All About The Joy
All About The Joy is a weekly hang-out with friends in the neighborhood! We share insight, advice, funny-isms and we choose to always try and find the positive, the silver lining, the "light" in all of it. AATJ comes from the simple concept that at the end of the day we all want to have more JOY than not. So, this is a cool place to unwind, have a laugh and share some time with friends!
All About The Joy
From Kindergarten Laughs to Netflix Credits: Jack Seavor McDonald on Improv, Ethics, and Set Life
A kindergartener chasing laughs becomes a Netflix‑credited actor with a thriving improv trio - that’s the arc Jack Seavor McDonald shares as we explore what it really takes to build a creative life. From landing the Mad Hatter in a community musical to working on shows like Modern Family and Never Have I Ever, Jack reveals how small stages, supportive mentors, and relentless reps turn ambition into momentum. He breaks down the difference between improv and stand‑up with crisp clarity, showing why ensemble listening, playful risk, and physical comedy shaped his voice more than scripted punchlines ever could.
We go behind the camera to decode set life: how art departments build partial homes that feel whole, why a great take is a dance of lighting, sound, camera, and timing, and how “pampering” is actually smart safety and insurance at work. Jack’s pool‑cramp story delivers both a laugh and a lesson about teamwork. He also opens up about the lines he draws—avoiding racist roles and not mimicking disabilities he doesn’t have—explaining how ethics and representation guide choices without stifling storytelling. Along the way, we touch on his new horror‑comedy film Or Else, demystifying fear by appreciating craft through behind‑the‑scenes features.
When the conversation turns to AI, Jack is pragmatic: powerful for math, limited for art. You can automate a render; you can’t automate presence. We trade views on whether Hollywood is dying or evolving and arrive at a shared belief that live performance, improv, and human collaboration will only grow more valuable. If one era ends, another is waiting backstage. Want more from Jack? Follow him on Instagram at @JackSeavor and on TikTok at @JackSeavor8 for show updates and appearances. If this conversation sparks you, tap follow, share with a friend who loves comedy, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find us.
Thank you for stopping by. Please visit our website: All About The Joy and add, like and share. You can also support us by shopping at our STORE - We'd appreciate that greatly. Also, if you want to find us anywhere on social media, please check out the link in bio page.
Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth
DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.
Okay, we're recording. Jack, it's so nice to meet you. I'm so glad you're here on the show. Yay!
Jack Seavor McDonald:Amazing. Thank you so much for having me. And it's wonderful to meet you too, Carmen.
Carmen Lezeth:I know. I'm so excited. So Jack Siever McDonald is an actor and a comedian. And I have to say, you may not know this, but like I I have love for performers. You know, I live in Los Angeles too. You know, I just um I think we need to have more people on the show that are creatives. And so thank you for being, I think you're our first.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Really? Wow.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah. I mean, we we have a neglected group of guests that come on the show. But um I remember when your PR person reached out to me, I was like, yes, immediately. And then we had to like, because we we have a schedule we keep. And so I was so glad that when we had a cancellation, I was like, could you possibly come in earlier? So thank you for doing this. I appreciate it.
Jack Seavor McDonald:So yeah, absolutely. No problem. I mean, life happens to us all, you know.
Carmen Lezeth:No, no, no. So, okay, so for people who don't know, uh, you're gonna find out everything you need to know about Jack. So you're a loss. So of course I'm reading because I just grabbed a whole bunch of stuff off of all of your well, you know, I'm I'm I'm not gonna pretend I know everything about you, but I know a lot. Um, you're a Los Angeles-based actor and comedian. You're known for Never Have I Ever. Is that on that's on Netflix, right?
Jack Seavor McDonald:That's right.
