We interview actor, singer, and songwriter Cory Jeacoma on this week’s episode of The Pilot Podcast!
Tune in to learn more about Cory’s role as Logan Kaminski on the CW’s 4400. We discuss his character Trace Weston on Power Book II: Ghost. And we dive into his extensive experience with musicals and music.
Transcript available on our website
Cory’s Social Media: instagram.com/cocojeacoco | coryjeacoma.com
BJ (00:09):
So welcome to The Pilot Podcast. This week, we have a special episode with actor, singer, and songwriter, Cory Jeacoma.
Cory Jeacoma (00:17):
Hey.
Mitu (00:18):
Welcome.
Cory Jeacoma (00:19):
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Mitu (00:20):
Would you like to introduce yourself to our listeners?
Cory Jeacoma (00:23):
Yeah, I am actor, singer, songwriter, Cory Jeacoma. Hey guys, for everyone listening, I'm Cory Jeacoma. I am a New York located actor, singer, songwriter, musician, all that good stuff. I've done some Broadway stuff. I was in Jersey Boys. I was in Beautiful, the Carole King musical. Not long after that, I transitioned into TV and I started working on Power Book II, Ghost as everyone's favorite, douchey frat boy, Trace Weston. And then, this thing happened in between. I think they're calling it a pandemic. That happened.
BJ (01:03):
Heard of that.
Cory Jeacoma (01:04):
Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you have. Then throughout that, I started working on the new CW series, 4400. And I'm playing Logan Kaminski on that, and it's been a freaking blast. And here's to hoping we get season two, so that we can do it again.
Mitu (01:21):
I don't want to jinx anything, but I feel like there's no way we can't get a season two.
Cory Jeacoma (01:27):
Right?
Mitu (01:28):
It's so good. And to start off, we would love to talk to you about your character, Logan, on 4400. BJ and I had the privilege of reviewing the pilot, and BJ actually watched the previous version of the show.
Cory Jeacoma (01:40):
Oh, cool.
Mitu (01:41):
How did you get involved with this project?
Cory Jeacoma (01:44):
Yeah, so it's funny. I read for my buddy. My buddy was in auditions for Jharrel actually, probably about a year ago now. And so, wow, that's so funny, that buddy that I recorded with, just texted me. I'm not even joking.
Mitu (02:01):
Oh my gosh.
Cory Jeacoma (02:02):
I just looked at my phone. And so he was in for Jharrel, and I'm reading with him, and I was like, "Man, this script is good." It was like, "What? What is this?" And he was like, "Oh, it's a reboot of a show that was on USA back in the day. They're bringing it back and showing from a different optic," and all this stuff. I was like, "Oh, sweet." I was like, "Are there any other roles?" And he was like, "Yeah." And he's scrolling through. And I kid you not, he was like, "Well, Logan's a white guy. And so, you could go in for that." And I was like, "Damn, why aren't I getting auditioned for this guy, Logan?" And he's like, "Well, they're looking for someone 30s and up." And I was like, "Well, I'm almost there. Come on." And then a couple months later, I got an audition for Logan, and there was a bit of a time crunch on it. They were rolling out into filming pretty soon. So my agent was like, "Look, they're looking for someone quick." Just like, "Do this." And I was like, "All right." So I put it on tape, and I put it on tape on my birthday, which is April 22nd, which I just realized, four, and then two, two. Four, 4400.
Mitu (03:15):
Wow.
Cory Jeacoma (03:17):
The signs were there.
Mitu (03:17):
Everything is aligning right now.
Cory Jeacoma (03:20):
And so I had that on my birthday. That was on, I want to say a Thursday, I submitted it. Friday, I found out I had a screen test with the producers and everything on Sunday. So I shot that on Sunday with the producers and everything. Did a work session, did a chemistry read with Brittany Adebumola who plays Shanice, my wife, on the show. And then that was on Sunday. Monday, I found out that it was going to network, that the studio watched it and gave me the thumbs up. Sent it to network on Tuesday. And then they approved. And suddenly I was a series regular on a TV. And I couldn't wrap my head around it until I got here and started filming.
