Elkhorn Interview: Exploring the Flaws and Complexities of Roosevelt’s Character with Mason Beals

In this episode, I chatted to actor Mason Beal, who discusses his role as Theodore Roosevelt in the show Elkhorn and the challenges of portraying the character. He talks about the character’s origin story and his journey in the show. Mason also highlights the flaws and complexities of Roosevelt, including his abandonment of his daughter and his desire to be a cowboy. He discusses the dynamics between Roosevelt, Medora, and the Marquis de Mores, and how they represent different worlds and class systems. Mason also mentions the fight scenes in the show and the fun of playing the action hero. The conversation covers various topics related to the TV show ‘Elkhorn” on INSP network. We discuss the different characters, the dynamics between them, and the development of their relationships. We also talk about the age difference between the characters and the challenges of portraying historical figures. The conversation touches on the show’s sense of levity and the importance of having fun while watching it. Mason expresses his hopes for a second season and encourage viewers to enjoy the series.

Transcript

Mason Beals (00:01.381)
Hi, I’m Mason Beals. I’m with Chris Gordon on Hellblazer Biz.

Chris Gordon (00:44.069)
Everyone I have the honor and the privilege of the company of Mason Beals who plays Theodore Roosevelt in INSP’s Elkhorn which is currently airing at the moment so thank you for joining me I really appreciate your time Mason.

Yeah, scary stuff.

Mason Beals (04:16.325)
Oh, no worries, no worries.

Mason Beals (04:32.773)
Yeah, thanks so much for having me. Looking forward to it.

Well yeah, so we’ve got quite a few questions, we’ll try and plough through what we can this time we’ve got. Because I say I started watching Elkhorn, I found out about it because I was speaking to Ashton Solecki who’s Medora in the show. She was been on previously for a film that she was in Roswell Delirium and we got chatting and then she mentioned this show is coming out so I was like, oh that sounds interesting. And I’ve been sitting waiting for it to come. So it’s finally out. Unfortunately in the UK I’ve still got to connect via VPN.

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (04:58.277)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (05:04.421)
Oh, nice. Good, yeah, yeah. That’s how we like to watch all of our content, you know, is like sort of semi -legally through a VPN. That’s, that’s, that’s cool. You know, it’s like watching Oppenheimer on your phone.

or to get it onto YouTube on a Friday.

Chris (05:14.146)
Exactly, yeah.

Chris (05:18.274)
Yeah, so I’ll just say that for anyone who watches it is legal, it’s fine. Yeah, cheers and thanks for that. But I wanted to watch it basically, I wanted to try and get in touch and obviously when I realised I was reaching out to people I thought it would be fantastic to see it and I’ve not seen this weeks yet so, but the first three episodes have already aired, I think the fourth episode was out last night, yesterday.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course, of course, of course, of course, yeah. Not trying to throw you under the bus.

Yeah.

Mason Beals (05:43.141)
Mm -hmm. Yep.

and yeah I’ll be on YouTube today. So yeah first things out I mean you how’s it feel you you kind of play in Theodore Roosevelt he’s like you know one of the most the 26th president one of the most famous names going so how does it feel when you landed that role?

Right in the –

Yeah, I mean, it was really crazy because it was like, you know, the audition process was like, you know, I did like a self tape at first and like, you know, I’m a, I’m a goofy little comedy guy, mostly make like sketch comedy and stuff. And when I got that, I was like, I’m not really like a serious actor, like, I’m not like a dramatic, like serious kind of guy, definitely not presidential. And then was doing the audition. You know, I like kind of, you know, I, I decided to sort of put my own spin on it and like, do some research about it.

Uh huh.

Mason Beals (06:31.205)
And then it was, yeah, truly just like one thing led to another. And like casting was like, listen, we’re not talking to anybody else. Like you’re probably our guy. And I was like, okay, wow, this is like really happening. And then when it was kind of like final and official, it was definitely like, yeah, it just felt like I was about to go on this like big adventure and it did feel very parallel to like the adventure he’s going on. You know what I mean? Cause it’s like, we’re shooting like a Western, you know, and like, and that’s, it’s definitely.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, I don’t know. I just kind of felt like I was also going on this adventure with him kind of in this first season. And definitely, yeah, definitely felt, it was very cool to like, do have a different perspective on like Teddy Roosevelt, not like the guy who’s like already been through everything that he has been through. But instead it’s like, this is kind of his origin story a little bit. Like if he’s a superhero, you know what I mean? And.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (07:19.714)
Mm -hmm.

Yeah.

So yeah, it’s just fun to bring a different kind of depth and a different sort of perspective to the character. So it was definitely, yeah, super exciting and just a lot to play around with.