Carmen Lezeth:Um, Ted, I've seen. So, and that's the the TV series that is um uh narrated. Is it narrated? No, no, he's Ted is what's his Seth McFarland, right? Is the voice. Um, so I've seen that and the movie. You've been on Modern Family, you've been on Young Sheldon, you've been on Stubbs, you've been on so many shows. You've also been in a lot of commercials, right? I've seen quite a few of them, I think. I've seen at least two. You've been on two national commercials. You started performing when you were a kid. Can you tell me when you knew that you wanted to be an actor? I know that you're a lot of your influences, you talk a lot about your grandmother. Is is that who Grammy is, your grandmother?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Uh-huh. Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:Can you talk a little bit about that, your beginnings?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yes, absolutely. Um, so I I have memories of being in kindergarten and really enjoying making my crush laugh by dancing goofy and falling down doing Pratt falls, but I really didn't consider acting to be a viable career until like sixth grade. I heard that acting was a real job.
Carmen Lezeth:And I that was my first year that I you grew up in California, so you also grew up with the idea that acting was not a real job. That's a prevalent thing here.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Uh I mean, yeah, even uh so I grew up about an hour away from Los Angeles, and even that close to the the whole biz, you you still grow up hearing that's a very competitive business. You should really do something else as a backup plan.
Carmen Lezeth:And that's so interesting to hear, Jack, because that's how I grew up on the East Coast. Like, you know, anything to do with performing was that's not a real job. So I'm sorry, that was fascinating to hear that from someone who grew up here. So go ahead, I'm sorry.
Jack Seavor McDonald:No, you're fine. Yeah, absolutely. And so in sixth grade, I auditioned for a community theater uh show, Alice in Wonderland Jr. And when I auditioned for something where nobody knew me or like nobody knew my mom, and they cast me in the musical as the Mad Hatter. That was a really big confidence boost for me. It was a Valverde School of Performing Arts in Rancho Cucamonga. They still do classes if anyone around that area is listening. Interested in stepping into your shoes. Oh, sure, yeah. It's uh a really wonderful community and really fantastic teachers there. Uh I basically from about sixth or seventh grade through my first year of college, I was still doing shows with them. And yeah, every summer and spring they do a musical, uh junior show for 18 and under, and then bigger show with adults in the summer. Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:How did comedy become part because there's acting and there's comedy, and people like to confuse that it's oh, it's the same thing. No.
Speaker 1:Right.
Carmen Lezeth:So how did you realize? I mean, you you talked about uh making your crush laugh, and that's when you knew, but then you went into kind of more dramatic acting with the school, right?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Um at first, but it was definitely my I I I just grew up in a funny family, really. So I've always been inclined to want to make people laugh because that's how I was shown that adults are from my mom and my dad.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, you and I grew up very differently, but at least I I'm very lucky. That's awesome. Um, who are some of your influences? Do you have favorite comedians? Let's start with comedians first because I'm always curious. I may not know them, so but go ahead.
Jack Seavor McDonald:No worries, that is totally fine. I love Tim Robinson.
Carmen Lezeth:You know Tim Robinson?
Jack Seavor McDonald:He's recently had a pretty big not shift, but like he has a sketch show on Netflix called I Think You Should Leave, and he just got a new show on HBO called The Chair Company.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, I'll have to check them out. Who else?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, uh I I love his comedy. Dimitri Martin. I I love him.
Carmen Lezeth:I feel so old right now. I don't know who this is.
Jack Seavor McDonald:No, it's fine. It's totally fine. He actually doesn't really do a lot of uh stand-up anymore. He was back from like 2010s, I think, and he did a lot of sort of prop comedy drawing in front of crowds.
Carmen Lezeth:What kind of comedian are you? Do you do a lot of stand-up or are you more like Steve Martin? Do you know who Steve Martin is? Because I'm going to be so embarrassed if you don't.
Jack Seavor McDonald:No, I definitely do. I I think I would definitely say Steve Martin is an influence and Jim Carrey. I watched a lot of Jim Carrey growing up. So I would say that more physical and sort of goofball energy is more my thing. I like to do uh improv more than that.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh, right. I read about that. You have your own improv group too, right?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, we're called Heat Wave, and it's me and two other comedians, and we perform all over Southern California.
Carmen Lezeth:That's so great. Now, do you prefer am I going too fast with too many questions? I'm so sorry.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I don't know. I don't think so. Am I answering in a Oh my god, you are.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm totally loving this. Like you're not going to be able to leave for like you know three hours. We're gonna have a whole conversation. But let me ask you this. Um, do you prefer, this might not be a fair question, dramatic acting or comedic acting?