Mitu (04:04):
That is amazing. And somewhat selfishly, I think it's so cool that this cast is so intentionally representative and diverse that you tried out for the role of white guy. Not that Logan is not much more than a white guy, but that is so cool to me. Until you said that it's really putting into place for me the breadth of stories, and then the depth we get within them-
Cory Jeacoma (04:31):
Oh, man.
Mitu (04:32):
... that is represented on the show.
Cory Jeacoma (04:33):
Yeah. And I think what's so special about our show is that it's people from all walks of life, and gender, and non-binary, and sexualities, and people of color across the spectrum, just being people. That's the best part. It's just such an ensemble piece where everyone gets their time. Everyone gets to tell their story and yeah, it's so inclusive.
Mitu (05:00):
It's really lovely to watch. Did you watch the original 4400?
Cory Jeacoma (05:05):
Yeah, so when I first found out that I was doing this, I was like, "Damn, I guess I got to watch this." But then, I watched most of the first season, because once I understood the premise and what was going on, I knew that it was going to be a different style of shooting, and a different style of even just the network. USA versus CW, it's very different. So I was like, "You know what? I got it." And my parents, oh my God, they plowed through that series in a heartbeat. Every time they were watching, I would walk in the room. And I was like, "I was watching this with you guys. And I'm literally on the show and you're not going to wait for me?" They were like, "Sorry, Cory." So yeah, I watched some of it.
BJ (05:51):
It was good, but I think it's smart you didn't watch it all because now, as a viewer, I try to compare the characters, like, "Who is who?" Like, "This power is similar to that one." And I think it's best just to enjoy this new incarnation.
Cory Jeacoma (06:05):
I agree. And it's funny, because there have been a few vlogs and YouTube videos that have come out with that same exact structure of like, "Well, this character's clearly this character," and blah, blah, blah. And I hate that I watched it, and they were like, "Logan's very much like this character, but this character was only on for one season. So he'll probably be gone." And I was like, "No."
Mitu (06:29):
Oh, no.
Cory Jeacoma (06:32):
I was like, "Let's hope not."
Mitu (06:33):
You mentioned Shanice's character, Brittany Adebumola. I think that what is so interesting about your relationship is that there is such a love there, but there is an inherent tension in Logan having thought for 16 years that Shanice dipped. And so there is this love, and this probably joy, as we saw in the screener, as you attend the grief meeting of like, "She's back." However, how do you unlearn 16 years of hurt? And I think that that also is such an allegory for the rest of the 4400 and their relationships. It's the balance of needed past closure, and this present, slash, future for a lot of these characters. What is it like to play that tension? Because I think you both do it so well, both for your own relationship and also as a way to represent what's going on across the show.
Cory Jeacoma (07:36):
Yeah. That's what we were going for. Because in the first episode, the show starts, the series starts with me and Shanice waking up in 2005. And I'm kissing her on the cheek and we have a little make out sesh, and all that stuff. And then I start playing with the baby, and it shows our morning routine, us waking up. Shows that Logan is a supportive husband, that Shanice is the breadwinner of the family. And they were so madly in love. And then the next time you see them together is when Shanice returned 16 years later. And you hear something about a note, and that she wrote him a letter apparently leave before she left, but she didn't know she was leaving.
Cory Jeacoma (08:22):
So you come to find out that the letter contains a bunch of information about Shanice's postpartum depression, and that she was going to leave, that she couldn't handle it anymore, that the relationship with her baby, Mariah, wasn't what she thought it would be. But then she changed her mind and she came back, but then she was abducted by the green light. So all that Logan has is this letter saying, "I'm leaving." And so for 16 years, as you said, he healed himself. He grew, he moved forward. I always like saying he moved forward. He didn't move on, because I think that it's pretty evident that this guy is still holding onto something. And we're not sure what that is just yet, but he's holding onto something with Shanice and with their love, even though he's had to... After 16 years, he got remarried and he raised Mariah on his own, or with his new wife, Bridget.