Yeah, I can imagine, I can imagine. Because like you say, this is kind of an origin story because he’s what, 24? He was 24 I think when he moved into the Badlands. 24, yeah, right. So, you know, very young and I think he was already well known. I mean, I spoke to Jeff Desse and he goes, Roosevelt was quite well known and respected from New York from that, well, in New York he was respected I’ll say. When he came out to the Badlands, I think that respect was a little bit lower. He was like, city slickers, city slickers.

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (07:46.309)
He’s 25 in this first season, yeah.

Mason Beals (08:00.037)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (08:05.029)
Yeah. Oh, totally. Yeah. Oh yeah. I mean, he was definitely like a little rich boy coming from New York who had like a good, uh, political career going and stuff. I, I, you know, I dunno, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not shitting on Teddy Roosevelt at all, but I definitely say that he is sort of an OG Nepo baby a little bit because he definitely like comes from like a very wealthy family. Um,

Heheheheh

Chris (08:28.13)
Mm -hmm.

But like at the same time too, like he didn’t let that sort of, he didn’t rest on his laurels. Like he did like go out there and like really make a name for himself and like in the political scene in New York, you know? But no, definitely coming out to the Badlands, everybody’s like, oh, you’re that Roosevelt fella. And I’m like, yeah, I am.

Yeah.

Chris (08:45.538)
Yeah, so it’s good to hear that and I say it’s like you say you’re going on a journey yourself because he’s kind of gone from a journey because he wanted to be an adventurer, a hunter and all of this stuff and I’ve got to say he’s obviously like he’s weedy like you’ve just explained he’s like you know he looks quite weedy but he’s not he packs a hell of a punch you know that’s what threw me in the show you’re just watching him and he’s standing up to these really really you know big cowboys and he knocks and

Yeah.

Mason Beals (09:07.685)
Oh yeah.

Mason Beals (09:13.285)
Mm -hmm.

And it’s hilarious to watch to be fair. It’s just like, well, go, Teddy.

I know, I know. That would be the funny thing about like, again, in the early stages of production and like casting and stuff like that, that they were like, you know, I was talking with like the original show runner at one point who was like, he had like written the pilot and several of the other episodes and he was kind of just like, you know, we’ll have to make sure he’s not for lack of better terms of pipsqueak.

And I was like, yeah, I get that I could easily just be in pipsqueak territory more often than not. So it definitely was like, it was like tough to kind of like, you know, be this like weird little guy in the West, you know, because he is a weird little guy. I describe him as a weird… Yeah, yeah, it’s like in this like previous episode, in episode three, you know, it shows like when he first meets Alice and she’s like, oh, you’re the boy with mice in his pockets. Because he was always just having like…

Okay.

Chris (10:00.034)
Mm -hmm. Yep.

Mason Beals (10:13.445)
creatures and frogs and everything like that with him. And so he’s a little weirdo, you know, and, but at the same time too, he just, yeah, I mean, he loves to, he loves to fight and he loves to box and he doesn’t really take no for an answer, you know, it’s so he’s a weird, he’s a weird dichotomy, you know.

Yeah.

Chris (10:33.026)
Yeah, yeah, I’d say so. But I guess it’s… And I say your portrayal of him is brilliant because he does come across very much so like that and you just very… I’d say unassuming but I’d say unassuming in some ways but also there’s that air of self -importance around him of very much so of, you know, like you say, I come from wealth.

Yeah, yeah.

Mason Beals (10:55.525)
Oh yeah.

Chris (10:59.138)
which in those days, well sadly it’s still today, isn’t it pretty much, you still got that big divide of the people coming in, because I come from wealth, so you can just, you know, do what I say.

Yeah, right, right. No, totally. I think that’s what I liked a lot about like this portrayal of him was that like he’s not just a over the plate like hero. Like I think he’s got a lot of like he’s coming into the show with like a really heavy trauma and like he’s dealing with it in the only way that he kind of knows how. And so that was what I liked about it. I was like, oh, he, we’re not trying to paint him as this perfect person because

Mm -hmm.

Chris (11:25.346)
Yep.

Mason Beals (11:34.341)
Because how boring would that be, you know? Like if he was just like flawless and every choice he made was like the smart, decisive, good choice. But instead it’s like yeah, he constantly messes up, you know?

Mm -hmm.

Chris (11:46.466)
Oh yeah definitely and one of those choices we see as well is because obviously we know the trauma that has come because he’s lost he’s had those two losses very big losses to him and but he’s also left his daughter as well as his daughter isn’t it yeah his daughter just having to remember you know he’s just abandoned her so he’s kind of he just literally has you know like I say for all his pompousness and his self -importance he’s just the way he’s dealt with the grief and the loss is just to run away and that’s how it’s run away as far as he can and just

Yeah.

Mason Beals (11:58.821)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mason Beals (12:12.389)
Yeah.

