Yet another Veronica Mars interview (Jason Dohring)
Today seems to be the day for Veronica Mars interviews. missmarch posted a link to an interview with Logan (or at least the guy who plays him. Unlike Logan, he probably behaves better when there are cameras around). It had good stuff on Season 2 and L/V stuff, so I snurched it and the text is behind the cut.
Weeeeeee!
Jason Dohring Q&A
I got to chat a little bit with Jason Dohring, Logan Echolls on "Veronica Mars," about the second-season premiere, what's coming up with the show and his other projects. Could a familiar face be the culprit behind this year's central mystery? What does he think about Logan and Veronica breaking up? And who does Jason have a huge crush on?
Here's an edited transcript of that conversation with some hints and answers to those questions. Enjoy! (And let us know who else you might want to see Q&As with going forward.)
TVF: What's the reaction so far to the second-season premiere?
JD: You know what? I overheard Kristen talking about some reviewer saying it was the best episode ever. It's a great future sign. I have certain ones I love. But I think it's great. I think it set up so many wonderful stories. Did you end up seeing it?
TVF: Of course.
JD: Yeah. It was so cool. It was like, "Who's at the door?" but also it was a flashback because she was with someone else during the present day and somebody gets killed in the bridge and there's a huge mystery. It always goes a step beyond what you expect it's going to be. It's not predictable at all. Even for an actor to get the script, I'm always amazed.
TVF: What was your reaction when you got this script?
JD: I loved it! I didn't know who was at the door. Rob wouldn't tell us until the script came out. I was thrilled there was so much additional stuff. The witty dialogue is back and stronger than ever in upcoming episodes. I love playing that dialogue. It's so funny, so cutting and biting and caustic and charming, it's ridiculous.
TVF: You get the best lines in the show, I have to say.
JD: I do, don't I?
TVF: Maybe next to Kristen.
JD: I love my character. I love my lines.
TVF: What have been your favorite lines so far?
JD: I don't know. The digs to Weevil are always really fun because I get along with Francis really well in real life so I get to cut him down on film. It's wonderful. Saying "leafblower" and "skimmer," it's nasty. It's so great.
TVF: So let's talk about some of the things that happened with Logan in the second-season premiere. It turned out to be you showing up at the door, something a lot of "Veronica" fans had wondered about. But it seemed like she wasn't really expecting you. What's up with that?
JD: It did seem like that. You mean the way she said, "Logan?" I know what you mean. I don't know if it was intended to be played that way, to tell you the honest truth. I think maybe why I was turned away, maybe that's what's going on. He didn't want to show he got the hell beat out of him. It kind of looked like a silhouette of Duncan too in a way. I don't know. So I don't know what to say about that.
TVF: But then it turns out that you and Veronica break up. What made that happen?
JD: I think his life is a lot different from her in terms of morals. There was kind of no way it could work out, at this stage anyway,just because they're two different people with very similar feelings and intensity levels. They're both intense people and I think there's a lot passion in that. But he would have to change somewhat significantly to be able to stay in a relationship with her. She can't go out with a guy who sets pools on fire, you know? That's just not her.
TVF: But she wants to. There's just so much more chemistry between the two of you two any other pairing I at least have seen on the show.
JD: I love her in real life. I really do. And I love how we talk each other down in our scenes, with a huge smile on our faces. It's just so great. I love playing with her. I think that translated in season one, the chemistry, quote-unquote. I really respect this actress and I admire her tremendously.
TVF: Do you get a lot of fan mail from people wishing the relationship would continue?
JD: Absolutely. But you know TV. You can't have an ongoing, perfect relationship for five years. That's not interesting. It's more interesting to see how they clash and make up, agree and disagree.
TVF: Now it looks like they put you together with Charisma Carpenter's character. That must be a pretty good rebound relationship for you.
JD: Yeah, it's a pretty good rebound relationship. I think so many terrible things have happened it's almost hard to put it in the context of reality. His father beats him. His mother commits suicide. His father sleeps with his girlfriend and kills her. He goes to jail. He tries to kill his present girlfriend and he tries to jump off a bridge. It's wild. How many things can happen to one guy? So any kind of compassion or love, Jesus, he's looking for something. And I think that Veronica holds the key to that. I think there's temporary relationships but I don't think anybody can quite understand him like she does. I think that's what it's all about is: getting into a real relationship with love.
TVF: So what's it like to work the scenes with Charisma Carpenter?
JD: It's cool. Wait till you see the one on Wednesday night. Tomorrow. It's going to get hot and heavy. There's a lot of great stuff coming up, man.
TVF: OK, throw me a bone here. Hint at some of the stuff.
JD: Oh I don't know. This is always the hard part of interviews because I don't know what to say or not. I think it's going to end up messy, but just great storylines along the way. The dialogue coming up is so funny. It's just hilarious. It's so funny. Especially the episode we're on right now. I think it's number seven. Diane Ruggiero wrote it. She's just wonderful at writing. So damn clever.
