Exclusive Interview: Caleb Ruminer Talks ‘The Irrational,’ His Character Development Process, and He Shares His Advice to Aspiring Young Creatives

Caleb Ruminer stands out as one of the most underrated actors of his generation, bringing an innate talent and charisma to his craft. His remarkable ability to effortlessly immerse himself in characters and evoke heartfelt emotions through his performances is truly noteworthy, leaving a lasting impression on audiences. That unwavering dedication to his artistry has landed him coveted roles in projects like Finding Carter and Castle.

In his most recent endeavor, The Irrational, Caleb Ruminer takes on the poignant role of a former Marine grappling with PTSD and facing accusations of a heart-wrenching murder.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of speaking with Caleb about delving into the intricacies of his portrayal in The Irrational. He shared insights into how he carved out the emotional space for this compelling journey, offered a glimpse into his creative process, and highlighted the enriching collaboration with Jesse Martin.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling and the arts? How did this journey start for you?
Caleb: I started when I was really young with church plays, singing in church, and things like that. That was my first-ever discovery of possibly enjoying performing. Then I went to junior high and high school and did forensics, which is competitive acting. That led to theatre and musical theatre. I traveled around the state of Arkansas to do that.

After graduating, I went to AMDA, which is a performing arts school. There’s one in L.A. and one in New York. I went to the one in L.A. and did that for two years. When I graduated, I started to audition and tried to find jobs. That’s how we landed here. That was my original passion.

I really liked movies. My dad really likes movies, so I watched a lot of different things growing up from older films, ’80s movies. I particularly remember watching Spy Kids 2. It was the first time that I realized that people my age were actually doing this professionally. I finally realized that there was a job there. That was the first time that I thought maybe I could do this. But growing up in Arkansas, I didn’t know what that looks like or how to get started or anything like that.

PC: You recently had a guest spot on the pilot of The Irrational, playing such an intense character dealing with a lot in his life. That interrogation scene was one of your auditions. What did you gauge about this project from those sides? Were there any nerves heading into this project given how meaty the role is?
Caleb: That huge scene you’re talking about is the first time the character is introduced, confessing and dealing with a lot of issues. Even just reading the character’s description, it mentioned losing friends in war and witnessing traumatic events. He has also become somewhat of an alcoholic and is trying to recover from that. There was a lot to unpack.

Just connecting to the character, you try to find something that you can relate to. One of the things I related to was being able to blame yourself for your mistakes and beating yourself up about that. It was an opportunity for him to feel like if I take responsibility and owned up to this that it will make up for having lost friends and how I wished I could have done more. So maybe I can blame myself for this and that will wash my hands of all the things that I’ve been through. That’s what I saw the first time that I read it. I felt so bad for him. You can tell he just wants that chapter of his life to be done, so accepting this is his fault, and now he can move on.

There were definitely some nerves. Actually when I did the audition, it’s funny because I did the audition with somebody that I’ve known for a long time. I did one take of that scene, and then I watched it like we always do. I was like, “I don’t know. Could I do something more, or should I try to switch it up?” He looked at me and he was like, “What’s wrong with you, man? Why would you want to do it again? That guy is guilty. He’s distraught.” A month later I did the actual scene on set. I had plenty to go off of. I was comfortable doing the scene as well as the other ones. I felt like this is a really cool character and there’s a lot of depth to it. That was really fun.

PC: Speaking of shooting that scene, you have to go from this really calm demeanor to this state of heightened emotions within minutes. You did that so brilliantly. As an actor, how do you create the space for yourself to delve into that moment when you’re filming? How much of that is preparation versus reacting to what your scene partners are giving you?
Caleb: That’s a great question—thank you. I appreciate you saying that. That was actually one of the last days that I shot, so I was pretty comfortable with everybody, both the people on set and the cast and crew. I try to prepare like an athlete does, where I knew on that day, I didn’t want to eat a lot before we shot that scene, which was after lunch. I thought, I’m not going to eat a whole piece of salmon, a salad, and a brownie because then I’m going to fall asleep while I’m trying to do the scene. So I try to prepare my mind and body. I try to get a lot of sleep the night before because you don’t want to be foggy.