Chris (12:16.258)
be trying to be the complete opposite to who he is.

I know, I know. And it’s like, he’ll try to like, you know, in the first episode, he tries to like, kind of excuse it a little bit of being like, oh, my sister will take care of her a lot better than I could. It’s like, maybe there’s some truth to that where it’s like, yeah, like you wouldn’t maybe be in the best mental state and, and who knows of like the standards of living at the time, whatever. But like, regardless, he totally abandoned his daughter. Like there is no, there’s no getting around that. And to me, I’m like, that’s part of like the big,

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (12:48.485)
one of the biggest flaws in him in this show. And again, it’s like one of the things is I as an actor really like, cause it’s like, yeah, you have to kind of performance wise, it’s like you have to excuse it a little bit. Like you have to like find motivation as to why he thinks this is the right decision, because everybody thinks they’re doing the right decision, right? Like all the time, everybody thinks they’re doing the right thing. And even when somebody’s doing something bad, it’s like, they think they’re doing the right thing, you know? And so, yeah, I think the show is like,

Mm -hmm.

Chris (13:02.818)
Mm -hmm.

Chris (13:15.618)
Mm -hmm.

interesting for that. That it’s like nobody is out here trying to paint him like he’s altruistic, you know? It’s like he’s got a good sense of justice, no doubt about it. Like I think he does have a good sense of justice, but like yeah, he’s got a lot of hurt and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.

Yeah, I mean, you know, exactly. And they’re running away because you couldn’t in those days as well. It’s not as if they’ve got planes and stuff where it’s quite quick. Like if you want to go see his daughter, no, he’s gone as far away as he can. It’s like, you know, right across the country. And it’s like, yeah, it makes you does make you wonder. And how did you prepare and research? We kind of touched a bit on it. How did you research for the role? Any pivotal moments which were crucial in the script, maybe crucial for your understanding of the character of Teddy? I’ll call him Teddy.

Oh, uh… Totally, yeah.

Mason Beals (14:01.797)
Yeah, I… Yeah, early on, you know, it’s funny though too. I’ll say it’s like because everybody like in interviews and stuff like that will and just like in conversation people call him Teddy. And the funny thing is that like nobody called him Teddy at this point. Like everybody called him Theodore. Yeah, yeah. And so it’s this kind of funny thing like even now when I call him Teddy, it does feel like almost sacrilegious where I’m like, yeah, I’m like, oh, I don’t feel like I’m supposed to be calling him that. But anyway, yeah, as far as preparation goes,

Yeah, it’s all say it all, yeah.

Chris (14:24.834)
You

Yeah.

Mason Beals (14:31.845)
I primarily focused on some of the text that he wrote during this time. You know, I tried not to look too far forward with research because it’s kind of like, because it’s not currently relevant to this series and this show. And so, yeah, like for the audition, I basically just looked up speeches from Teddy Roosevelt and like he only had a few that were like recorded.

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (14:57.413)
And so I was kind of listening to sort of his affectation and it was this thing that I was like, oh, it is almost a little sort of like mid Atlantic and it’s kind of like, you know, very New Yorkie. Um, but then, you know, one part that I had that was kind of sort of my like cornerstone sort of like motivation throughout the rest of it was, um, he was writing about being out in the Dakota territory, you know, during this time. And he had this quote that I’ll paraphrase a little bit that was like, um,

Mm -hmm.

Chris (15:08.322)
Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (15:26.789)
You know, there were bears, there were rattlesnakes, there were bandits, there were all these things. And he was like scared basically to be out there. And he basically said like, by pretending to not be afraid, I gradually became not afraid, you know? And for me, that felt like really like a good sort of motivation that it’s like he is kind of faking it till he can make it.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (15:53.922)
Mm -hmm.

out here, you know, it’s like he’s constantly being like, I’m one of the boys, you know, and it’s like, and all the boys are kind of like, I don’t know, four eyes. And so I think that’s kind of like one of the things that I kind of take with it. Um, and again, like I also just think, you know, just, just reading about how big of a nerd he is, I really do try to play it like 50 % tough guy, 50 % nerd, you know, like that to me is Teddy Roosevelt and.

Yeah.

Chris (16:04.226)
You

Mason Beals (16:24.901)
Yeah, so that’s kind of the idea. And then from there, it’s kind of a matter of like, you know, making sure, like reading the scripts and like seeing what the text is and then figuring out what the subtext is. And yeah, and just kind of going from there, you know? And I definitely think like, you know, the people around him help shape who he is as well. You know, it’s like, he’ll do something and it’ll cut to another character being like, ugh, I don’t know. You know, like…

Yeah.

Mason Beals (16:53.285)
He’s definitely, like I said, he’s definitely a little weird guy.

You’re right.