TVF: What do you pull on to be Logan?
JD: I guess that he likes the hate. As an actor, you can't be too intense with it. Because a guy who's too intense is no fun to watch. It's great to see a guy who's intense but really loose. I kind of like that aspect of it. And also he likes treating people bad. He likes cutting people down. You can't shy away from that. It's something that those guys, why do they like to do that? It's survival for them, to bring other people down. I don't know. I try to add some kind of creativeness or aesthetic aspect to the hate aspect or the antagonistic aspect. Therefore it brings about a certain fluidity in an actor as opposed to a stopped up emotion like hate. You kind of relax and it brings about a different quality.
TVF: What's your theory on who killed the gang member you were cleared of killing?
JD: Boy, with this writing, you can never judge. You can never tell. I don't think he did it. I guess it's still possible. But I would think he did not. As Veronica said, he had broken ribs and was unconscious and he still managed to stab a guy? How does that make sense?
TVF: So right now even you don't know.
JD: Yeah, I don't know. And it could be anybody. Any episode it could be one guy or it could be a totally different guy. I'm sure the writers will come up with some way where it's totally founded in reality and it's able to make complete sense and be interesting.
TVF: And then there's the the central mystery of this season of who engineered this bus crash.
JD: Exactly. There's more of that coming up tomorrow night. There's even more of that in episode three. It gets very interesting in the very end.
TVF: What happens?
JD: Yeah. That's the mystery. It's seven or eight kids, a school teacher. That's setting up a mass murder, essentially.
TVF: What clues can you give us as to what to look for in terms of that mystery?
JD: There are new characters being introduced. You actually find out more in the next couple episodes. They link more of what's going on and how it went down. That's as much as I can say right now. ... Old characters will drop back into it. You never know, man. You just never know. "Oh s---, I thought that person was out of it. Oh, he's back in. And all of the sudden he's a suspect. Unbelievable."
TVF: Can you tell me more about what characters we might see again?
JD: I can't. But I hope that that gives you something.
TVF: What are the prospects of seeing Logan's father and sister again?
JD: My sister's on "How I Met Your Mother," so she's doing her sitcom right now. We'd love to have her back, Alyson [Hannigan]. That'd be great. And she wants to do it if she can break away from her show for a little while. And I'd love to have her back. I got along very well with her. My dad's in jail right now. [unintelligible]
TVF: What's it like to be on "Veronica Mars" for you?
JD: It's really wonderful to be part of a quality show. Wherever you go, there's good reviews about it, and I think it's good to be a part of that. "Oh I love your show. Or you're my favorite character. Or I hate your character." All kinds of stuff. You get fan mail. It's just great. I'd hate to be on a show that wasn't quality written or where you didn't have a chance to do wonderful work. With this kind of writing, the writing's plain great. And if you want to, you can work it harder than that and make it amazing. The writing's so good to start with and the character relationships are so interesting and so deep. It's so amazing to me. I can't say enough how lucky I am or how happy I am to be part of this show.
TVF: What things are you looking to work on beyond "Veronica Mars"?
JD: I got a chance over the summer to go up to Sundance. I got to work on a project there based on Timothy McVeigh. I got to play Timothy McVeigh and work personally with Robert Redford, Sally Field, Phillip Seymour Hoffman...all these guys. When I first started this project, I really didn't know much. I got up there and I was totally blown away. It was such a creative environment. I was absolutely blown away by the tremendous compassion these guys had for actors and I guess the process -- stupid acting word -- but how to talk to actors as a director, how to really work in relationships and getting down to the good stuff, getting down to the basics. These guys are so amazing. Sally Field comes up to me and says "You have to make this film." I just love this girl. I have the hugest crush on her. She screened "Norma Rae" while we were there. I had never seen it before. I was like, "Oh my God, I could not be more in love with this person."
TVF: She's a little old for you, though.
JD: She's a little old for me probably, and I'm married too. But she was so sweet and honestly just a great person with no reservation about being so.
TVF: So how far along is this McVeigh project?
JD: We shot about eight scenes. I was there for about three weeks. 24 hours a day, it was just awesome, screening films, studying stuff and reading scripts. I think I'm looking at doing this project during the next hiatus in May. It's not for sure yet, but it's an interesting project absolutely. It's a story that needs to be told because I don't think a lot of people really know about the story, like why it all happened. It's interesting how smart this guy was. This guy was a bright guy. What he did was very wrong but he had some interesting points of view. It's an amazing role, a landmark role.
TVF: Have you done a lot of background research into the role?
