Already in the heat of “Kingdom” Season 2, “Justified” alum Jonathan Tucker has once again proven that his addict-mixed martial arts fighter Jay Kulina is the hit DirectTV series’ most engrossing player.
On playing Jay Kulina.
“I don’t want to say it’s more of the same, but, you know, once an addict, always an addict. You’re seeing that struggle [this season], and you’re also seeing the idea that Jay has the opportunity to be something better and do something better. [We see] the road that leads him toward that and the demons that pull him back.”
On paying homage to real-life MMA fighters.
“There was quite a bit of sacrifice and effort made to pass that bar set by the fighters themselves, by their coaches, by the gyms, by their families, wives, and supporters. We want to pay our respects in a meaningful way to the people of this world, and if we can pass that test, then we can invite others to join us in our story.”
On grappling with the series’ darkness.
“It’s a challenging gift. These are huge stakes, and you welcome that as an actor. But at the same point, it’s very hard. There’s no other way to put it. It’s challenging, deep work that demands a lot of respect and demands the sort of homework and preparation that is required to make a scene feel grounded and to allow it to take off.”
On working with showrunner Byron Balasco.
“It was just one of those scripts that allowed me to marry a sense of physicality that I’ve been attracted to and a sense of vulnerability. It’s one of those rare shows on TV where you really have an auteur’s vision and voice, and that’s in our showrunner, Byron Balasco, who really stepped outside of the system in many respects. He wrote the pilot on spec and brought it to two very independent companies: Endemol and DirectTV. Both of those companies let him really speak in his voice—his sense of truth. In many respects, it’s kind of like a David Chase or David Simon—these writers whose voices became the anthem of their respective shows.”
On filming in Los Angeles.
“This has been such a joy, that we shoot in Los Angeles. A lot of these other states offer these 30 percent tax credits or other incentives, but I have to tell you, the professionalism and the efficiency of a Los Angeles crew makes up for that tax credit with their ability to just get the job done in a brief amount of time to extraordinary standards. When they get to be at home with their families and get to work in their communities, you get a level of sensitivity and a level of quality that I think is unparalleled.”
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