Cory Jeacoma (09:15):
And so there is a part of it that he's got to still be... It was one of those loves that you don't let go of, that you can't move on easily. So I think throughout the series, you see him navigating this terrain of, "Okay, she's back, but why is she back? And she's telling me this one thing. That seems crazy. She was abducted and then returned." But then now this phenomenon's coming out and more people are saying that it actually happened. So she's right. So it's this weird grappling of believing. And it's, I think, the hardest part for him is he loves Shanice so much that, when you love someone that much, you trust them more than anything, right? And so when she says, "I didn't leave," as hard as it is, he believes her. And so then, he's hit with this question of, "Oh man, you've got a new wife and you've raised your family, but can you just uproot all of that stuff that you've worked on for a life that once was?"
Cory Jeacoma (10:18):
And so dealing with that and all the other characters have to deal with it too, because they're from 1920, 1930, and all these things. So some of them, it's a little bit easier, I guess, to accept the circumstances because as Doc Andre says, in one episode, he goes, "It's 2021. All of my friends are dead," because he's from 1920. And so some people really, the only adjustment they have to make, I guess, is just returning. For Shanice, she has to accept that this life that she once had still exists, but it wasn't frozen in time. It aged.
Mitu (10:53):
And did you and Brittany Adebumola have any conversations about how you wanted to portray that relationship between your characters?
Cory Jeacoma (11:01):
Yeah. We met a few times before we started filming. And one thing we really wanted to get through to audiences was the fact that we start the show with seeing them together in the first episode. And then throughout that first episode, you see their meet cute, when they first met and all those things. And so we really wanted to grab audiences with the love and have them go, "Damn, that was real. That was that real love." So that when she shows up at my doorstep 16 years later, it's that much more devastating because you were really rooting for them. And when she returns, because you're following Shanice, you're not following Logan. You don't know that he's remarried. You don't know all these things. So you see Shanice being like, "I have to get back to my husband. I have to get back to my daughter," all this.
Cory Jeacoma (11:53):
And it was funny watching the pilot episode and following the tweets because every time Shanice was on screen, and she would be like, "I need to get back to Logan. I need to get back to Mariah." There was at least a tweet being like, "I really hope this guy's still waiting for her." And then he answers the door, and Mariah answers, and she's grown up. And so part of you is like, "Okay, he's a little messed up about this. He's frustrated, he feels betrayed, but maybe there's a way." And then all of a sudden, Bridget, his new wife, walks out, and Shanice is like, "What?" And that's what we wanted. We wanted people to be rooting for us so fervently that that was devastating, but we want them to love us and love that relationship so much that even throughout the series, even throughout Logan's trials and tribulations of trying to figure out what this is, we want them to be rooting for us, even at the end, for them to be like, "I really hope..." And we've gotten it sometimes. I think that there are some audience members who are like, "Even though Logan's kind of a jerk, I really hope that they end up together," because I think that love was real. It was pure.
BJ (13:07):
It's definitely there. I'd say as an audience member, I'm rooting for both of you, but I just want both of them to be happy. You don't have to get back together. It's complicated.
Cory Jeacoma (13:19):
Thank you. It's complicated, to say the least.
BJ (13:25):
Now to a more lighthearted part of the 4400, this is a supernatural show. There are special powers. And unfortunately Logan, at least right now, doesn't have any abilities. But if you, Cory, were one of the 4400, what power would you want?
Cory Jeacoma (13:45):
Oh, I think I would want either super strength, just like in... But I mean basically Superman, but either that, or a lie detector basically. I can see through people's BS, and be like... So when you're like, "Cory, I think you're the best actor in the world." I'll be like, "Well, he's lying."
Mitu (14:09):
It's so funny you say that because this is a conversation BJ and I have had before of what superpowers we'd want. And BJ has said the same. I always go basic. I'm like, "I want to be able to fly," or whatever. And BJ's like, "I want to read minds."
Cory Jeacoma (14:22):
Right?
Mitu (14:23):
So you two are aligned.
BJ (14:24):
We want to know.
Cory Jeacoma (14:24):
Let's go, BJ.
BJ (14:25):
Yeah.
Mitu (14:26):
You're nosy.
Cory Jeacoma (14:27):
Yeah.
BJ (14:27):
We're curious.
Cory Jeacoma (14:28):
I think what it is, is BJ and I have some deep rooted trust issues.
BJ (14:33):
Wow. Okay. That one hit hard.
Cory Jeacoma (14:35):
I'm sorry. Got to call a spade a spade.