JD: Yeah, I actually have. I've been listening to a lot of the songs he was listening to, the music he would like, reading a lot of the books he read. There's been limited interview footage of him. He did a "60 Minutes" that I saw when he was in prison after the whole situation. I've seen surveillance photos of him the day of at the little place where he ate lunch or whatever. So I'm checking it out.
Weeeeeee!
Jason Dohring Q&A
I got to chat a little bit with Jason Dohring, Logan Echolls on "Veronica Mars," about the second-season premiere, what's coming up with the show and his other projects. Could a familiar face be the culprit behind this year's central mystery? What does he think about Logan and Veronica breaking up? And who does Jason have a huge crush on?
Here's an edited transcript of that conversation with some hints and answers to those questions. Enjoy! (And let us know who else you might want to see Q&As with going forward.)
TVF: What's the reaction so far to the second-season premiere?
JD: You know what? I overheard Kristen talking about some reviewer saying it was the best episode ever. It's a great future sign. I have certain ones I love. But I think it's great. I think it set up so many wonderful stories. Did you end up seeing it?
TVF: Of course.
JD: Yeah. It was so cool. It was like, "Who's at the door?" but also it was a flashback because she was with someone else during the present day and somebody gets killed in the bridge and there's a huge mystery. It always goes a step beyond what you expect it's going to be. It's not predictable at all. Even for an actor to get the script, I'm always amazed.
TVF: What was your reaction when you got this script?
JD: I loved it! I didn't know who was at the door. Rob wouldn't tell us until the script came out. I was thrilled there was so much additional stuff. The witty dialogue is back and stronger than ever in upcoming episodes. I love playing that dialogue. It's so funny, so cutting and biting and caustic and charming, it's ridiculous.
TVF: You get the best lines in the show, I have to say.
JD: I do, don't I?
TVF: Maybe next to Kristen.
JD: I love my character. I love my lines.
TVF: What have been your favorite lines so far?
JD: I don't know. The digs to Weevil are always really fun because I get along with Francis really well in real life so I get to cut him down on film. It's wonderful. Saying "leafblower" and "skimmer," it's nasty. It's so great.
TVF: So let's talk about some of the things that happened with Logan in the second-season premiere. It turned out to be you showing up at the door, something a lot of "Veronica" fans had wondered about. But it seemed like she wasn't really expecting you. What's up with that?
JD: It did seem like that. You mean the way she said, "Logan?" I know what you mean. I don't know if it was intended to be played that way, to tell you the honest truth. I think maybe why I was turned away, maybe that's what's going on. He didn't want to show he got the hell beat out of him. It kind of looked like a silhouette of Duncan too in a way. I don't know. So I don't know what to say about that.
TVF: But then it turns out that you and Veronica break up. What made that happen?
JD: I think his life is a lot different from her in terms of morals. There was kind of no way it could work out, at this stage anyway,just because they're two different people with very similar feelings and intensity levels. They're both intense people and I think there's a lot passion in that. But he would have to change somewhat significantly to be able to stay in a relationship with her. She can't go out with a guy who sets pools on fire, you know? That's just not her.
TVF: But she wants to. There's just so much more chemistry between the two of you two any other pairing I at least have seen on the show.
JD: I love her in real life. I really do. And I love how we talk each other down in our scenes, with a huge smile on our faces. It's just so great. I love playing with her. I think that translated in season one, the chemistry, quote-unquote. I really respect this actress and I admire her tremendously.
TVF: Do you get a lot of fan mail from people wishing the relationship would continue?
JD: Absolutely. But you know TV. You can't have an ongoing, perfect relationship for five years. That's not interesting. It's more interesting to see how they clash and make up, agree and disagree.
TVF: Now it looks like they put you together with Charisma Carpenter's character. That must be a pretty good rebound relationship for you.
JD: Yeah, it's a pretty good rebound relationship. I think so many terrible things have happened it's almost hard to put it in the context of reality. His father beats him. His mother commits suicide. His father sleeps with his girlfriend and kills her. He goes to jail. He tries to kill his present girlfriend and he tries to jump off a bridge. It's wild. How many things can happen to one guy? So any kind of compassion or love, Jesus, he's looking for something. And I think that Veronica holds the key to that. I think there's temporary relationships but I don't think anybody can quite understand him like she does. I think that's what it's all about is: getting into a real relationship with love.
TVF: So what's it like to work the scenes with Charisma Carpenter?
JD: It's cool. Wait till you see the one on Wednesday night. Tomorrow. It's going to get hot and heavy. There's a lot of great stuff coming up, man.
TVF: OK, throw me a bone here. Hint at some of the stuff.
JD: Oh I don't know. This is always the hard part of interviews because I don't know what to say or not. I think it's going to end up messy, but just great storylines along the way. The dialogue coming up is so funny. It's just hilarious. It's so funny. Especially the episode we're on right now. I think it's number seven. Diane Ruggiero wrote it. She's just wonderful at writing. So damn clever.