Jack Seavor McDonald:I value dramatic acting for its challenge, its own personal challenge, but my heart is definitely connected more to comedy. Okay because it was just comedy was just such a huge important part of my childhood growing up. If you're sad, you get hurt. The automatic thing is to try and make someone laugh and makes them feel better. And I that always stuck out to me is that people are happy when they're laughing. Why wouldn't I want to make as many people laugh as I could?
Carmen Lezeth:Let me just see this. Uh, you're married to Joe, you have a dog named Willie. I'm like just letting everyone know the stuff you can read about. Um, and I love how the description is cattle dog, chihuahua, miner, and I'm like mutt. That is a mutt, like, which I believe we all are, which are the best kinds of people and dogs, right? So totally. You are known for your warmth and humility and grounded presence, despite working in high-profile productions. What do you love about being on set? Can you share with people who don't know anything about acting, have never been because that's our audience. Our audience, some of the people on our show have been on set because they're from Los Angeles or New York, but our audience really is not the Hollywood crowd. So what is it like to be on set for you?
Jack Seavor McDonald:When I'm on set, I really love to well, when you're in a studio, they have all these fake walls that they've built to try and make your setting look as realistic as possible. And one of my favorite things is to go around looking at the set to see what is real, what's uh uh just for looks like um the old Looney Tunes cartoons. You could always tell what was about to be like touched in the background because it was a different color or something.
Carmen Lezeth:Uh was it oh go ahead, I'm sorry. I agree.
Jack Seavor McDonald:No, no worries. Uh so I just to round out that answer, I would say I I love getting to look at the set decoration and uh admire the work that all the other crew puts into uh a project like that.
Carmen Lezeth:I don't think people understand, um, especially people who are not part of the Hollywood crowd, that people that build the sets, construction workers, electricians, there's just there's so many people involved in the crew. And like I was thinking about the modern family set, you know, that must have been interesting because it's actually a house, right? There are certain houses that you go into. Um, or are you on a stage crew all the time? Were you at one of the stages when you were doing Modern Family, for example?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Uh for Modern Family, I remember that we were on a sound stage for one of the scenes.
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Um, but uh a lot of the time, even if you're in a house, they just have that section of the house built.
Carmen Lezeth:So right, just the living room or something or whatever it is.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Mm-hmm. And and for instance, in the Modern Family one, there's a scene where I'm in a bedroom, uh, Manny's bedroom at his computer, and you're like, oh, okay, he like lives on the second floor of the uh of his house. They don't need to do that, but they do build an entire first floor to just give that same feeling that there's a second story and you're in a room that is only imagining the rest of the house space.
Carmen Lezeth:And isn't that I mean, that's kind of the beautiful part about being an actor is you do you really do have to use your imagination because what people don't understand is that while you're doing your lines, there's a mic overhead hanging, there's people with lighting, there's people with cameras all around you. It's not just you and Manny in a room, it's you and like, I don't know, 45, 50 other people, right?
Jack Seavor McDonald:I mean Yeah, yeah, easily. And all the there's dozens of different things that need to go correctly on a set for uh a scene to be or that angle of a scene to be deemed correctly filmed, or like, oh, that's what we wanted. You need the lights to be correct, you need the makeup and the hair, and then the camera has to move the exact correct way every time. I I think you're right, people don't really realize how much of a a dance every sort of scene that you film is.
