Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Jordan Dean

Jordan Dean is one of Hollywood’s most exciting up-and-coming leading men. He’s made the stage and screen his kingdom, and captivated audiences in projects including Royal Pains, The Punisher, and The Sinner.

This fall, he steps into the titular character in Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jordan about his career, Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace, and the pressure to do this role justice.

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
Jordan: Both my parents were actors who went to performing arts schools in the city. I grew up in that world of creative people. My parents were always showing me classic films. They were always trying to have me join them to watch film noir and Humphrey Bogart movies. That sparked my love of film and acting. All their friends were actors, writers, directors, or dancers. They’d all come over to the house. Every holiday, I’d be surrounded by these fantastic working actors and creatives. That’s where I got the bug, for better or worse.

PC: That might be the answer to this next question. Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jordan: I’d probably say my parents. They’ve always been very honest with me, whether regarding an audition or a performance. They’ve always been straight shooters when it comes to their feelings on my work. They’ve always been incredibly supportive. Their honesty has helped me grow as an actor. I trust their opinion and I feel like they’re really well versed in acting.

You always want to be told things like that your performance is wonderful and you have nothing to work on, but my parents say things like, “That scene was great, but the other two lacked nuance.” They’ve been incredibly supportive, but their honesty is very helpful for me as an actor. You need straight shooters like that.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Jordan: That’s an interesting question. I have experienced the whole gamut. I learned a lot playing Skipper in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway. That was directed by Rob Ashford and it stars Scarlett Johansson, Ciarán Hinds, Debra Monk, Ben Walker, and all these fantastic actors. Skipper’s not actually written into the play. He’s not a character in the play. He’s only referred to. Rob had this idea of incorporating the ghost of Skipper but in physical form. We were trying a bunch of things during previews, but ultimately the decision was made that it didn’t fit with the production, so they took it out like a day or two before opening. That was a huge learning experience for me in terms of taking everything in strides. You learn pretty quickly to think of it as a marathon. This was one production and one moment, but it wasn’t a reflection of the work I was doing. I took a huge risk.

As far as a moment that stands out…perhaps this project. Harry and Meghan has been a really wonderful opportunity, but the project also came with a whole host of challenges. Shooting in a pandemic being one of them. Being one of the leads of this film, I learned a lot. It was a wonderful experience.

PC: What initially attracted you to Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace and role?
Jordan: The fear of doing it. When I got the offer, there was definitely apprehension on my end because I wasn’t sure if I could actually pull it off. I knew the subject matter was going to bring about a certain level of scrutiny and attention. As everyone knows, people feel very open about sharing their opinions on the couple. I knew that delivering an interpretation of someone like that was going to bring scrutiny, but that’s also exciting because I knew it was going to be a challenge. He’s essentially a peer. He’s someone who’s alive and living in the States. As an actor, I wanted to do it justice. All those feelings were part of my decision to do it.

PC: As you were filming this movie, you were also getting a lot of real-time information about Harry and Meghan through interviews that they were doing and news coverage. How did that affect the way you approach playing Harry?
Jordan: He had just come out with The Me You Can’t See on Apple. We were watching that as we were dealing with moments in his life and in our script. He was talking really openly and candidly. It brought another level of specificity that I could take into the scenes, which is a unique experience when you’re portraying these moments that he’s speaking about, especially the difficult moments with his family.

It definitely added a new weight to it. Also a new pressure, frankly, because he actually was going through these things. These aren’t made-up stories. He actually lived through that trauma, and here we are embodying it.

PC: What was that collaboration like working with Sydney [Morton] to bring the dynamic between Harry and Meghan to life on the screen and everything that they were experiencing?
Jordan: Sydney and I already knew each other from a production of American Psycho: The Musical that we did on Broadway together a few years back. We were lucky that we had that rapport.

We were in quarantine for two weeks before we even shot. It was a great chance to catch up. I hadn’t spoken to her in a while, but we already had that trust from Day 1 and the desire to do the roles justice and bring our take to it. We were really committed to the project and to the roles. We really appreciate each other’s work and have the same circle of friends. That helped create an ease on set and a connection on screen.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jordan: Dark.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jordan: Cliffhanger.

PC: Favorite book?
Jordan: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jordan: These are really tough questions. They’re great questions. There was a play called Frozen. That was written in the late ’90s by a British playwright named Bryony Lavery. Brían F. O’Byrne won a Tony for his role in that. It’s about a missing ten-year-old girl. I saw that play on Broadway and just was blown away by the writing, all the performances, the subject matter, and how Lavery handled a very, very difficult subject matter in a very nuanced and captivating way.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jordan: Little Sins and Taj Mahal.

PC: Dream role?
Jordan: I’d love to do a gritty thriller or horror.

To keep up with Jordan, follow him on Instagram.

Photo Credit: Emily Assiran