TVF: What do you pull on to be Logan?
JD: I guess that he likes the hate. As an actor, you can't be too intense with it. Because a guy who's too intense is no fun to watch. It's great to see a guy who's intense but really loose. I kind of like that aspect of it. And also he likes treating people bad. He likes cutting people down. You can't shy away from that. It's something that those guys, why do they like to do that? It's survival for them, to bring other people down. I don't know. I try to add some kind of creativeness or aesthetic aspect to the hate aspect or the antagonistic aspect. Therefore it brings about a certain fluidity in an actor as opposed to a stopped up emotion like hate. You kind of relax and it brings about a different quality.
TVF: What's your theory on who killed the gang member you were cleared of killing?
JD: Boy, with this writing, you can never judge. You can never tell. I don't think he did it. I guess it's still possible. But I would think he did not. As Veronica said, he had broken ribs and was unconscious and he still managed to stab a guy? How does that make sense?
TVF: So right now even you don't know.
JD: Yeah, I don't know. And it could be anybody. Any episode it could be one guy or it could be a totally different guy. I'm sure the writers will come up with some way where it's totally founded in reality and it's able to make complete sense and be interesting.
TVF: And then there's the the central mystery of this season of who engineered this bus crash.
JD: Exactly. There's more of that coming up tomorrow night. There's even more of that in episode three. It gets very interesting in the very end.
TVF: What happens?
JD: Yeah. That's the mystery. It's seven or eight kids, a school teacher. That's setting up a mass murder, essentially.
TVF: What clues can you give us as to what to look for in terms of that mystery?
JD: There are new characters being introduced. You actually find out more in the next couple episodes. They link more of what's going on and how it went down. That's as much as I can say right now. ... Old characters will drop back into it. You never know, man. You just never know. "Oh s---, I thought that person was out of it. Oh, he's back in. And all of the sudden he's a suspect. Unbelievable."
TVF: Can you tell me more about what characters we might see again?
JD: I can't. But I hope that that gives you something.
TVF: What are the prospects of seeing Logan's father and sister again?
JD: My sister's on "How I Met Your Mother," so she's doing her sitcom right now. We'd love to have her back, Alyson [Hannigan]. That'd be great. And she wants to do it if she can break away from her show for a little while. And I'd love to have her back. I got along very well with her. My dad's in jail right now. [unintelligible]
TVF: What's it like to be on "Veronica Mars" for you?
JD: It's really wonderful to be part of a quality show. Wherever you go, there's good reviews about it, and I think it's good to be a part of that. "Oh I love your show. Or you're my favorite character. Or I hate your character." All kinds of stuff. You get fan mail. It's just great. I'd hate to be on a show that wasn't quality written or where you didn't have a chance to do wonderful work. With this kind of writing, the writing's plain great. And if you want to, you can work it harder than that and make it amazing. The writing's so good to start with and the character relationships are so interesting and so deep. It's so amazing to me. I can't say enough how lucky I am or how happy I am to be part of this show.
TVF: What things are you looking to work on beyond "Veronica Mars"?
JD: I got a chance over the summer to go up to Sundance. I got to work on a project there based on Timothy McVeigh. I got to play Timothy McVeigh and work personally with Robert Redford, Sally Field, Phillip Seymour Hoffman...all these guys. When I first started this project, I really didn't know much. I got up there and I was totally blown away. It was such a creative environment. I was absolutely blown away by the tremendous compassion these guys had for actors and I guess the process -- stupid acting word -- but how to talk to actors as a director, how to really work in relationships and getting down to the good stuff, getting down to the basics. These guys are so amazing. Sally Field comes up to me and says "You have to make this film." I just love this girl. I have the hugest crush on her. She screened "Norma Rae" while we were there. I had never seen it before. I was like, "Oh my God, I could not be more in love with this person."
TVF: She's a little old for you, though.
JD: She's a little old for me probably, and I'm married too. But she was so sweet and honestly just a great person with no reservation about being so.
TVF: So how far along is this McVeigh project?
JD: We shot about eight scenes. I was there for about three weeks. 24 hours a day, it was just awesome, screening films, studying stuff and reading scripts. I think I'm looking at doing this project during the next hiatus in May. It's not for sure yet, but it's an interesting project absolutely. It's a story that needs to be told because I don't think a lot of people really know about the story, like why it all happened. It's interesting how smart this guy was. This guy was a bright guy. What he did was very wrong but he had some interesting points of view. It's an amazing role, a landmark role.
TVF: Have you done a lot of background research into the role?
JD: Yeah, I actually have. I've been listening to a lot of the songs he was listening to, the music he would like, reading a lot of the books he read. There's been limited interview footage of him. He did a "60 Minutes" that I saw when he was in prison after the whole situation. I've seen surveillance photos of him the day of at the little place where he ate lunch or whatever. So I'm checking it out.