Carmen Lezeth:And it's not one time. So do you remember how many times you had to film? And and it's not because an actor does something wrong, but you have to film a certain scene, like how many times would you say you do a few takes or something?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Um, I mean, it it when everyone is on their game, so to speak, it can probably be three to four takes if that's everyone working at their best. But anything could happen, I would say the worst I've ever gone to is probably like 15 to 20 takes of something complicated. Oh, that's hard.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, that's really hard. And it's because, just so I can explain to our audience if you don't mind, and you can correct me if I'm wrong because it's been a long time since I've been active on a set. I've been running budgets for sex, but um they will film you straight on doing your lines, and then they will turn around. So that'll be one take of filming, and then they'll turn around and put the camera behind you and take your scene partner from the opposite side, they'll film that. Then they'll turn around and do angles. But again, it's like if everyone's on point, and that doesn't mean just the actors, it's the lighting, the sound. I mean, I remember doing the scene, and this was theater, and you know, we were like just trying to do the previews or whatever, and um I thought we had nailed it, you know, like we they were filming it for to do kind of these little like uh ads or whatever, and that never really happens in theater, but they were filming it, and I thought we nailed it, and the sound hadn't been like no one had sound and any packs or anything. Like it was such a stupid thing, but it was a small community theater thing, so it really is about everything on set. Um, are you energized when you're on set or on on stage? Like, do you you do comedic? Oh, you know what? Maybe I'm confusing. Do you do stand-up? I thought you did stand-up as well.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I uh uh I'm definitely interested in stand-up. I've done it once. I did an open mic in 2020 February, and then I haven't been back to it, but it does interest me. I uh I struggle when it comes to sitting down and getting my thoughts out on paper, which is why I love improv so much. It's just it's out there.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, I was just gonna ask you. That's why I'm I'm kind of uh interrupting again. I'm just so excited to talk to you. Um, can you explain what the difference is between improv and like stand-up comedy? Because that's a mistake I just made in asking, right? I am like, oh, he does stand-up comedy because you talked about improv. So can you explain what the differences are and what it means to say you do improv with two of your comedic friends?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yes, absolutely. So uh stand-up is typically a one-person performance that they have written ahead of time and practiced multiple times, uh, including in front of an audience, and each of those shows is going to be very similar to each other. Whereas with improv, you do not write anything down beforehand, and you are doing it with multiple people. It's not just you, you're working as a team, and you can just get a suggestion of any word from the audience, and then you just do scenes uh made up by you and your friends right there on the spot, and hopefully it's funny.
Carmen Lezeth:I mean, I think that would be so much scarier than like writing it all out, having it memorized, but I think like the hard part with that is like being funny after you writing something would also scare me to death because I wouldn't be able to be funny after writing something. You know what I mean? So I think what you do is even scarier. So you go on stage with your friends, you ask the audience, like, can you just give me kind of a what happens behind the scene thing?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Absolutely. So the way that our team works, Heat Wave, we go out and we say, Hey everybody, we're Heat Wave. All we need to get started is one word suggestion. What is something that makes you sweat? And then the audience will just say something that makes them sweat, and then that's our one word. We all repeat it, and then we go into whatever scene starts to happen.
Carmen Lezeth:Is that right?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Like uh That's right, just any kind of comedic scene, and anyone can start it. You just start miming something. I I don't even know what that was. Maybe a uh violin.
Carmen Lezeth:What is that? Like something makes you sweat.
unknown:Yeah.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I don't know. I don't know.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh, I love it. Okay, you just taught me something. I made an assumption and uh you just taught me something which is kind of embarrassing since I've been working in Hollywood forever.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Uh oh no, no. I I I think no matter your your no matter a person's age or like where you come from, you're never done learning. You you always have the capability to learn.
Carmen Lezeth:And I I know nothing about uh I'm I'm not uh a comedy person that I love comedy. I love, but I I think it's a whole different kind of performance. I think it's a whole different type of um ability and skill set. And um, you know, people would always tell me that I'm kind of funny, but I'm not funny. I'm just funny because I whatever, I can talk to people and make them laugh, but not on purpose and not as a thing. It's accidental, you know. So when you were talking about when you were younger and you noticed you like to make people laugh, why? I know you noticed it, but sometimes comedians are um tend to have these tragic, painful you don't seem to be that, but I'm I'm just and if it's too much to talk about, we don't have to talk about it. But I'm just curious of do you have that kind of uh thing too, you know, all this tragedy, and so that's why you're able to be a comedian.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Um luckily I'm I don't really come from much trauma uh myself. I'd say God bless you. Uh it's pretty I I've had a pretty privileged life that the extent of it at the time was just I'm fat and I don't want them to make fun of me. And so if I can make them laugh, then I can control how they're reacting to me, and I don't have to feel bad about how I look because well, I made them laugh.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh my okay, but the way you just said that was so amazing. Like your confidence in saying that.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Thanks. Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:Wow, I love that. I was wait a minute, I totally had like a moment, and I was like, did he just what? Secure. Because some people would say you were doing, I mean, you you just admitted it straight out, but you were also doing it as a protective thing, but also as kind of a help to them.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Mm-hmm. Yeah, I thought, or you know, I generally think that okay, if I I'm not always thinking about this in such an analytical way, but I think that it is oh, I'm usually looking for the most amount of happiness in every interaction because I just don't, you know, I'm a little weird. I don't like people upset with me. Um I don't think that's weird.