BJ (14:40):
That's a conversation for another podcast. Let's move on to Power Book II.
Cory Jeacoma (14:47):
Yeah. Just go.
BJ (14:48):
Tell us about playing Trace Weston.
Cory Jeacoma (14:51):
Oh man. That guy is so much fun to play. It's funny because with Logan, there's a lot of Cory in Logan. I think that he's an empathetic person. He's very family oriented. He's very loving. Whereas Trace is just the worst. Your typical douchey frat boy. And sorry, I don't know if I'm allowed to say that word. Sorry. But yeah, he's one of those, and he doesn't realize the repercussions of what he does and the way he speaks to people and speaks of people. And he's essentially the epitome of white privilege. And I mean, you meet him, season one of Ghost, and he punches a cop in the face. So it's fun being the complete polar opposite.
Cory Jeacoma (15:39):
And he's such a caricature, I think, that getting to literally just throw paint at the wall, and let the director be like, "That was too much." There was one episode in season two, that's going to be airing soon, where I had this idea of saying a character's name wildly wrong. Saying it almost where you're like, "That's not even a possibility of that being their name." And I asked the director, I was like, "Is this funny?" And he was like, "Try it. Why not?" And we tried it, and it had everyone in stitches. So I was like, "I get to just throw paint at the wall," and be like, "All right, you can't be too big with that kind of guy." So it's a lot of fun.
BJ (16:22):
Awesome. And we've seen from your resume that you've had a variety of roles. Prior to these television roles, you've had an extensive experience in musical theater, even majoring in musical theater at Pace University. Has acting, and singing, and performing always been a passion of yours?
Cory Jeacoma (16:40):
Oh yeah. I mean, that's how I got into this. I started, I did my fifth grade talent show, and I've been hooked ever since. I started doing community theater growing up, and doing musicals, and my first show was The Jungle Book. I was Baloo, the bear. The best performance I have ever given. And then when I went to school for it, I started realizing, "Oh, I can do this for a living." And then, I graduated, and I went on tour with Jersey Boys. And then I did it in New York for a year. And it's just, I love singing, it's therapy to me. And I love acting obviously. So then getting to act, and then having a vehicle for your acting, using song as a vessel to just enhance your performance, it's almost like cheating in a way.
Cory Jeacoma (17:36):
It's like you can act the scenes, but then you... It's a superpower, right? Where in the middle of a scene, you are so angry that the only thing you can do is burst into song. And it sounds silly, but when it happens right, and it's done well, it's magic. And also, obviously, the audience and having the tension in the room of you knowing what's going to happen, but them not knowing what's going to happen, and having people on the edge of their seats, and knowing instantly that it's connected with people. I think that's why so many people in TV and film, we love live tweeting for the episodes or the movie that we're in, because in a way, it's the audience. You get to see their instant reactions. You get to see, "Oh, this song was a hit. This song people, slept through." Get to sort of see it in live time.
Mitu (18:35):
Have you had an opportunity to collaborate or be creative musically, given that, especially powers, the power entities, are so entrenched, I think, in music culture, have you had an opportunity to explore that side of your creativity?
Cory Jeacoma (18:54):
Oh well, so during the pandemic, I really hunkered down into writing. And I have a million frigging songs that I want to put out there. And I put a couple on Spotify and Apple Music, check them out. But they were recorded on my laptop, and I did all the production myself, so they're not, the engineering of them, aren't what I want them to be. But I would love to get into a studio and collaborate with someone who actually knows what they're doing when it comes to producing and get some music out there. I collaborated with a dear friend of mine, who actually does know what he's doing. Ryan Luriea, he's a rapper in Stuart, Florida, and he produced one of my tracks. And then seeing him do it, I wanted to get my hands on it. So I learned all the programs and did it myself. But I definitely want to get into the studio with someone who can embellish my thoughts, and go, "Oh, well, try this, try that." And knows my sound and can help evolve that in a way. I would love that. I'd also love for one of my songs to end up on the show. That would be cool.
BJ (20:01):
Maybe Logan can sing.
Cory Jeacoma (20:03):
Hey, that could be cool. I feel like if Logan sang, it would be folk country.
Mitu (20:11):
That's true. That's more his vibe. And I guess, moving away from folk and country, you talked about touring with Jersey Boys. What was that like?