So when it came time for that scene, I knew where we were as far as shooting. They actually shot my coverage last. I had rehearsed it over and over and over doing coverage for other people. When they turned around on me, it was time to let it all come out. Once you’re in that zone, you kind of stay there. It’s a lot like getting a runner’s high. When you’re in that zone, you’re not really thinking, “Man, I want to stop.” You ride it out. You let it keep going. Then when we would reset, you start again.

I definitely kept my head down and stayed to myself in that scene. The other actors did a really good job of letting me be in that space as well. I was really appreciative of that because it’s a tough scene. He’s blaming himself for killing somebody that he really loved. It was tough. But I definitely stayed in the zone for however long we were shooting that scene. Not isolating myself necessarily, but definitely staying in my little bubble for a little while.

PC: That was such a smart decision to film your coverage last because then it does feel like you’re being interrogated. When everybody thinks your character has committed this crime, himself included, it’s Jesse Martin’s character who is by his side and really changes his life. Who are the people in your own life who have shaped the storyteller that you are today?
Caleb: Wow. I could go all the way back to when I was in junior high. I had a teacher named Melanie Blanchett. She was the first person that came to me and was like, “You have a gift here. I can see that you’re really passionate about it.” I thought I was going to be a basketball player. I wanted to play basketball my whole life. She encouraged me to not just stay in that mindset but to open my mind and abilities to this other thing, which was acting. That was the first time I ever remember exploring the idea of what it could look like if I went to college to study theatre. She pushed me in that direction. That propelled me through high school, and I had other teachers.

And then also my parents. My mom was such an advocate that if there’s something that you’re really interested in, let’s go all into it and find out if you’re really interested in it because I remember her asking me as a kid, “Are you sure you want to do this? This isn’t a phase or something that you’re interested in?” In high school, I finally admitted, “No, I want to do this for real. I want to do this professionally.” That’s how I got involved with an agency in Little Rock, Arkansas. The more that I got into it, the more I loved it. She saw that too. My dad was also really supportive and helped me out through all the years and in college. I think they’ve both seen my passion grow for it, so they’ve always been really, really supportive. My whole family has been, honestly.

PC: While Jesse Martin’s character’s methods may be a little unconventional, there’s a lot of genius behind that madness. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done for an audition or a role?
Caleb: [Laughs] I’ve done some strange things. The first one that comes to mind is I had an audition one time to play a character who plays the cello. Before the audition, I went and rented a cello for like two days. I ended up breaking a string on it. I didn’t know how to play the cello at all, nor have I ever played a string instrument, so I had to get it restrung and return it to the rental place and hope that they wouldn’t notice that I had broken a string and had it restrung. So I did that, but I felt like it was something that the character hid behind, so I wanted to feel what that felt like to hide behind an instrument. That was definitely one of the stranger things.

Dylan is a former Marine, so I did some of the requirements to get qualified to be a Marine. I did the physical requirement and tests. I have a friend who is in the Navy, and I asked him to ask someone who is in the Marines if they could share the requirement list. There is also a combat-ready training schedule of what you have to do to be ready. I did that as well. That one was really hard and tough. But I did it. I accomplished that. I haven’t done that in a long time. This was about a year and a half ago. But it was really fun.

PC: That is commitment. Speaking of Jesse, he’s had such an incredible tenure in this industry. What was it like getting to collaborate with him? Did you learn anything about your own craft starring opposite of him?
Caleb: Definitely. I was so impressed by him. There’s a lot of technical dialog because it centers around behavioral psychology. I was impressed with how easy it seemed for him. I know he did a ton of work because I got to watch him do that.

We got to hang out a few times. At the time, the NBA finals were going on. We got to watch Golden State beat the Celtics at his apartment, which was really fun. It was really fun getting to know Jesse, and we had a blast together.

