Interview: Jonathan Torrens on Trailer Park Boys
Alliance, Odeon Films Produce Countdown to Liquor Day
Sep 26, 2009
For a generation of Canadians, actor Jonathan Torrens is ubiquitous. As one of the hosts of the CBC's Street Cents in the late 1980's, he taught teenagers to be smarter with their hard-earned cash. With Jonovision in the 1990's, he was the host of a teen-focused talk show.
After Jonovision ended, he immediately joined the cast of former Street Cents cameraman Mike Clattenburg's new television show, a mockumentary called Trailer Park Boys. Seven years and two films later, Torrens continues to be an icon to small-town B-boys as aspiring rapper J-Roc.
Promoting the latest Trailer Park Boys film, Countdown to Liquor Day, Torrens talks about how he got on the show, his character, and the new film.
Jonathan Torrens: “Do you want me to do the interview in character or out? I’m good either way.”
S101: Let’s try out of character.
“Sure. Let me lose my brick of gold.” (Takes off his cap and necklace and throws it on the table). I thought, ‘What’s the most ostentatious accessory for someone who’s made it in the rap game?’ I didn’t think a brick of gold had been done yet for a necklace. It struck me as really funny and appropriate for J-Roc.
"Because that’s the first thing he’d do if he ever made it big: drop some money on a brick of gold.”
S101: I especially like the wood grain pattern.
(laughs) “I think that was because of the paint seeping through the wood grain. The art department and props people on the show put a lot of thought and detail into their work so I think this was a fun challenge for them. As was the jeans that say ‘J-Roc’ across them, which I’m not wearing today because my thighs have been chafed from the fake b-jewels.”
S101: Ouch.
“Yeah. That’s actually what the scratches on my hand are from (shows lacerated knuckles on his right hand). Because the pockets were lined with diamond-encrusted whatever and every time I’d go in my pocket for a pack of gum, I’d go (winces with pain).”
S101: How did you get onto Trailer Park Boys?
“Mike Clattenburg and I worked on Street Cents back in the late 1980’s. And Halifax has, per capita, the largest black population in Canada. We were both enamoured of the language and turns of phrase in the early hip-hop community.
“I remember hearing one time Clattenburg was working at Sobey’s, and there was a guy who worked with him named Arnold. And the manager came over and asked, ‘Arnold, could you wash the lettuce?’ and Arnold didn’t really say anything and the manager walked away.
“And Clattenburg said, ‘Aren’t you going to do it?’ and Arnold said, ‘He ain’t beatin’ me.’ Which meant, if it came down to a fistfight over the lettuce, the manager couldn’t make him physically do it.
“So, from the time when we worked on Street Cents, we both talked like J-Roc. There was one night in particular: we were out in Halifax and Clattenburg, myself and John-Paul – who plays Julian – were out having French fries after the bars closed and Clattenburg said, ‘Pass the ketchup, J-Roc.’ And that was it, years before the show.
“So when Clattenburg started doing Trailer Park Boys, he called me up and said, ‘Why don’t we put J-Roc on the show?’ At the time I had just finished Jonovision, and was looking for something to redefine, or rebrand, or at least age up, what I was doing. So it was perfect timing.”
S101: How much did you create the character of J-Roc?
“Well, it’s very much a collaboration with Clattenburg. As the years wore on, we were given more freedom from the network because they trusted us. There are, of course, scripts because the network needs to know what the arc of the stories are. But my three favourite words from Clattenburg are, ‘Try some s**t.’ We do a couple of takes per the script, and then just roll tape. Tape is cheap, and we don’t have the pressure of film to make sure every take is bang-on.
“If ever there was a show that could afford to look cheap, it’s this one. What we lacked in high-end lighting packages, we more than made up for in the freedom to do multiple takes. It’s often when the best stuff happens: you have your tentpoles of the script and the camera has some give to it.”
S101: I’ve heard John Dunsworth (who plays Lahey) doesn’t like to improvise, and you do. How does that work?
“Dunsworth’s work in this film is a tour de force. It’s the penultimate Lahey performance, and it’s a great one to go out on.
“I don’t know if you’ve talked with him at all, but he’s not much of a drinker. So, his point is, when people try to act drunk, they act drunk. But when you’re actually drunk, you try to act sober. And the way he does that . . . out of all of us, he’s the most trained and experienced actor. And sometimes, when I’m doing scenes with that dude, I just kind of check out and find myself watching him. As far as level of commitment goes, I wouldn’t have the courage to do saggy, tighty-whitey acting on the big screen with that gusto.”
(In Part #2 of this interview, Jonathan Torrens talks about which rappers inspired J-Roc's character and why it was a good time to say good-bye to the bad guys)
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