Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with PEN15’s Jonah Beres

From the characters he’s brought to life on the stage and screen, Jonah Beres has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most versatile young actors. He’s best known for his portrayal as Brandt in the Emmy-nominated series, PEN15. Pop Culturalist caught up with this rising young talent to chat about his career and Season 2 of PEN15.

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Jonah: I started acting when I was six years old in Seattle. I actually started in theater. When I was a kid, my mom would take me to all these plays, and I was hooked from there. All the stage makeup and stuff like that—I really enjoyed it. So, I auditioned for Peter Pan and that was my first play. It just continued from there.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Jonah: Professionally, I would probably say someone like Judd Apatow. That kind of humor in movies is really special to my heart and to me as a person. That’s why PEN15 is special as well in my eyes. It has that main character who’s not necessarily always the main character in movies and TV. It’s really enjoyable to watch.

PC: Speaking of PEN15, what can fans expect from the new season?
Jonah: Season 2 of PEN15 is packed with more of Maya chasing Brandt and Anna getting over her love of Alex. There’s a lot of teenage female drama with boys this season. There are also a lot of valuable lessons to learn that everyone experiences in their middle school years.

PC: With this being a comedy, did you all have the opportunity to improv?
Jonah: For sure! I’d say about fifty percent of everything we do is improv. Basically, as soon as we stepped on set, Anna [Konkle] and Maya [Erskine] created that environment. They would make the script funnier. It was hard to keep a straight face around that.

PC: What is it like for you acting opposite adults who are acting as tweens/teens?
Jonah: It’s really fun. It was an interesting experience because usually you would expect adults on set to be super professional and not goof off too much, but they were always goofing off, having fun, and making sure that everyone was having fun too. It was such an enjoyable experience, not only portraying that on scene, but also living it on set.

PC: Are there any experiences that you’ve had with your friends that you would like to see reflected on screen?
Jonah: That’s a great question. Off the top of my head, it’s hard to think of one, but I definitely remember when I was going into this, I took a lot of personal experiences from my life into my character, Brandt. I remember all the kids from middle school who had that douchebag persona. There are so many funny stories that everybody has from middle school. It would be amazing to have a subreddit or something with all those experiences.

PC: This is a breakout TV role for you. What’s been the thing is takeaway being a part of this project?
Jonah: I’m so proud to be a part of this cast and project. That isn’t as common for actors as a lot of people think it is. We audition all the time for a lot of things and to get a role that you genuinely enjoy…I’m just so grateful for that.

PC: If the series gets picked up for a third season, where would you like to see your character’s storyline head?
Jonah: That’s a great question. Without giving out spoilers, I don’t think there’s a lot that we can do with Brandt, unless we find him with a subgroup of friends. Maya has finally found her security and doesn’t need Brandt as much.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jonah: Animal Planet shows.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jonah: The Lego Movie.

PC: Favorite book?
Jonah: A Clockwork Orange.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jonah: The Book of Mormon.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jonah: Sun Ra.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Jonah: Michael Cera because I feel like we’re a similar kind of awkward.

To keep up with Jonah, follow him on Instagram. Binge-watch Season 2 of PEN15 today.

Photo Credit: Joanna DeGeneres