Chris (16:58.562)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. And one of the characters that, as I said, I’ve only watched three episodes, so I know the fourth episode brings him back into it as well, is the Frenchman, the Marquis de Marais. And that relationship between, I mean, yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah. And it was great, I say speaking to Jeff, I kind of got the way he’s come from that character and looking into it. And the rivalry between the two of them already, it’s, you can see it.

Mm -hmm. Yeah, yeah. Another weirdo. Yeah.

Chris (17:27.106)
straight away as far as let’s say with Roosevelt coming from New York he’s got that richness and like Jeff said the Moc he’s kind of got a respect for him because he’s also from wealth and he gives him a bit more of a respect to say that you know you’ve got that wealthy background you’re kind of equal to me but he still wants to show Roosevelt that he rules the area and it’s his domain.

Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Mason Beals (17:50.341)
Right. I think, you know, it’s like the marquee and Medora both represent so much of like what Teddy is very much against at this time in his life, you know, it’s like, you know, he just got done being a politician in New York where he was avidly taking down corruption, you know, in the sort of like New York political system. And he comes out to the North Dakota or just to the Dakota territories and

Mm -hmm.

Chris (18:15.458)
Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (18:19.205)
realizes it’s being led by two people who are nothing but corruption. And yet they are both being like, we’re the same, aren’t we? Huh? You know, and he was trying to be like, no, I’m not like you guys. Like he’s like, I want to be like a man of the people, you know, that’s everything he’s trying to say. Whereas like these two other ones, like take absolute pride in being just like elitist and, and above all. And, and yeah, yeah. Just like, again, they’re, they’re just sort of the antithesis of, of like what he’s kind of standing for during this time.

You

Chris (18:34.818)
Mm -hmm.

Chris (18:43.426)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (18:49.125)
And I think, and always as well, you know, like I said, he always had a good sense of justice. Um, and so it’s a lot of fun to kind of like be in scenes with the both of them because it’s like, you know, Medora is from New York as well. So it really is. She is kind of like his past. And then like Lamar Key is sort of also a fish out of water and doesn’t believe in any sort of justice, just only just his way. And it’s, and he’s not even the rich one. That’s the other thing too, is like, you know, Medora is the money.

Mm -hmm.

Yeah.

Mason Beals (19:19.045)
Yeah, Medora’s the money man. So it is kind of like, okay, what do you even do Marquee? Like you just make weird green soup. You know.

She’s the rich one, isn’t it?

Chris (19:24.898)
Yeah, yeah, I think with that one as well, it’s obviously Marquis from the French and still kind of bit colonialist back then. He’s probably got that mentality and because I know he moved on to Indochina after that, you know, and that’s good. Huge colonization over there as well. It started the Vietnam War really, wasn’t it? But never mind. That’s another story completely. But yeah, you can see where those two personalities clash.

Yeah.

Oh, okay, yeah, yeah.

Mason Beals (19:44.677)
Mm -mm.

Yeah, right.

Chris (19:54.274)
the chemistry that you three of you do have because you know there’s yeah I’ve spoken I know Ash and I spoke to people and obviously Jeff and you Guy and yourself now Mason it’s all three of you you feed off each other in that in the scene in the Frenchman for example in that table scene it’s just brilliant because it’s there’s not just what you say in the script it’s you as actors as well it’s the mannerisms that you’ve you’ve you’ve put into your own character and bringing those characters out and the little looks little sharp looks the little

Mm -hmm.

suspected, you know, the sus looks that maybe Roosevelt will throw, of like, I know what you’re trying to get to me, I know what you’re trying to get to me, and the nuances.

Right.

Mason Beals (20:28.773)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, totally. Again, they’re like so… Like there’s two worlds kind of happening in this show. There is sort of like the Marquis and Medora’s world and then there’s the cowboy world. And again, that’s the split of like where Teddy Roosevelt is at, you know? It’s like he’s that sort of posh kind of world and he really wants to be a cowboy, you know? And that whole dinner scene is like, it’s so funny because it’s just so…

Mm -hmm.

Chris (20:54.21)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (20:59.013)
passive aggressive the entire time. It’s like everything about it is just so like coy and like until it blows up, of course. But it’s like passive aggressive and weird and like little digs and little backstabbing things. And then you get to the cowboy world. If you watch episode three, they just deal with everything on the surface. It’s like, hey, I think you’re stupid. Let’s fight, you know? And it’s like, what’s really the better way to deal with things? Who knows? I’m sure it’s a middle ground, you know, but.

Thank you.

Chris (21:06.722)
Yeah.

Chris (21:22.818)
Yep.

Mason Beals (21:28.229)
Uh, yeah, that’s kind of the fun thing of like the split in these two worlds, you know.