Cory Jeacoma (20:22):
I love that show so much. A year before I booked Jersey Boys, my mom came to New York and I took her to see some shows. I took her to see Book of Mormon. I took her to see Jersey Boys. And I remember sitting, we were in the back, and about 30 minutes into the show is when the character, Bob Gaudio, is introduced. And that's the role that I played. And I leaned over to my mom, and I nudged her, and I said, "Mom, I'm going to play that role one day." And about exactly a year later, I was on tour with Jersey Boys playing Bob Gaudio. And it's a dream. I mean, to get to put on these nice suits every night, slick your hair back, and play in the '50s and '60s, and have a Jersey accent, it was a dream come true. And that music is timeless. My Eyes Adored You, and Oh What A Night, and all of those hits. It doesn't get better than that.
Mitu (21:22):
That is so beautiful. And I think a through line has just been power of alignment for you. That is so cool that you could tell your mom, "I'm going to be there." And then you fulfilled that promise within a year?
Cory Jeacoma (21:37):
It's crazy. It really... I'm glad you used the word alignment, because I really do... It's felt like so much of my career has been aligned for me. There's that, but there's also the fact that my dad, when he was growing up, he would always tell us stories about how his brothers would tease him with this song, Sherry, by The Four Seasons. (singing)
Mitu (21:58):
Oh my gosh.
Cory Jeacoma (22:00):
And he said he used to cry because they they would sing it to him because this nagging, piercing sound. They would sing it to him to upset him. And when he came to see me in Jersey Boys, he texted me at intermission and he said, "I'm still crying at Sherry, but now for a different reason." And when I was in Beautiful, my parents would always sing You've Got A Friend, by Carole King or James Taylor. They would sing the James Taylor version. And then with Power Book II: Ghost, my bus driver in middle school, I'll never forget, Miss Hazleton. She was the best. And she would always play the RnB channel, which had Mary J. Blige every single day. And so I was listening to Mary J. Blige every day. And now I'm on a freaking TV show with her. And so it's just, everything has made sense, where it's like there's a part of my past that has come into my present and will lead me into the future.
Mitu (22:56):
That is amazing. And BJ and I are very big Mary J. Blige fans. We actually just watched her documentary on Prime. That was so good.
Cory Jeacoma (23:05):
As soon as I got to the table read at Ghost, I was excited to meet everyone. I was so nervous to meet Mary J. Blige, I still haven't met her yet. She came in and she is just a queen. She came in, I'll never forget, she was wearing thigh high orange boots and-
Mitu (23:25):
Her signature.
Cory Jeacoma (23:26):
Yeah. An orange shirt and this big orange hat. And I was like, "I can't possibly go up to her."
Mitu (23:34):
I need you to get the message to her that, if she ever decided to do a boot line, I would be front and center. And I think most people would. Not a single human being wears boots like Mary J. Blige.
Cory Jeacoma (23:48):
I'll tell you, when I finally work up the courage to introduce myself, I will let her know. I will let her know.
Mitu (23:55):
You're like, "I have some business advice for you."
Cory Jeacoma (23:57):
"Hey, Mary. Check out this."
Mitu (24:02):
And do you have a favorite musical or musical song? Because Carole King, also another legend with a songbook that is just unreal.
Cory Jeacoma (24:13):
Yeah. Oh, I mean, just hit, after hit, after hit. And not even just her songs. I mean, she was writing for everyone back... the Drifters. She had hits when she was 17 years old. Her and her husband, Gerry Goffin, who I played, they wrote these songs for... Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. They were hit makers. They were the modern day Ryan Tedder and Charlie Puth. They were just writing hits for everybody. And then eventually, Carole was like, "I want to cut these tracks myself." And she did. And that's the album that we know as Tapestry, and you can't beat that. But yeah, my favorite musical, honestly, Jersey Boys. That was it for me. That was one of the first shows that I saw that I was like, "I can do this. Oh man, whoa. Someone just has to give me the thumbs up and I'll be up there."
