.

Max Belmonte 08:58
What do you think have been some of the advantages of starting out so young and essentially,
you know, learning from your experiences acting on the job almost, in some ways?

Jordana Beatty 09:08
I think one of the biggest things is that a lot of people either don't realise, or they realise once
they get there, and they're a bit older that there's so much not necessarily downtime, but kind
of waiting around time. There's all that preparation time as in while they're setting up
everything and you're you yourself are getting prepared. Along with all the the the amount of
takes something takes the amount of shots that something takes so there's just so much time
involved, which I feel like if you're not really anything to do with the industry, you just kind of
watch this stuff. Fair enough, you wouldn't quite understand but for me having been so
exposed to that since I was so young, it was never an issue for me whatsoever. I loved either
watching people set up and do that kind of thing, or I had I knew how to fill in that time I read
so many books when I was filming Judy Moody. It was crazy. But all those kinds of things that I
just think people don't probably realise until they get there, but for me, it's never, I've never
thought twice about it. It's just like, oh, that's just, you know, a key part of it.

Max Belmonte 10:11
And I imagine between like a television show and a feature film, it's quite different to in terms
of, you know, the amount of takes, you can get. And you know, how much footage they capture
each day, it could be a bit faster paced on a television production.

Jordana Beatty 10:28
I'd say, Yeah, I think it is a bit more fast paced on a television production, because they've got
to move through. Like they've got that timeline for each episode, where I guess with a movie,
you've got to keep going until it's finished, no matter what. And they might even add in a few
extra things at the end there. But yeah, that television show has a much more rigid schedule,
they've really got to be on top of it, which means you've got to be on top of it with your lines
and making sure you're happy with your performance virtually straightaway, not knowing that
if you'll even get another take or if they'll just go with that one or the one before so yeah,
definitely a bit different. In that sense.

Max Belmonte 10:58
That's one thing we talked about on the show a fair bit. How you have to maintain your work
fitness in between roles. And, you know, one minute you're auditioning next minute, your work
schedules full on if it's a television series in particular, and you know, i it can be difficult for
some people to go from zero to hero all of a sudden, and and you're right to your credit, like if
you're not prepared, then you really aren't setting yourself up for success.

Jordana Beatty 11:27
It would be tricky.

Max Belmonte 11:28
Yeah, totally. Have you had a mentor or an acting coach that has really helped you along the
way to sort of hone your craft and, and help you deal with all these heavy work schedules?

Jordana Beatty 11:43
I actually haven't done any, like formal training acting wise. I grew up singing and dancing, but
that was just always kind of a big part of my family and my lifestyle. But acting wise, it was just
something Yeah, I never trained for I once I got cast as Eloise, I was fortunate enough to get
introduced by the director Charles Shire to his ex wife, Nancy Meyers. And one of the things she
said to my mom was, Don't ever let this girl get acting coaching or something along those lines.
And not that we, you know, necessarily took her on board, but it's just something that I guess
never, yeah, just never really happened for me. And if he's a broken, my own my own spin on
things, and the director will tell you otherwise, I guess if that's not what they're looking for. So I
guess in terms of getting ready for that kind of big work schedule, it was just yeah, a case of as
we said, before, just being exposed to it from so young, you kind of know no different when
you're on set, you're on set, you're there to do this job. And it will probably take this long. And
that's just how it goes. I guess you either want to be there and do it, or you dont.

Max Belmonte 12:48
Exactly, exactly. And what what kind of roles? Are you interested in these days? I mean, what
and then, you know, what attracts you to a specific script?

Jordana Beatty 12:58
Yeah, that's, I'd have to say it's very probably script and role dependent. I don't think I
necessarily have a particular genre that I'm drawn to or a particular character type, I actually
don't mind. Sometimes the script will come through for a character that's really similar to me.
And I can relate to that. And I think, okay, great. That's super easy. That reminds me of
something that I do every day. And other times, I'll get scripts a completely different to me,
like, couldn't be more poles apart. But I quite enjoy that as a challenge just to really hone in on
to a different part of me. So I don't actually necessarily think I'm attracted to a certain type, I
think it comes down to probably what the script itself is how much access you have to that. And
you know, just the general premise of the show or the TV, the movie, sorry. And if that's
something that appeals to you, if you think it's something you'll enjoy, because I think that's
really important as well, if you, there's no point in auditioning for something that you absolutely
could not see yourself doing in a million years, because, well, you're not going to enjoy that.
And they're probably not going to enjoy that either watching

Max Belmonte 14:05
For those characters that are so different, that you might at first glance, find it difficult to relate
to and as you say, you know, you love that challenge. Do you try and look for certain things,
certain commonalities with your own personality to try and help you get into the character?