Mm -hmm. Yeah, yeah, definitely. It’s definitely this huge split between the class, the class system between the two. And episode three as well, the fight you got into as well for the guy who was rustling. I can’t remember the character’s name. That’s it, Tex, wasn’t it? Yeah. And that, again, that showed Roosevelt’s just like determination because he was hammered. He was at it. But nope, he was still getting up. He’s like, no, the pride, you can see the pride in him. I am not going to let this happen.

Tex. Yeah. Yeah.

Mason Beals (22:00.101)
Mm -hmm. I know, I know. That was fun. Like both those fights, the actor’s name is Mark and he does, I think he does like a stunt show in like Vegas. And yeah, and so he’s really great. He was really great to work with on that stuff. Obviously we had like fight coordinators as well. And yeah, those were both like just two, like all the fighting in the show was like, it was definitely something very new to me. Like I’d only done like,

Right. OK.

Chris (22:17.378)
Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (22:29.19)
little bit of stuff here and there action -wise like some other smaller projects. But definitely it’s like just, yeah, it was so much fun to do fights and then to like watch playback and be like, that looks pretty good. You know, it’s like, it really looks like we just hit each other, you know? So it’s like always fun. It’s like you get to play the action hero side of things.

Yeah.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (22:49.762)
fantastic that’s really cool and obviously I know Roosevelt’s got his friends as well he’s got you’ve got Bill Sewell and his nephew isn’t it Willie Wilmot Dow I think it is looking at my screen there yeah

and

Yeah, Wilmot Dow. Yeah, I know, I know. It’s also like the strangest name too. It’s like Wilmot Dow. It’s like, I’ve never heard either one of those names before.

It is in here.

I’ve not heard of actually no Wilmot I have because there’s someone in the UK who’s a comedian called Wilmot Brown. No, no, it wasn’t Wilmot Brown that was a character in a soap opera. There was another but they had Wilmot’s, maybe it’s just sort of an oldie -worldie type name. So you’ve got what is it Elijah isn’t it? Eli Maha and Garrett who play those characters and you’ve got that’s why I love the shows when a show you see a show and you can see because you guys obviously have such a great rapport with with

Mason Beals (23:16.805)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (23:23.077)
Yeah, yeah, totally.

Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Chris (23:38.593)
with each other as a whole cast and that just exudes on screen because those scenes are quite funny because they’re the two like you know the ranchers that they’ve been there or they’re the woodsmen should I say but they’re woodsmen but they’re not cowboys and even they get you know they’ve got more outdoors knowledge than Roosevelt for example in that area but even they’re getting ribbed by the true cowboys feel like not being able to ride horses properly and stuff.

Yeah.

Mason Beals (23:56.069)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (24:00.485)
Oh, of course. Yeah, and again, it’s like if those cowboys were to go to like Maine and like try to be, you know, woodsmen, like they would get, you know, they would, they’d get made fun of, they’d get teased. And no, it’s definitely like those two are such a fun dynamic, both Sewell and Dow. That’s kind of the shorthands for the two of them.

Yep.

Chris (24:19.842)
Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (24:26.501)
Yeah, they’re a lot of fun because in this new episode, the episode that just aired last night, we get to see sort of a story arc start with Dau. That’s a lot of fun. Not to spoil anything, but him and Rosie start to connect a little bit. Yeah, yeah. And so that’s a lot of fun. And then, yeah, it’s this fun sort of dynamic because Sule is so…

Yeah.

Chris (24:40.706)
Mm -hmm.

Chris (24:45.858)
Okay.

Mason Beals (24:54.533)
fatherly to Theodore. He’s almost like less, like I almost seem like less fatherly and almost more like sometimes he kind of feels like a babysitter in a way. And there’s nothing wrong with like a babysitter or even someone needing a babysitter. But it’s like the, the energy behind it is like, I’m not going to tell you directly what you need and what you should do, but I will infer it all the time. And so that where it’s like Dow and

Dow and Sewell definitely kind of have, you know, it’s, you know, uncle and nephew, but it’s like, there’s definitely like a father son kind of thing going on there. And then it is funny cause like, yeah, Dow, like even though he’s like a foot taller than me, I like, he does feel like a little brother character a little bit. It’s like their thing where he’s like all happy and excited to be there, you know? Like his energy is like almost kind of matches mine sometimes. So it’s, yeah, yeah. It’s like, again, I really do love the cast, you know? And then of course you have Mayor Field who is like,

Hehehehehe

Yeah.

Mason Beals (25:53.477)
the actual sort of like, you know, he’s kind of the staple sort of Madoran who, yeah, really is kind of like the voice of reason in a lot of respects, you know, and also really cares also about Theodore too. So it’s, yeah, it’s a great cast.

Yeah, okay.

Chris (26:10.626)
Yeah. Yeah.

I’ll lose my stash as well, Matt’s mustache for that one. That’s cracking.

Oh man, what a mustache man, that thing. Have you gone to Matt’s social media at all?