Cory Jeacoma (25:12):
It's dudes in suits and they're singing. They're not singing crazy, crazy high, unless you're playing Frankie Valli. The thing in musical theater is it's they want tenors, and I'm a baritone on a good day. My voice is not high. And so, seeing these guys singing music that isn't crazy difficult, I was like, "I could totally do this." So yeah, Jersey Boys. A dream of mine is actually to originate, or I'll just take being in it, a Frank Sinatra musical, I would love, because crooning is like my bread and butter. I love all of the standards and everything. And so I would love to do that. I think I would probably want to play Dino, Dean Martin, more than I'd want to play Frank because Dean Martin, he was a goofball. He would mess around and have fun on stage. And oh, I would love that. Or a James Taylor bio musical, I would love to play.
Mitu (26:15):
All icons. Quietly, I like Dean Martin's holiday music better than Frank Sinatra's. I know this is a hot take for the podcast.
Cory Jeacoma (26:22):
Uh, oh.
Mitu (26:23):
But I'm a holiday musics fan and I like what Dean Martin serves a little better.
Cory Jeacoma (26:28):
All right. All right. I like that.
BJ (26:29):
Well, one through line throughout your career seems to be, you have a good can-do attitude. And we're wondering if that attitude is going to extend to you doing some behind the camera roles. Have you considered directing, or writing, or producing, or any other roles behind the camera?
Cory Jeacoma (26:49):
I want to do it all, BJ. I want to do it all. I've always said, I just, I love this industry so much, so, so, so much, I just want to work. I just want to get my hands dirty. So yeah, I would love to direct. And it's funny because on Broadway, I always replaced in shows. In Jersey Boys, I replaced Bob Gaudio and played it for two years. In Beautiful, I replaced the Gerry Goffin role. So I came in when someone was leaving, and I watched it, and I could see what they're doing right, and I don't want to say wrong, but I could see what was missing. And I think that's a very directorial way of watching things. And it's the bane of my existence when watching TV, and movies, and stuff, because I watch something, and I'll be like, "I want to do that because it's missing this or it's missing that." And it's also the bane of my existence in watching myself on this frigging show, is every episode I watch, I'm like, "Why didn't you do this?" So yeah, I would love to direct, and produce. And yeah, just like I said, I want to get my hands dirty.
BJ (27:58):
I think that critical eye is definitely important. You need that attention to detail and you have the experience in front of the camera on stage. So you know what to look for and what will help actors bring out the best performance.
Cory Jeacoma (28:13):
Yeah, because at the end of the day, that's all that we're trying to do. Once you remove the ego from it, it's all about the piece itself. It's all about honoring the text, honoring the story, and I just love storytelling. It's so, so much fun. I mean, in a way that's what you guys do too. You're storytelling, you're storytelling in live time. And it's really cool.
BJ (28:38):
So there is a story we want go back to. We want to talk about 4400 again with some light spoilers. We have seen episode eight, which will have aired by the time this is playing for our listeners. And we learned more about your character Logan. We really dived into that 16 years of grief. We saw him get some closure with Shanice, and we had a lot of emotional scenes with Shanice and Hayden. How did you get in the head space for such a heavy episode? And what can we expect for the future of Logan now that he has that closure?
Cory Jeacoma (29:15):
Oh man. How much can we give away?
BJ (29:17):
You can tell us anything.
Mitu (29:18):
Don't worry about it.
Cory Jeacoma (29:22):
So, with the Hayden moments, there's that one beautiful moment that Taylor Townsend, who wrote the episode, Taylor wrote this beautiful scene where Logan's consoling Hayden as he's upset about Mildred doing the whole pushing Bill Greene out a window thing, and which he's rightfully upset. And Logan had just ended things with Shanice. And so there's those moments where he's consoling him and telling him, "Sometimes when you love someone, that's not enough to save them," and all of those things. And we've all been in love. We've all loved someone, something, and lost it. And you have to justify that for yourself. And in that moment with Hayden, so much of it is giving advice to Hayden, sure. But he's also giving advice to himself. He's consoling himself in a way, because the moment with Shanice is still so fresh, and he didn't really have time to think about it because he had to go and do the 4400 interview event.
