Exclusive Interview: Jeff Wilbusch and Juliana Canfield Talk The Calling

Jeff Wilbusch and Juliana Canfield are two of the stars of The Calling.

From David E. Kelley, The Calling tells the story of NYPD Detective Avraham, whose belief in mankind is his superpower when it comes to uncovering the truth. Guided by a deep sense of spirituality and religious principles, Avraham is left to question his own humanity when a seemingly routine investigation turns upside down.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Jeff and Juliana about The Calling Season 1, how their characters challenge each other, and more.

PC: Jeff, when you’re working on a project where a character has lived in a different medium, what was something that you wanted to make sure was translated from page to screen? What’s something new that you brought to him?
Jeff: The scripts were already so good, so I didn’t do the work of bringing him to life from the book. David E. Kelley and his team adapted and created the show based on these books. I read the books because I was curious, and they’re really great. But we adapted and changed it from an older detective in Israel to an American NYPD detective. Also, we have new characters like Janine Harris. All of those adaptations were made by David E. Kelley and his team.

PC: Juliana, your character was created for this series. Does that bring a different sense of freedom originating a character? What should audiences know about her?
Juliana: There are amazing things about bringing a character who exists in the world to life, but there’s also, as you said, tremendous freedom in getting to create Detective Janine Harris. I found her to be an extremely bright, very ambitious, and almost impatiently ambitious new detective who is eager to learn and to rise in the ranks. But she has very little experience in the field, as smart and well-prepared as she is. She sees in Avi the perfect guide through the complexities of being in this industry and town.

PC: Avi was very opposed to having a partner, but Janine may be exactly what he needs. There’s such a great dynamic that comes off the screen between the two of you with this push-and-pull relationship. How did both of you approach this dynamic? How will your character challenge the other?
Jeff: You put it very, very well. Avi needs Janine badly. He just doesn’t know he needs her so badly. She has so much chutzpah. She’s so smart. She surprises him, and he has to catch himself. He’s like, “Huh?” She comes in with quotes from the Talmud. Also in real life, Juliana was quoting and saying sentences in Yiddish that so many Jews wouldn’t know. It was inspiring to work with Juliana.

Juliana: Janine and Avi are an odd couple but a perfect one. Avi encourages Janine to find stillness, to be patient, and to let answers emerge rather than forcing them out. He has such a creative approach to being a detective. Janine helps yank him back down to Earth. It’s very lonely, the space that he occupies in his thoughts with his drawings and his very singular drive toward the answers. Janine is maybe the only person who is willing to climb up that mountain and say, “Hey, buddy. You’ve got to come down and eat dinner. You can’t stay up. You’re a person. You’re not a magician.” That’s what they teach each other.

PC: For Avi, this is more than a job to him—it’s his life calling. How did each of you discover your calling in life as storytellers?
Jeff: Like you said, Avi knows this is his calling. My calling is to tell stories and be an actor. I didn’t know you could become an actor. I thought you were born with it or not. I didn’t know there were acting schools. I started pretty late. I was looking for something, and I didn’t know what I was looking for. The first time that I prepared a monologue, I was twenty-three. I remember that in that moment everything made sense. When I’m acting, I’m in a state of flow.

Juliana: I went to drama school. We had a teacher who advised us as a class to follow the fun in life. I did my first play when I was seven. I was in a children’s Shakespeare theater. It was hilarious. Imagine a bunch of seven-year-olds reciting Shakespeare. I never had so much fun. So much serious fun. It wasn’t silly, it was serious, but it was fun. I think that being an actor is one of the things that has never stopped being fun. That’s just all I can ask for.

Make sure to follow Jeff (Instagram) and Juliana (Twitter/Instagram). Watch The Calling on Peacock today.