It was so impressive to watch him do a scene. I told my manager that as well. It seemed so nonchalant and easy. When you watch him do his thing, it doesn’t seem like there’s much going on in the scene, but then you watch it on the monitor or when it comes out on television, and there’s so much working on that screen. That was something I definitely picked up was there doesn’t have to be a lot going on in the scene, but it’s all there. It’s all on the screen. When you watch it, you see those wheels turning. You see him thinking. You can see everything that he wants you to see. That’s a testament to how long he’s been doing this, how experienced he is, and his abilities.

There was one time that we’re shooting a scene where my character is in jail. I come out and sit across from him and there’s a barrier between us. In the rehearsals, he started singing “Ain’t No Sunshine.” I kind of looked at him and was like, “Man, you can’t do that to me right now,” because he has a fantastic voice and the echo in that room was so intense because it’s empty. You could hear him singing and kind of banging on the desk. I was like, “You can’t do this to me right now. You’ve got a great voice, but I’m trying to be here right now.” [laughs] In my theatre career, I’ve been able to watch a lot of his work and that was really cool. I definitely learned from Jesse and everybody else. It was one of the most enjoyable sets that I’ve ever been on. It was so fun. Everybody was so nice.

PC: That premiere episode had over three million views during its debut, which I imagine must be so rewarding for you as an actor, especially coming out of the pandemic. I feel like there’s the opportunity to revisit some of these characters in Season 2. With the strike being over now and auditions starting to pick up, what is the process like deciding what you want to go out for?
Caleb: I’m definitely in the mindset of I want to see it all. I would love to see everything. I don’t really turn down a lot, especially with auditions. Now if it comes down to scheduling issues or things like that, then I get a little more picky. But I love seeing all of it. I love getting to try on different hats, so to speak, for every audition and take my time with those. I just try to work really hard to get the character for whatever show or film it may be. But I’ve been able to audition now that the strike’s over, and it’s picked up a bit. I assume it’s going to pick up even more because it kind of dies down during the holiday season anyway. So I’m assuming in the beginning of the year, they’re going to start picking up a lot more.

If I had a choice, I would love to delve deeper into being a lead of a show or a movie, something that I can really sink my teeth into. I like the idea of film because you know beginning, middle, and end what the character is going to do and how you can prepare for that arc. Television is a little different. You don’t have all of the information. I’m excited for 2024 and to see what starts coming in.

PC: You’ve also said you approach your work very much like how you approached athletics where it’s about getting those repetitions. We’ve been living in such a strange time with the pandemic and the strike. How have you been able to keep yourself creatively fulfilled during that time?
Caleb: Great question. It’s been hard for everybody. The strike, first with the writers, then the actors, lasted almost six months. It was a couple of months with the writers, then a couple of months with the actors. For myself and a few of my friends, we went back into default mode of what we were doing in the pandemic, which was staying low and taking as many auditions that come through.

For me, it was like I know how to fill my time now because I went through this for a year with the pandemic. You find other things. I, personally, found so many other ways to fill my time and my creativity. The other thing that I do is I work with kids. So there’s nothing like spending time with kids because they’re honest and they have no filter. I’ve shown some of the older kids my auditions, and you can tell from their expressions immediately whether it’s good or not, whether they believe it, and whether they think you’re going to get it. [laughs] So I spent a lot of time doing that working with kids and doing summer camps, and during the strike. Anyone who’s worked with kids or has kids can tell you how fulfilling that is because it’s almost like an immediate reward where you’re enjoying your time teaching them, and you can see it on their face and how their day goes after that. That was really rewarding.

Other than that, I’ve been writing a lot. I have a short film written. Nothing has been shot nor has there been thoughts about shooting it. But I just shot a short version of a short film that’s like 30 seconds to a minute-long. I just shot with one of my friends for a script that I have pretty much finished. I have to finish a bit more of the dialogue and stuff like that. But I shot an idea for that. I don’t have any intention of putting that out or pushing it to festivals or anything like that, maybe in the future. But it absolutely kept me busy throughout the strike, writing and coming up with ideas and how to shoot it. That’s been really fun.