Cory Jeacoma (30:27):
And so it's really the first moment he has to take a second, and breathe, and think about what just happened. And then on top of it he cares so deeply for Hayden, I think, because he sees so much of himself in Hayden. This caring, empathetic, thinking about everyone else except for himself kind of person. And the closest thing I have to a kid is my dog. But I'll tell you what, I would die for this dog. And so there is a part of that, the compassionate element that I get from that. And being a dog dad, it's the closest thing I've got. And with Shanice, that part is just, that was easy because, like I said, Brittany and I spent so much time trying to develop this love and making it authentic and believable.
Cory Jeacoma (31:18):
So then ending it, in a way, it felt like a death. It felt like we were putting this thing that we worked so hard on, not only in episode one, but then throughout the season. We wanted there to be some tension between them outside of the issues they're dealing with. There just has to be a natural tension. And so, in a way, it was this release of tension. So that one was actually easier than you'd expect because a lot of it was exhaustion because the two of them, and especially after the entire episode, after all of episode eight, where Logan is doing so much grappling, he's drowning and he's grasping at straws. He's got Bridget, his wife, asking him, "Hey, what's going on? Because you're a little off." And he's getting defensive with her.
Cory Jeacoma (32:08):
He's got Mariah who has almost gotten arrested because she's trying to meet her mom and everything, and he's trying to protect her, and he's not thinking about himself. And then he's got Shanice, who's returned and all this. And then he's got himself who he's putting last, when in reality, he should be putting himself first because he's going to drive himself mad. And so the moment where Shanice and him have that final, "We can't do this anymore," it is pure exhaustion where it's like, "I just need to make a decision. And I don't even know if it's the right decision, but it's a decision at that." And I think that, once again, in his decision, he puts everyone else first. In the monologue that I say to Shanice, I say, "I have to take care of my family, take care of Hayden." It's not saying, "I can't do this anymore." And he says, "We are good people," but he doesn't say, "I need out. I need to take care of myself." He says, "I need to take care of my family. I need to..." So once again, he's putting everyone else first, but he's putting it to rest in that sense.
BJ (33:22):
He needs to be a little more selfish.
Cory Jeacoma (33:24):
We all do, don't we?
BJ (33:25):
We do. And maybe he needs to go to therapy to get a little more help grieving.
Cory Jeacoma (33:30):
Yeah. Yeah. He needs to stay in therapy. There's one line in the grief therapy that he goes to where he says, "I've been away for a while because I thought I had it figured out. Guess not." And I love that line because I'm like, "What a..." But that's such a real sentiment of being like, "No I got it." And then something happens, and you're crying on the sidewalk, and you're like, "Wow, I got to get back into therapy."
Mitu (33:55):
Yes.
Cory Jeacoma (33:57):
For all the listeners, go to therapy.
BJ (34:00):
That's the takeaway. So Logan and the rest of the world also find out about the powers in this episode. And that's definitely going to complicate co-parenting Mariah. Without giving us any definitive answers, have you seen any accurate fan theories on social media? Do you think anyone knows where this plot is going? How these powers are going to be handled?
Cory Jeacoma (34:30):
There have been some theories that I was like, "Damn, they got it." I was like, "How did they get that? I didn't even see that coming." And they got it. But a lot of the theories are also hilarious. Oh my God. Some of them are so funny. But yeah, there are some theories that are pretty accurate or at least right there. You know what I mean? But I'm interested in how people are going to perceive, because as you said, once the world knows, then so much of the first seven episodes leading to this one has been them keeping it under wraps. "We can't let people know." People are already weirded out that these people have returned. Now if they knew they had a power, oh my God, what are you going to do? So once they know, the next five episodes are very... It's tough because the world is erupting with like, "They're freaks." And seeing how they handle it, and seeing how the government handles it, it's fascinating.
BJ (35:41):
Okay. We'll just wait and see what happens. You can also just tell us later.
Cory Jeacoma (35:46):
All right, dude.
Mitu (35:48):
I honestly don't want to know. I don't want spoilers. BJ can handle spoilers when he watches stuff, and he'll get all in Reddit, and read fan theories. For me, I like it at face value. Just tell me the story as you intended.