Yeah, I’ve seen him. He’s the rock star side of things. It’s like, whoa. He is. He’s like, wow. Proper full on makeup. I was quite shocked. Really heavy rock. It’s hard. Yeah. Because he’s…

He’s a rockstar, baby! Yeah!

Mason Beals (26:28.325)
I know.

Mason Beals (26:33.189)
Dude, I know. It was so funny. Yeah, like kind of when he got cast, it was definitely like, one, you’re just like, okay, cool, awesome. You have like the perfect voice for this. Like he’s just got that like deep cowboy voice and he’s got the mustache. And then, yeah, then you go to his Instagram and it’s like, and you’re a rock star? What the hell? You know, he’s an incredible whistler too, man. Like he’ll just be like walking around set whistling and you’re just like, I don’t know anybody who can whistle that well.

Mm -hmm.

Yeah.

Chris (26:53.826)
Yeah.

Chris (27:00.834)
Okay.

It’s just so impressive.

I’ll have to go he’s coming he’s coming on next week. I’m chatting to him next week actually so I’m getting to whistle now

Oh, great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally. Yeah. Like get him, get him say, say, say Mason told you to whistle and see what his reaction is.

Oh well yeah but again that’s just that chemistry that you’ve got you know Roosevelt’s got his little posse with him you’ve got the marquee he’s got his little little posse around with him as well and that I swear I say there’s only first few episodes so far as 10 in the series this season isn’t there at least so they really can’t wait to see that kind of character development there. Are there any specific choices perhaps that your character of Roosevelt made or makes that you personally disagree with?

Mason Beals (27:24.677)
Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (27:42.981)
Yeah, great question. I mean, definitely, you know, like abandoning his daughter is like a big no -no. That’s definitely one. I think like, you know, as far as like decisions go, there’s some stuff that starts happening in episode eight in particular that he kind of…

Hehehe.

Mason Beals (28:08.453)
again, not to like give anything away or spoil anything, but like he makes some sort of like decisions with his, um, his crew, you know, his kind of his posse a little bit, like the way he kind of starts to treat them a little bit is a little bit like, Oh, we start to see sort of the, like the hubris of Teddy come to fruition a little bit more. Um, and he just starts to kind of be. Yeah. His decisions, his pride clouds his judgment ultimately. And it’s like, it’s definitely not.

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (28:38.405)
something that I agree with. I can understand and relate as a human being, but definitely he starts to make some decisions that you’re like, okay, man, you need to listen to the people who have been supporting you this entire time, people who have just only had your back.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (28:52.418)
Yeah.

Right, okay, so I’ll watch out for that then. Yeah, about four weeks away for that one now. But yeah, no, that’s interesting to hear, so I’ll keep my mind on it while I’m watching the show actually, because it’s… But you’re right, those kind of traditions, it does get to me sometimes when you have people who’ve supported you all that way, and then they just start thinking a bit more of themselves and a bit more in themselves and up their own ass. As they say in it.

Yeah, yeah, wait for episode 8. That’s, yeah, four weeks away or something. Who knows?

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (29:18.213)
Yeah, yeah.

Mason Beals (29:22.437)
Totally. I know, I know. It’s like, it’s just this funny thing that it’s like, you know, there’s a lot of inferring because that’s the other thing. It’s like at the end of the day, Teddy Roosevelt is still the money man. It’s like, he’s still the person funding this whole endeavor. And there is such a class system that’s going on. That’s like, we don’t really address it in the show very much of like, you know, it’s, it’s, it is more inferred than anything else, but it’s like, at the end of the day, they’re still sort of like, what?

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (29:52.261)
do it or wants, do it or gets, you know. And it’s like, well, maybe we should not always listen to him and really tell him what to do. But again, there’s no telling him what to do. So it’s like such a catch 22 that it’s like, I wanted to tell him the right thing to do, but he’s just not going to listen. So plus he’s the boss and he’s 25. It’s like, yeah, it’s, I just think it’s funny. I’m just the, and again, I also just think the height difference is so funny. I’m like significantly shorter than like so many of the other people in the posse, you know.

Uh huh.

And it’s just… but I’m like standing like this and I’m just always kind of like… and I love wide shots where it’s like all of us are standing together like in episode 3 when like you know, Tex is walking away. I’m standing amongst them and it’s like this, you know, as far as like the height levels go and I’m like, yep, that’s the guy who’s in charge. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Chris (30:36.418)
Hahaha!

Chris (30:41.73)
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it did look funny to be fair as well. And you say as well with them. Yeah. Sorry, my cat’s now climbing the window out the bank. I just seen the other one. Since climbing the window with with Bill Sewell as well. Eli’s characters that you said is more like a babysitter father figure, because when I was looking at that, he’s in real life. Bill was only what, 12 years older than Roosevelt anyway. That’s something really well, 12 or 15 years old. She wasn’t exactly but.