PC: You should definitely think about shooting it and releasing it. We’re living in such an exciting time where we’re getting new voices in this industry who have taken their careers into their own hands and producing their own projects. This is such a challenging industry to be a part of. Having worked with those kids, what advice would you give them if they wanted to follow in your footsteps? During those more challenging times, how have you been able to persevere?
Caleb: My advice would be just learn. It’s like what we were talking about with athletes, when you start early, it becomes second nature to you. I played basketball for a long time and I’ve worked with kids in that capacity. You’re practicing the basics and the bare minimum like dribbling with both hands and then I get to watch these kids learn and put that into practice, which is really cool to see. I’ll see them use it in one of their games or even in life. I’ll see a situation come up and see how they handle it.

It’s the same thing with acting where you should learn if it’s something that interests you. Movies can teach you a lot. You can learn from listening to interviews of other actors, directors, and writers. It can always propel you to some other aspect of this industry. I have two really good friends who are casting directors now who started out as actors, directors, and writers. This job can take you all over the world. My advice would be learn, listen, and watch.

If you’re really interested in something, then go all in. As a person, the best thing you can do is fail and learn and do it over and over again because that’s the best way for you to learn anything. That would be my advice for any young person who wants to go into this. Go learn, take classes, try to get some sort of representation, put it into practice, and have fun, enjoy it. It’s supposed to be enjoyable. Sometimes the more you go through in your personal life, the more it informs your career.

PC: That’s such a great answer. I feel like a lot of the times we forget that it’s supposed to be fun. You were talking about writing earlier. Have you found that the work that you’ve done behind the scenes has impacted the way you look at characters and scripts or vice versa?
Caleb: Definitely. Learning how to write is such a valuable tool. As a young actor coming through college, I hadn’t really written anything. It’s like you have to dissect and decode when you’re reading a script and you’re trying to learn how you can get underneath it all. What were they thinking when they were writing this? Like anything else in life, the more time you spend with it, the less intimidating it gets. So learning how to write and hearing somebody else say your words out loud, all of a sudden it becomes more than just words on a page.

What I’ve learned is now I’m able to see the bigger picture for a scene. What is this scene trying to accomplish? Sometimes it’s way less complicated than what we try to make it as actors. [laughs] If you get behind what this scene is trying to accomplish in this moment right here, then you can break down what is this moment? What is that moment? Now all you have to do is learn the words. You know what you’re doing.

I’ve had a producer tell me in an audition once he was like, “You’re the only person who has hit all the beats in this scene that we’ve seen today.” The truth is, I didn’t get the part. I don’t think it was this incredible piece of acting that I had done, but I knew what the beats in the scene were and what that scene was trying to accomplish. I achieved that, and that’s all I had to do. It’s really simple and sometimes it’s not that complicated.

PC: You’ve been so impactful in all the different roles that you’ve played throughout your career. And 2024 marks the tenth anniversary of Finding Carter. When you look back at that experience, what do you remember the most?
Caleb: That was my first time getting to play a character for more than a day outside of class because I had done a lot of guest spots. When you’re in class, it’s a little different than when you’re taking it to the world. That was the first time I got to play a character for two years and see the character grow along with me.

It’s funny because acting is like any other job or business, the more that you do something, the better you get at it and it becomes less intimidating. You’re able to work faster and you’re more comfortable. By the end of Season 2, I was rocking and ready to take on anything as that character.

This sounds so cheesy and cliche, but it’s the people. I can pretty much reach out to any of them unless they’re out of the country or something and get a response. I could text anybody. The people on that show were my good friend at the time and I stayed in contact with them. That’s what I took the most from that show. I also learned so much about how to trust myself as a person and as an actor. It really, really helped to learn during that time. I was twenty when I got it and by the time that I was done, I was like twenty-two, twenty-three. Ten years. What a time.

To keep up with Caleb, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Stream The Irrational on Peacock today.

Photo Credit: Victor Guillen