Cory Jeacoma (36:04):
It's funny. I usually hate spoilers, but I've grown to actually... If a spoiler happens, I'm not going to be like, "No." I'm going to be bummed, especially because I love those moments where you're like, "Whoa, I was not expecting that." But I've also realized how many times have you re-watched a series, or re-watched a movie knowing it, and you enjoy it more the second time? Because you know and you can see the nuances of these characters. If two characters end up together at the end of the movie that you weren't expecting, then throughout... And you didn't notice in the first watching, the second time you're viewing the movie, you can see the little things. You can see when they're at the bar that her hand lingers on his shoulder a little bit too long. And you can notice the little intricate details that these actors are putting into it. It's pretty cool.
Mitu (36:54):
That's a good point. I like spoilers for scary things too, because I want to know when the jump scares are happening.
Cory Jeacoma (36:59):
Oh God, jump scares will always get me. I don't scare easily, but jump scares will always get me.
Mitu (37:05):
Me too. So we always ask this question to the creatives who join us for these interviews, what advice do you have for anyone tuning in who wants to make it in the creative industry? I think it would be great coming from you, given the breadth of work you've gotten to do across so many different types of art.
Cory Jeacoma (37:29):
Thank you. My best advice is be kind, be a good person, because at the end of the day, if you want to do this and if you want to be in this industry and this field, you're talented. Everyone's talented. Literally everyone is talented. So then what's going to set you apart? Your work ethic, if you're kind and easy to work with, and if you're down for the work. Like I said before, I love this so much, I can't imagine doing anything else. And during the pandemic, I genuinely asked myself that. I was like, "All right, Cory, what can we do? Because this ain't it, because this industry is literally shut down. So what are we going to do?" I tried working for my dad at his body shop. He owns a body shop in Florida and they fixed cars.
Cory Jeacoma (38:20):
And so I try working there. And I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know my way around the car. And so I was like, "Well, that's not it." And obviously, I would find something to do, but I don't want to do anything else. And so you have to love this because this industry has so many nos, and people are going to put you down, and people are going to shoot you down and tell you, "You can't do this." But you have to be certain that this is what you're made for because it's a long... I mean, some people don't break into this industry until they're in their mid 40s, 50s even. And so you have to have a thick skin, and you have to be willing to do things that make you miserable, like working jobs that you don't want to work so that you can provide for yourself while you're also fulfilling your dream and pursuing your dream.
Cory Jeacoma (39:11):
And also, like I said, with being kind, this industry's hard enough, why wouldn't you want to lift other people up while you're doing it? And help other people, bring people's names into rooms, and recommend people because... And I hate that, quote unquote, using people has a negative connotation because I don't think it should. I think that if you're a good person to me, why wouldn't I want to help you? And so if I can help you out, sure. Use my pool and I'll use yours, because if one of us climbs, we're all climbing.
Mitu (39:47):
That's great advice. Wow. Thank you. And I think that that applies for anyone tuning in, regardless of industry. Be kind, be about the work, and make sure that you are supportive to others. And yourself, be kind to yourself.
Cory Jeacoma (40:04):
Big time.
Mitu (40:05):
So where can we find and support you and your work?
Cory Jeacoma (40:10):
You can find me every Monday at 9/8 Central on the CW in 4400. You can find me on Starz in Power Book II: Ghost. You can find me in a movie called Fan Girl that I'm not sure where it's airing. I think it's on Hulu, maybe. But you can find me in that, little baby Cory when I was younger. And you can find my music on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, all that good stuff. YouTube Music just under Cory Jeacoma, Cory without an E. C-O-R-Y, J-E-A-C-O-M-A. And you find me on socials. My nickname is Coco. So my socials are cocojeacoco. That's C-O-C-O, J-E-A-C-O-C-O. So yeah, that's all my good stuff. And my address is...
BJ (41:02):
For your fan mail, of course.
Cory Jeacoma (41:03):
Yeah, of course. I'll send my social in the next episode.
BJ (41:09):
Well, thank you again for joining us today, Cory. We'll definitely put all of your social media links in our description. We ask that our listeners check out 4400 and Power Book II. And to stay tuned for some of your music. We're sure there's going to be new music coming in the future, and you can always find more episodes of our podcast on thepilotpodcast.com.
Cory Jeacoma (41:30):
Thanks. Y'all.
Mitu (41:32):
Thank you so much.
BJ (41:32):
Thank you.