Jordana Beatty 14:22
Yeah, I think, generally, you'll always find one or two things, even if it's just some small
experience that you had a while ago, or a part of your personality that exists within you, but
you don't necessarily show it too much. So I think there's always something that you can kind
of hone in on even if it is deep down. And for the rest of it. You can just kind of either bring that
out more or try and build around it with things that you wouldn't normally do. But again, that's
that's half the fun of it, just doing the opposite of saying the opposite of what you normally
might say. It's part of, I think, I guess, challenge.

Max Belmonte 14:57
Speaking of challenges, you were filming during the pandemic too with Young Rock. I mean,
there's so many questions around Young Rock, but I guess just as an Actor, thank goodness
you're able to work during that pandemic. But how different was it onset?

Jordana Beatty 15:14
Look, it was quite different in terms of that. That was for me in the end of 2020. So we were still
in, it

Max Belmonte 15:25
That was the full on year two, I still remember those first lock downs. It was really scary. Yeah,

Jordana Beatty 15:29
it was just after things had started to open in the industry, again, very early on. It was filmed in
Queensland, and I'm from New South Wales. So I did do the two weeks stint in hotel quarantine.
That was an experience on its own. I mean, when my agent kind of said to me, oh, you know,
you'll, you'll have to do two weeks quarantine. I thought nothing of it. I thought, Oh, great. You
know, like, I'm excited to be working the show's great. But once I got there, it kind of dawned
on me like, Okay, this is just two weeks in a room, like you have a nice view.

Max Belmonte 16:02
It's a long time, it's a long time for an actor who are used to people, right and used to be
surrounded by people.

Jordana Beatty 16:08
Oh, absolutely. And I'm such an active person. Anyway, that just I mean, having to do kind of
laps in a tiny hotel room is something. But we we did do a couple of script read throughs. In
that two weeks, that was nice. So we kind of virtually met each other before we all met, we
could sympathize with one another looking at which hotels are all stations. And I actually
finished my one of my uni degrees in that quarantine as well, because all exams are online. So
honestly, it was quite productive in its own way.
Max Belmonte 16:37
Whether you liked it or not, I guess you have to try. And you know, when you're studying a
university degree for something to do, you know, while you're locked in the pandemic, well,
Jordana Beatty 16:47
if you hadn't told me three years ago, that count would have finished up I wouldn't have

Max Belmonte 16:50
Three weeks, you would have done another degree, you know, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Jordana Beatty 16:54
But once we got out, I mean, as you can imagine, things were quite strict with, obviously, mask
wearing was a big thing. We got tested multiple times a week on and off set. Even if you
weren't on that day, I remember they used to come down to like your accommodation building
and testing. That was, that was quite funny, I guess stuff that you just never would have
thought about a few years ago. And that was just part of it. They were very great with, like
keeping the protocols up. So I never, I never really actually felt at risk. I always felt really safe
with the way things were done. And in terms of once you were actually filming the set, sorry,
filming the scene and the cameras are rolling. That part itself felt quite normal by then. It was
more kind of, I guess, the external stuff within the production that you could feel like, 'Oh,
we're social distancing at lunch', or, 'Oh, we can only have two people in the trailers at once'.
That kind of thing was where you just had to remember all your little rules and regulations.

Max Belmonte 17:51
Extra layers of complexity. Yeah, yeah. I know, when they were filming, I think neighbors was
actually one of the first productions to go back globally. Just just after the first lockdown, and
they they divided the cast and crew into three sections. Yeah, so if some one zone got infected,
and there was like a handful, maybe three or four actors that could go between. So when one
zone went down, the other two were okay. Was it kind of something similar ?

Jordana Beatty 18:27
You have jogged my memory that we did have the zones as well, that we were divided into. At
the same time, I have to say, we were fortunate enough that the cases in Queensland from my
memory weren't at a crazy number, like they kind of are these days. I mean, they probably
seemed crazy at the time. But in hindsight, it was nothing. But yeah, we were in a pod. And I
was really grateful that we were in a pod of a few of us that we're all in seems together. So
we're all really that same age, we could all hang out heaps because none of us were from
Queensland. So we all had plenty of time to spend together and dinner, etc, all those kinds of
things. So it actually worked quite well for me. Yeah, it just helped to the preparation was like
extra preparation. It honestly was we hung out. So much offset. And yeah, we became really
great friends in what in hindsight was a short stint. But once you've I guess, share that hotel
quarantine experience, you've got plenty to bond over.