Carmen Lezeth:I think that's human I think that's human nature.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I know, I'm just joshing around. Oh, okay, okay.
Carmen Lezeth:I I think it's human nature. And and I think what's different about what you're saying is that you know yourself well enough, which I think is also an attribute to being a good performer, a good actor, a good I was a dancer as a kid, that's why I always say performer. Um I think if you know yourself well enough, it's a different kind of confidence that most people don't have.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Right. That's have that. Uh yeah, I I've always been very lucky that I I knew since such a young age that I wanted to be an actor, and I that was one of the things that I heard often was like, wow, that's so surprising that you know what you want to do. Yeah. And um, so I I do consider myself lucky to have uh been through that so early.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah. What's coming up for you in the future? Um, you know, like I'm wondering why you want to do a podcast with me. I look it, this is all about the joy, and I was grateful to have you reach out. I'm just curious, what's on the horizon for you?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Well, coming up is sort of sort of a nebulous thing with the way that the industry looks right now. Everything is so slow and uncertain. Uh, all that I know for sure is that I I just finished a movie called Or Else. And um, did I miss that?
Carmen Lezeth:Tell us a little bit about Or Else and when it might be coming out. No, you just finished filming it, right? You just finished filming it.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Uh-huh. A few months ago we we finished, and I think I just heard that they were done editing as well. So Or Else is a horror comedy written and directed by Diana Hopper from the Goliath series on HBO. Okay. And it's about this woman in freshman year of college, and uh people start to pass away around her, and it's intrigue and mystery, who done it.
Carmen Lezeth:Who's done it, okay?
Jack Seavor McDonald:And then it sort of all spirals around this main character to a climactic showdown.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, so I I know I kind of skipped it. I don't do horror. So if if you've ever watched our show, which I'm sure you'll watch in the future, um, uh, Cynthia and Rick love horror. So I'm a one man out or whatever. Like so, I kinda I I even even if I don't intend to, I you know, I was like horror skip. You know what I mean?
Jack Seavor McDonald:So I grew up the same exact way. I would not touch a horror movie with a 10-yard stick.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Um, and weirdly, what made the switch for me is I started my sister, who I have a five years older than me sister, and uh she was showing me the saw movies, which those aren't even really horror.
Carmen Lezeth:I won't even watch them, but you just said saw. I'm just yeah, I don't want to do gore. I don't I'm really goody two shoes, don't want to watch anything that has horrible ending.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Color. I I understand. And uh my my sister started showing me the special features for the Saw movies, and it helped me so much to see how it was done to and it's all fake. Right. And even though I knew that on a conscious level, but seeing how they did it specifically was very relieving to me.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, I can understand that. I guess, like as you're saying, like I went skydiving because I was afraid of heights, and it really did help me, but I will not be watching. I I'll just trust you on that. You know what I mean?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Like Yeah, no, and I will definitely just trust you on the skydiving.
Carmen Lezeth:No, you have to go skydiving at some point in your life. You gotta do it. Oh my gosh.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Wow. Well, this is just too you will never watch one of my favorite horror movies, and I will never go skydiving.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, I well wait, what's one of your favorite horror films?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Oh, I really love the Friday the 13th series.
