Mark Pellegrino is best known for roles such as Jacob in Lost and Lucifer in Supernatural, but he’s had a long list of great roles throughout the years. In a recent interview with the Kinda Nerdy Girls, Pellegrino sat down to talk about his part on American Rust: Broken Justice, which stars Jeff Daniels.
Here is the transcription of that interview:
KJ: So, I do want to talk to you about pets because along with the KJ Today Show, I’m also the kitty correspondent for Pet Pals TV. But before we deep dive into the animal lovers that we are, we’re excited that American Rust: Broken Justice is back for a second season. And I was really excited to talk with you about your character, Virgil, who, you know, there’s a lot of emotion with this. Can you share what drew you into this particular role?
MARK: You know, I mean, I hate to say it, but I came from a background that isn’t unlike Billy’s. You know, it’s a deadbeat dad and a stepfather that was just sort of off the rails. never having a father was a very impactful thing in my life. It’s the reason I’ve always sought out mentors in my life and people to help guide me through manhood as I grew up. That’s what drew me to this, but from the reverse side, seeing what it’s like being that guy who can’t face life, who can’t face being an adult and who can’t be there for his son and give the things that his son needs to grow up and be a whole person. It’s a tragic thing. And what I loved about season two is that Virgil gets a chance to turn over a new leaf. He gets a chance to start stepping out into adulthood and help his son through a pretty traumatic phase in his life. And I think he steps up now. He steps up the way Virgil would. And sometimes that, of course, means that that causes more trouble than it that it solves. But he does step up and he does try to be a dad in his own way.
KJ: You’ve got such an amazing cast around you. And I know that you’re used to that with some of your other projects. But is it a challenge at all when you’re working with so many talented people around you to really be able to shine and bring Virgil through?
MARK: No, it’s actually easier. You know, the more talented the person, the more they give you, you know, the less you have to think about things that, you know, and the more you can just relax and let things happen because you’re in good hands. You need that as an actor. You can’t be directing yourself. You can’t have your eye on yourself, watching every move you make because you’re never going to have self-conscious work, you know? So being with great people, they just elevate your game. You’re going to get better at boxing with Mike Tyson and some guys off the street. You roll with somebody in Jiu-Jitsu, you roll with a guy who’s better than you, and they’re going to make you stretch. So I think they make your job easier.
KJ: I do want to make sure that we hit on, because I’m so excited about Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley. Can you talk a little bit about that? Did you grow up a fan of these movies? And what is it like to now bring it back?
MARK: Oh yeah, I grew up as a fan of Eddie Murphy’s from the time he was in Saturday Night Live and Beverly Hills Cop is an iconic movie. I grew up with it. It’s like my youth, right? So being on this movie was sort of like being in two ages at one time because I think they sort of did an homage to the 80s action flick while keeping it fresh and adding some new things to it. So I really felt like I was straddling the past and the present simultaneously. It was great. And I got to work with Eddie Murphy, who’s a comic genius. And I got to see, this is the most important thing for me, see how guys like that work, you know, because you’d be surprised at how, how serious they are on the set, how focused and concentrated, you know, how they try to get it all worked out within themselves. So they’re clear and then they just let themselves go. It’s great to watch that, to see that cerebral, intelligent, part of Eddie and then watch Axel Foley be born when the camera’s rolling.
KJ: That is amazing. You know, being serious about being comedic has got to be a skill in your brain. Did you feel like, was this, you know, for you, I mean, obviously we haven’t seen the movie yet, but are you playing a character that gets to be comedic as well?
MARK: Inadvertently, yes, inadvertently things will happen that will be probably not great, for the character but funny for you.
For the full interview, including an amazing segment where KJ and Mark talk about their cats, be sure to check out the YouTube video down below: