SLIFF 2014 Interview: Jay R. Ferguson – Star of THE MAKINGS OF YOU

Well it’s that time of year again, when the leaves begin to fall and St. Louis becomes the mecca of movie lovers everywhere with the return of the 23^rd Annual St. Louis International Film Festival. Kicking off the Festival this year is St. Louis native Matt Amato’s tale of Love in River City as THE MAKINGS OF YOU plays out deep in the heart of the nostalgic areas of St. Louis, and the mighty riverbanks of the Mississippi. To bring Matt’s story to life, he secured Mad Men‘s own Jay R. Ferguson to play his leading man Wallis, and what a leading man he truly is, in every way, as you will soon come to find out.

Jay R. Ferguson, along with costar Grace Zabriskie, will be in St. Louis this Thursday night (November 13th) for the premiere of THE MAKINGS OF YOU, the opening night film of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The event will be at The Tivoli and the screening will be preceded by a cocktail party that begins at 6pm. Ticket information can be found HERE

Before his trip back to St. Louis, Jay Ferguson took the time to talk about his career and THE MAKINGS OF YOU

Interview conducted by Kathy Kaiser November 4th, 2014

We Are Movie Geeks: Would you mind sharing with WAMG how you got into acting?

Jay Ferguson: My mother and I moved from Dallas TX when I was a boy to Los Angeles so she could pursue her own dreams in the entertainment business. She secured acting gigs almost immediately to support us, and then when I was about 13, an agent stopped by our table in a restaurant to ask my mother if I had ever acted – which I hadn’t – but I was definitely game to try it out. I ended up doing a few pilots but nothing really launched for me until I made it onto EVENING SHADE. Being on that show with all those iconic actors gave me a crash course on what acting was all about, and I was hooked. I’ve been truly blessed to be acting for the last 26 years, but life in acting truly became surreal for me when I became a part of the ensemble cast of MAD MEN.

WAMG: How did you become involved with the St. Louis film – THE MAKINGS OF YOU?

JF: A couple of years ago, the Director and Writer of the film, St. Louis Native Matt Amato, reached out to me and asked me to read his script, as he thought I would be the perfect Lead for his film. Suffice to say that part of me was in shock with this whole concept, as playing the lead in anything hadn’t been a part of my repertoire thus far. The storyline read for me like a Terrance Malik film, and I love his film making, so count me in! You could tell that Matt worked out the actual imagery he wanted to convey in each and every scene of the film – it was more than just words on a page for me. So I called Matt, told him I was in, and then it took about a year and half to get everything in place after I signed on before we started filming.

WAMG: What was it like filming in St. Louis as opposed to LA?

JF: Once you get out of LA and go anywhere else – St. Louis included – it is so refreshing working with individuals who aren’t part of the business – you know real people. It was awesome to be surrounded by individuals who genuinely wanted to be a part of making this film – they didn’t have to be there per se – they WANTED to be there. It was also invigorating filming in such vintage areas of St. Louis. It was as if you were transported in time. Who knew that so much nostalgia still exists? Places like Sam Coffey’s Fortune Teller Bar, places along Cherokee Street, the incredible ice cream parlor we frequented throughout the hot summer we filmed the movie. And where else can you film that you get the opportunity to see the CARDINALS play after a day of shooting, or enjoy Busch Beer the whole time your there…my experiences in St. Louis were endless. It’s always fantastic to be able to kick back on location, put your toes in the sand, and wiggle them for a while as they say. I was also really impressed with how Matt and Jack and their entire crew had secured people who knew this city inside and out. Matt’s vision that I felt when reading the script initially just materialized before me. He had such great people making it all happen, it was kind of exciting just watching it all play out – you know, things like Matt’s buddy Henry Goldkamp’s typewriters being placed throughout the film, that kind of stuff was just genius.

WAMG: Would you mind sharing what where some of your most memorable experiences on set?

JF: Memorable experiences or memorable people? There were actually too many to keep track. I guess one of the most memorable that I can actually share with you, and one of the most memorable people I met along the way was Sam Coffey. Sam decided that filming in the heat of the summer of 2013 was just becoming unbearable. So what do you do in St. Louis when you are filming for days, and days and days in over 100 degree heat with no air conditioning at the locations you are shooting at? You have a dumpster delivered and place it in the street outside your bar – you know 30 foot long, 10 ft. high, a BIG ONE – you line it with a tarp and just fill her up with water and create your very own POOL for your patrons and the film crew to cool off in. I mean where else in this great nation of ours can you get a city to approve this and end up having off duty fireman come out to help get everything in place – they even put a filtration system in to keep the water cool. I kept thinking, “Is this for real?”. It was great watching everyone enjoy themselves, even though I just couldn’t bring myself to get in,

WAMG: What was it like sharing scenes with such iconic TV and Film stars as Sheryl Lee and Grace Zabriskie?

JF: You always gain so much insight about your craft when you play opposite anyone who has been in the business for as long as both of these ladies have. Playing opposite Sheryl was awesome, as she does have a more serious side than I do. This totally worked for her character in the film – but I had so much fun making her laugh between scenes. Matt would keep us from getting too out of control and ready to go – Thanks Matt for that! Sheryl and I would also go over each scene before we shot it, so we were comfortable with what we were about to do. This allowed us to maybe tweak something a little that maybe we weren’t feeling, then share it with Matt, who was usually on board with our game plan. I think it may have also helped playing opposite her as her love interest that I grew up as a big TWIN PEAKS fan back in the day, come on, who didn’t have a crush on Laura Palmer…Sadly, I only had two scenes to shoot with Grace, and I would have loved to have had more of an opportunity to work extensively with her, as she is such a respected and revered actress.

WAMG: Okay, so I have to ask at this point in the interview, as the many MAD MEN fans are wondering out there…. are you sad about the series ending or are you excited to have this opportunity to take on more feature film roles like what you played in THE MAKINGS OF YOU?

JF: The word sad is actually an understatement of how I feel. I think I have been in a bought of depression since July when we finished. My best point of reference for you is it feels like when you are so totally in love with someone, and when it’s over, you still have that incredible heartache inside that you feel like you will never love again, that’s how this feels…seriously! I mean, I only came on to be a part of the cast half way through the series, but it was such a family atmosphere – I mean we all hang out socially on weekends, we would delay leaving the set when we were through shooting because we were all so happy to be there. Since it’s over, its like there is a whole inside, I miss my fellow actors, because they weren’t just fellow actors, they were truly my friends. I miss all my friends since we’ve parted ways…. especially St. Louis native Jon Hamm… which is where we got those fantastic tickets to see the Cardinals play while shooting the film. …they were his!

WAMG: Is there anything new on the horizon for you professionally yet?

JF: I was approached by ABC Studios to develop my own show. They apparently got this wacky idea from what I did on MAD MEN that I am a funny guy – which was kind of a surprise to me – I do love to make people laugh, who doesn’t, but I actually think that Elizabeth Moss helped me raise my game so much on that series that it made me stand out from the true comedian of the cast, John Slattery, but I am excited to take on this project and lets see where it takes me.

WAMG:  Is there anything else that you would like to share with WAMG or the movie goers at the St. Louis International Film Festival?

JF: Yes, just a couple things. I have to give a big SHOUT OUT to Al and Bea Amato for their hospitality the entire time I was in St. Louis. Bea’s cooking is AMAZING – everyone should invite themselves over to their home just to enjoy one of her meals! I am also flattered and so appreciative that SLIFF has embraced Matt’s film and that they are graciously kicking off the festival with it this time around.   It’s just so special being an integral part of this film, and having the opportunity to experience St. Louis like I did – It is a phenomenal city, filled with phenomenal people, what else can I say…