Hahaha!

Mason Beals (31:06.181)
Yeah, yeah.

The age again, I think back those days, especially that kind of an age gap was still, it was a lifetime pretty much, you know, so it’d be classed as hard.

Absolutely. I mean even the fact that like Teddy Roosevelt like had like a promising political career at 25 is Says a lot, you know that like he was like famous for being a politician at 25 You’re like, okay, does I mean you got into politics when you were 20 like it’s just Yeah, exactly. Like the age difference. It’s that thing where it’s like Yeah, it’s just such a it’s a weird perspective thing cuz I even watch the show and I’m kind of like is we’re all just children like I

haha

Mason Beals (31:43.909)
Like watching me and Medora in scenes together, I’m like, that’s two kids talking, you know? Because like now, I mean, like the ages are accurate, right? Like I am 26. We were 25 when we started, I was 25 when we started filming. Um, and he was 25 in the show. So it’s like, it is accurate, but I do look at it sometimes and I’m like, just what a kid, what a child, you know? It’s like, it’s like just a kid with a mustache.

Hahaha

Chris (31:49.634)
A

Chris (32:01.282)
Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (32:13.413)
You know?

What do you think of the way they are?

Mason Beals (32:19.685)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (32:24.773)
Definitely.

Mason Beals (32:32.773)
Yeah!

Mason Beals (32:36.805)
Definitely and it’s again. It’s like he also just you know during this time He just had he had the one love he had Alice and it’s like it’s funny because I remember when we were shooting a lot of people were like are you are are like Teddy and Medora gonna wrap a thing and it was like nope not at all like not not how that works at all, but Yeah, so it’s like you can see how awkward he was with Alice, and I definitely think that like

Mm -hmm.

Again, so many of the decisions he makes, they do just feel like the decisions of a young man that are like just bullheaded and just trying to prove something. Like he is, he is confident, but is he trying to prove something? Absolutely. Like he’s, he’s just trying to prove something every episode, whether it’s to himself or to other people, you know, um, but regardless, but again, that also gives like such a.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (33:23.586)
Mm -hmm.

Yeah.

for an actor, like that is, that’s a lot of fun to play with, you know?

Oh yeah, definitely, definitely. It gives you more scope, it gives you everything to sort of manipulate and manoeuvre around it and it’s great. And I say, you must be a very young politician, that’s like you say at 25. But then again, you wonder, because looking at it now, and you get the politicians, well out in the States especially, the politicians in that senior position, they’re all in their 70s and 80s, and it’s the other end of the spectrum. Yeah.

Mm -hmm. Yeah, yeah.

Mason Beals (33:45.189)
now.

Mason Beals (33:53.893)
I know, right? Yeah, we should go back, right? Totally. I know. It’s like stop having these thousand year old politicians in office that like, totally. Yeah.

Yeah, running for president when you’re in your 80s, it’s like why? Sorry that’s my personal view, before anyone says that, before I suddenly get everyone crying.

I know.

Hey, you’re here. Trust me, you’re in like, a green with pretty much everybody in the States as well. It’s like, yeah, I don’t know anybody who’s like, yeah, no, everybody should be as old as possible in office, you know?

Yeah, from outside looking in it, it does make you wonder. Other things as well, but I won’t get into that side of it. But yeah, from the age side, I’ll just keep it to the age side.

Mason Beals (34:26.916)
Ugh, I can’t imagine, man.

Yeah, yeah. That’s like such the funny thing of being in America and also being in America in 2024 and like understanding that like, yeah, we have like podcasts and shows and everything that take place all around the world and hearing everybody’s like opinions on our political stuff. It’s like, hey, you know, a lot of us agree with you guys too. You know, it’s like, it’s not the best system, but we don’t have to get into that. You know, we’re just going to talk about the 26th president.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (34:50.21)
You

Chris (34:56.226)
Yeah, exactly, exactly. And to be fair, guys, we in the UK can’t talk politics anyway, because… Oz is a dire, it’s crazy. Anyway, around, away from the politics side. Yeah, pivot across, because that’ll be me on my soapbox for the whole night. So kind of, I’m just, yeah, I talk to you all night, by the way, all day, it may seem, I’m just looking at this and I’m realizing it’s coming up. So now you’ve portrayed…

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (35:01.573)
Oh yeah yeah yeah. I know, I know.

Yeah, yeah, right. Let’s pivot, let’s pivot, yeah.

Mason Beals (35:13.221)
Mm -hmm, yeah, right, right.

Chris (35:24.962)
I won’t call him Teddy, now he’s portrayed Theodore in this show and in his season. Is there anything you’ll take away or learn from the journey and how would you hope audiences perceive or react to him? Because like you say, he’s a very early character, it’s not the one everybody knows.