Max Belmonte 19:26
14 days long time. So Did you know, early on that Young Rock was gonna be huge, or is it just
once it's landed now in the general public, it's like you can appreciate how big it is?

Jordana Beatty 19:39
Well, when I first auditioned for it, we didn't, it wasn't called Young Rock. It had some whatever
the working title was, um, it also didn't even had like the Rocks name in. Like they changed it
to something else. So it was all kind of I guess, we didn't actually know. And then it wasn't kind
of until, like my agent said something like 'Oh, you know, it's all going through, like some of the
higher ups at NBC. They want to review each person before they cast anyone'. And that's when
I was like, Oh, okay. All right, then. I mean, once you once you found out kind of more what the
project was, it was like, oh, that's gonna be really fun. That's gonna be awesome. And it
absolutely was whether it ended up being big or not. The experience was just so phenomenal.
But as I think someone turned around and said to me a few months ago, like, oh, you know,
anything that Rock touches, it's, it's automatically good.

Max Belmonte 20:35
Yeah, and no pressure.

Jordana Beatty 20:36
But yeah, about it atthe time. But in Yeah, looking at it now. It's like, oh, well, I'm so happy to
have played a small part in someone's life story, regardless of who it is. That's something that
they'll always look back on. And I'm happy that I could be part of that in some small way.

Max Belmonte 20:53
That's great. And it's so weird to like, it's this huge, you know, senior executives at NBC, you
have to sign off on it. And then you are just filming in Queensland, you know?

Jordana Beatty 21:02
Exactly. That's I mean, in some ways, I absolutely. Like obviously, COVID has been so difficult
for everyone in some sense. But on the other end of the spectrum, it's probably likely that it
wouldn't have filmed here if it wasn't for COVID. Yeah, so I look at it that way, like COVID took
so much, but it also did give me my first job back afterwards. And I'm yeah, I'm so grateful that
that's where they decided to film, bring it to Australia. We love that.
Max Belmonte 21:33
And now if you were looking back at a 10 year old self, at young Jordanna, the singer dancer, maybe somewhat actor, what what do you wish you would know, would have known back then
as as a youngster? I mean, what would you tell your young self?

Jordana Beatty 21:58
If I was going to tell myself anything? I wish I would just have known how fast everything goes. I
mean, you don't realize until we get there in the moment that these are the days, these really
are the ones that like you'll look back on in the future. And goodness, if you don't make the
most of them then and enjoy them. They're gone. Like I look back, and it's last year, we kind of
push it was last year. Yeah, we had like the 10 year anniversary of Judy Moody. And I think that
is crazy. I can't even fathom that. I still feel like that was just last year. So yeah, if only I had
and I did make the most of it. But it's just a case of knowing how fast it goes, really got to take
every moment and grab on to it for as long as you can.

Max Belmonte 22:40
And that's great how you're saying how even even as an eight, nine year old onset, you know,
you're still really present and enjoying the world around you. That's it's not normal for a normal
child to be exposed. But yeah, you're really enjoying it really present.

Jordana Beatty 22:53
And I think that's, that's great. It's sort of an interest in, in all the aspects of film and television.
So not just in front of the camera, but I from a young age of appreciated how integral every
single person's party is cast crew, all the little gears that make the cogs turn, and I yeah, I
really enjoy people doing all their little individual jobs. I love watching other people getting
their hair and makeup done or watching the new shop being set up. I just I find it so interesting.

Max Belmonte 23:23
Learning all the time. So it's such a young age to just watching everyone, all these other
departments and like, you know, so inquisitive. What does this department do?

Jordana Beatty 23:35
I mean, yeah, I don't think people realise just how the sheer volume of people involved in either
a small project or a big project, you're always going to have far more people than what you
realize just watching it on a screen. It's crazy.

Max Belmonte 23:49
That's right. And I think you know that people only see the success on the television screen or
in the cinema that don't appreciate all of those moving pieces that you don't see.

Jordana Beatty 24:00
Yeah, even even so the pieces that you don't see behind the scenes, and even all the stuff that
gets shot that doesn't necessarily make it in I mean, they always overshoot on everything, you
know, so they've got things to work with. But even yourself as an actor, you don't know what's
going to really come on until you watch it as well. So I think a lot of people think the safer 20
minute or 30 minute episode, I think a lot of people have in their mind that that's you know, a
really quick couple of days shoot, and on some shows, it might be that but most of them, that's
not the case at all, and they've ended up with so much footage that we'll never get used. And I
mean, I'm glad I'm not the person in the editing chair, that's for sure... crazy, I would not know
how to make those decisions.

