“Jackson Brundage delivers laughs in See Dad Run”
Exclusive Interview by Michael Aaron Gallagher of StayFamous.Net
Actor Jackson Brundage. Photo by Ross Ferguson.
“I feel much better avoiding this challenge and taking the easy way out,” says character Joe Hobbs to his father (played by Scott Baio) in a recent episode of the Nickelodeon show See Dad Run. As usual, actor Jackson Brundage delivers the line with perfect comedic timing and the live studio audience rewards him with laughter.
Although this is a new role for him, Jackson is no stranger to television. Around the age of three, he began appearing in TV commercials, something that opened up the door for him to land a role in an episode of the show Las Vegas, opposite Josh Duhamel. But it was his five seasons on the hit CW series One Tree Hill that most fans remember. His character Jamie Scott not only won his way into the hearts of viewers, but he also became close with many of the cast members as well.
“I really got to know them and they just became like part of my family. Me and Shantel [VanSanten] and Robert Buckley we would go out to the movies on weekends,” Jackson said. “We got really close.”
In 2012, One Tree Hill finally came to an end and Jackson returned to his home in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, where he was born and raised.
“I think everybody was kinda sad that it was ending, but we had a good run,” he said. “It was nine seasons, so it was a really good way to go off.”
Later that same year, Jackson auditioned for a starring role in the Nick at Nite show See Dad Run. After callbacks, work sessions and meetings with the producers, he landed the coveted part.
From left, Bailey Michelle Brown, Alanna Ubach, Scott Baio, Ryan Newman and Jackson Brundage star in “See Dad Run” on Nick at Nite.
“The show, it’s about a stay-at-home dad,” Jackson said. “He’s been on a TV show for 10 years, so he’s never really been at home. And he can’t really do the things that a normal dad could do. Like, one of the things he couldn’t do was he didn’t know how to work a blender because everybody would cook his food and do everything for him. So it’s just little things like that that are really funny.”
Unlike One Tree Hill, which was filmed on location in North Carolina, See Dad Run is shot in front of a live studio audience.
“It’s really different,” Jackson said. “We film in front of a live audience on Fridays. So it’s really fun to see all the audience. It’s kind of nerve-wracking, because there’s so many eyes looking at you.”
Although the studio audience is his favorite part, it can also be a challenge when you have to recite your lines quickly in front of everyone.
“Whenever I have lines where I have to talk really, really fast, it’s hard to memorize them, because they always get stumbled and those are really hard.”
Luckily for him, he’s not alone up on stage. Each week he is surrounded by a talented cast of actors that includes Scott Baio (Happy Days), Alanna Ubach (Legally Blonde), Ryan Newman (Zeke and Luther), Ramy Youssef and Bailey Michelle Brown (Paranormal Activity 3).
Jackson Brundage stars in “See Dad Run.”
“Well, my character Joe, he’s kind of nerdy and quirky,” Jackson said. “He gets nervous a lot. He’s very smart. He’s not good at sports at all. He’s not athletic.”
In real life, Jackson enjoys playing soccer, basketball and martial arts, and when he’s not filming he’s even had the opportunity to become friends with the cast of another Nickelodeon show, Marvin Marvin. But there’s no question, he’s having fun both in front of the camera and behind the scenes with his fellow cast mates from See Dad Run.
“Ramy, who plays Kevin, David’s assistant, we got together one day and we all went go-carting, which was really, really fun,” Jackson said. “And then Ryan Newman, from Zeke and Luther, she’s so cool… we see her every day and our moms have become really good friends… and we hang out with them all the time. Alanna, who plays my mom on the show, she’s just amazing. She’s funny, she’s smart, she’s pretty. She’s just really awesome and good to talk to. And Bailey, of course, who plays my little sister, she’s just so cute… we play around all the time. And Scott, he’s just really funny… On Friday’s he’s always so focused, but on rehearsal days he plays around and he’s really funny and he makes jokes and stuff.”
With his growing comedic talent and martial arts moves, Jackson said he hopes to someday star in a comedy-action movie.
“I would love to be in an action movie with Jackie Chan,” he said. “I love him.”
“Jackson Brundage delivers laughs in See Dad Run” (Exclusive Interview)
Copyright 2013 by Michael Aaron Gallagher
Photographs courtesy of Nickelodeon
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