Yeah, there you go.

Mason Beals (35:38.693)
Mm -hmm. Yeah, I think the thing that I would want people to take away is that he is, you know, again, that this is his origin story, that like he is learning a lot about, although he is like a good leader at this time, he’s becoming a better leader. And he is also…

Mm -hmm.

A human being, you know, there’s something that I appreciate about the show that is its sense of levity a little bit. Like, you know, I think that was definitely kind of a feeling on set that we were all kind of like, I think, you know, there was a lot of like kind of growing pains as far as like production goes, because it’s like a lot of us didn’t quite know what this was, because it’s the first season and it’s like, you don’t know what it is until you see it on camera and all this, that and the other thing. But I think ultimately we had a lot of fun.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (36:33.89)
Yeah.

doing this and I watch the show back and I see the moments that are fun and I’m like, I’m so glad we have those because if everything was so dire and dramatic, I think this show would be a little bit more boring and the levity just brings so much more character to it. So I think like there’s a part of me that’s like, yeah, there’s some high stakes stuff, but I want people to also take away that like, the show is supposed to be fun, you know, at the end of the day.

Mm -hmm.

Chris (36:55.842)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (37:05.541)
And Teddy Roosevelt is growing and learning and you’re kind of supposed to kind of like go on that journey with him, you know, and have fun while you’re doing it.

That’s really interesting to hear. It’s fantastic. It’s nice to see that early stage of him, as I say, because everyone knows him as the president and when he was that kind of, you know. See, the only thing I’ve got in my mind is in horseback, but that’s because I know from Robin Williams from Night at the Museum. That’s right. That’s right. That’s very stiff.

Yeah, yeah, totally.

Mason Beals (37:33.925)
Yeah.

Mason Beals (37:38.309)
Totally, yeah, no, I know. It was funny. I don’t remember who pointed that. Like I grew up, like Robin Williams was like my hero growing up. It’s like I watched all of Mark and Mindy. I’ve seen every Robin Williams movies. He’s just like my hero. And then I like got cast and somebody was like, oh yeah, you and Robin Williams. And I was like, yeah, me and Robin Williams. I totally had forgotten. So that definitely feel honored to be amongst that category.

Nanu nanu!

Chris (38:00.098)
Hahaha

Chris (38:07.81)
Robin Williams was just absolutely astounding. Brilliant actor. Very good serious actor as well to be fair. Watching him in Dead Poets Society has me in tears every single time. You know, Captain My Captain is just goosebumps there just saying the words and just…

I know.

Totally.

Mason Beals (38:19.717)
Oh yeah, man. Yeah. I know, I know, right? Yeah, it was the same. It was, it was like Good Will Hunting is like one of my favorite movies, you know, and it’s just like, I actually had a therapist who was really similar to, to his character. And like I had watched that movie after I had kind of been seeing that therapist and I was like, and it’s Robin Williams. Like this is like, you know, like it just, it just hit so hard, you know? So yeah, definitely Gone Too Soon, you know, classic.

Hmm.

Chris (38:37.09)
Mm -hmm.

Chris (38:40.994)
Yeah.

Chris (38:46.754)
Yeah.

Oh yeah, yeah, sadly, sadly. Have you got anything else coming on the horizon? Or is there going to be a season two? Can I ask that? Is that something too early to ask? Are you hoping for one?

Mm -hmm.

Mason Beals (38:58.533)
You know, it’s like we were on set constantly talking about like multiple seasons and everything. You know, I’ve yet to like receive like official word. I know that like people want to make another season. Has it been officially announced? No, but like, I don’t know. I was like probably going to message them soon, be like, Hey, how we feeling? You know? So yeah, hopefully, hopefully season two. I do comedy stuff on YouTube. You know, it’s like sometimes I…

Mm -hmm.

Right.

Mason Beals (39:26.341)
plug that, you know, my channel’s called Pineapple Flavored Productions. I make, yeah, yeah, really dumb videos, really stupid, nothing like Teddy Roosevelt, but you know, just meant to be silly. But that’s about it, you know, just kind of still just, you know, kind of plugging away at that and hoping to do season two.

seen that yet.

Chris (39:49.282)
Excellent, fantastic and before I stop the recording anything you’d like to say to people who are watching this? We’re listening to it.

Have fun, you know, have fun, you know, just enjoy the series. I’m excited for people to see the next several episodes, some big things happen, you know, some really like ambitious sort of plot lines happen. And so I’m like very excited for people to see that. And yeah, and just go and like follow everybody else who’s in the cast. Like everybody’s just so cool and just really was so great to work with. So yeah.

Yeah, I think that’s about it. Just have fun with the show. Don’t take it too seriously. Just have a good time.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Yeah, thank you.