Max Belmonte 24:41
So it's interesting, certainly growing up in the business and learning so much on set. And I
guess as you've grown up, have you learned about an appreciation perhaps or
acknowledgement of the business behind? You know, all the moving parts, whats happened
before you ever turn up on set?

Jordana Beatty 25:03
Yeah, absolutely. I think before you even go, it's It's crazy to think how much has gone into just
getting you there on that day or the overran arounds, or the phone calls, the emails are all that
kind of stuff. It's I mean, every little detail, particularly filming overseas, where you're not in
your your home base, and as a child, the amount of moving parts in that alone, which my
parents will tell me story stories about now, and then because I might not have known at the
time is just like, wow, they really do have to plan every single second, when you're not in your
own town, they've got to organize every single thing, where are you going to live? What car?
Are you going to drive all that things that you had to know, we don't even think about here. But
all of a sudden, someone's organizing that for you, which in one way is great, because the
pressure is off you but it's like, wow, that's there are so many jumps floating around. And it's
crazy.

Max Belmonte 25:56
I think also as as a child actor, I mean, there's only a certain amount of time you're able to be
allowed to work on set. So there's that extra layer of pressure.

Jordana Beatty 26:06
Yeah, I think, yeah, I never have felt pressured. But I definitely have observed, maybe
production feeling pressured, like, Oh, they've only got such and such minutes till they've got
to go on break that kind of thing. And I can't really, honestly remember the laws in America
that much. But yeah, obviously, it's all very strict in how long you can go for I do remember it
well, in Australia, because when I was working on Billy Elliot, we had a child cost involved as
well. And because that was only two years ago, that was fresh in my mind about how often the
breaks had to happen. So that we create not just a break for the children, but in a lot of cases,
a pause for the whole company for a little bit. And it's of course, if things are running a little bit
behind, everyone's gonna get a little bit, you know, nervous, but um, no, I think it's really great
that they have those protocols in place, because it does make for an enjoyable experience for
everyone. And then kids, when they get older, can appreciate that everything was, you know,
done well for them. And that's

Max Belmonte 27:08
Great that you didn't feel any pressure as a child like that. You were just, you know, looking
back. It's like, how the hell did they manage the logistics, but at the time, you were really
present and enjoying your experience, which is exactly what

Jordana Beatty 27:20
A lot of people used to asking, like, are, what does it feel like you're going to work every day,
something like that. And I would say, oh, but it's not work to me. Like I'm going and I'm doing
what I love and I have fun. It's it's never actually felt like work at all. So and even now, like, if
I'm lucky enough to be filming something or performing something, it doesn't feel like work to
me because it's just so enjoyable. That's great. That's yeah, really important for everyone, no
matter what you do, I guess.

Max Belmonte 27:45
Exactly. It's a it's a great test that over the years, you know, you've still got that fresh, you
know yearning for for more fun on set. Yeah. And speaking of next, what's coming up for you?
What are you working on at the moment?

Jordana Beatty 28:02
Well, hopefully things are I'm hopeful that this is hopefully the end of any lockdowns and things
can finally just open up for good not be worried about. I know that productions have been
worried before. Like, oh, if we started this, won't we get shut down. Thankfully, we've finished
with that. Finally, I am currently in my final year of my master's degree at uni. So gratulations,
a couple of months left, thank you a couple of months left to finish that off. So that'll be nice.
Once I can say it's done and dusted. And in the meantime, that's crazy busy at the moment.
But other than that, I'm still obviously auditioning for stuff anytime it comes along. Sometimes I
do have to be a little bit picky just being in this final year, I have important placements and that
I can't miss so in. I'll be grateful when that part of it's over. And I can just fully commit myself to
auditioning for anything and everything that I want to bid. Yeah, just like everyone else, taking
it day by day, whatever comes comes and going from there.

Max Belmonte 29:01
That's great. Well, I appreciate you're busy and certainly for the next couple of months on the
master. So thank thanks for taking the time. Thanks for having a chat. We do appreciate it.

Jordana Beatty 29:14
Yeah, it's great. And it's so good to hear other people's stories as well that you guys, you get to
talk to so many interesting people and it's really great.

Max Belmonte 29:22
Thanks. I'm glad I'm glad you enjoy it. All right. Well, thank you Jordanna Beatty appreciate
your time. And don't forget to follow, download, and listen to Two Unemployed Actors.