Carmen Lezeth:No, yeah, I'm sorry, love. It's it's nice to meet you and everything, but okay, you won't go skydiving. I won't watch any Friday. Okay, we're good, we're good. I was thinking maybe I would find a way. Like I did go see Sinners recently, and I was like this the whole time. Oh, I did not see it, but I wanted, you know, because it was such a cultural event. I was like, but yeah, and still I wish I hadn't seen it. I thought it was amazing, but I, yeah, it was too much for me. Okay. Gotcha. But I want to get back to you talking about AI and talking about how the industry is changing because that was an interesting thread. Yeah. What is your feelings on it? And again, where where do you see yourself going, or what are you doing, if anything, at all?
Jack Seavor McDonald:There the disturbing trend of leadership in production companies wanting to focus on AI usage is shame. I really believe that there's no future for AI in a creative industry. I I really think that our own not artificial intelligences are good enough for a creative career like this. Now, I'm not saying no AI ever, because I do think that there are scientific uh pluses to using it, you know, computing formulas that we as humans don't have time to do. But when it comes to the actual industry, I can't think of a single job on a set that would just out flat out be better done by a computer.
Carmen Lezeth:So I just had Joel Lava, who's a DJ director. He was on our last episode. I'll send you the link so you can check it out. But he was kind of talking about how even as a director, and he films a lot of commercials, a lot of shorts, you know, he's been we we've known each other for a long time, and uh, and he's talking about how Hollywood's dying because of AI. And he knows AI, like he so it's just interesting to hear so many different people in the industry talking about AI. And I agree with I love AI, not as a creative entity, but as kind of like an assistant, you know. Like I like the, you know, I can ask it any question and it'll get me some information. But as far as it, you know, taking over the creative realm of things, I'm I'm afraid. Um and Joel makes this point in the interview. You know, we keep saying things like that AI people aren't gonna believe it, whatever, but you know, we all believed kind of the Star Wars puppets from the original movie or ET, or we believed it even though it was, you know, made or whatever. And it's like it's a scary time for our industry, you know. Are you nervous at all?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Or no, I I think like any new technology, there's just a fear of the unknown and where it will go. But I I don't think that it's realistic to say that it could ever wholly replace people in an industry. I I think there's gonna be plenty of people who believe, like, wow, technology is amazing, and I'd love to see what AI can do. But I couldn't ever imagine people just saying, that's it, no more people-made projects.
Carmen Lezeth:You know, I I said that to him too. I said, I think he kept saying Hollywood's dying. I said Hollywood's changing. And um, I I think you and I are on kind of the more level-headed, he's gonna be mad at me if he watches it. It's level-headed, or maybe we're just optimistic about it. I think we're gonna find our place. I also think I don't care how great AI is in duplicating a film, there's never going to be the ability to have someone on stage doing an improv show or a comedian or theater. I think what it's actually gonna do is drive people back to seeing live performances or doing things like this, you know what I mean? So I'm glad that you're optimistic about the future of Hollywood.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, I mean, uh to his point about it dying, uh, well, that you know, when something dies, then something else is born and can take its place. It's okay. If it has to die, then there will be a brand new way of making movies ready to take its place. So I it's almost like we're both right. It is changing, it could be dying.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, I'm just gonna say he's wrong and you're right, because I'm gonna go with that. He's my friend. We can fight, we can fight on the side of it.
unknown:Okay.
Carmen Lezeth:I love that you're agreeing with me. Stay on this side of it, Jack.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay.
Carmen Lezeth:Um, all right, I I have some rapid fire questions next.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I love it.
Carmen Lezeth:Um let me just see if I got all my other questions out the way.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Oh, you know, I I'm sorry, really quick.
Carmen Lezeth:No, of course.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Way back when we were talking about my uh inspiration for comedy and talked about having a family funny, uh funny family, but we were specifically mentioning Grammy, my grandma on my mom's side. She was like my first friend in life, and we would spend so much time together, and we just got each other's humor so much that I I would get in trouble for sitting next to her on car rides because I'd laugh so hard, I'd wet my pants. So she she and I had a really strong bond, and I think a lot of my f physical humor and sort. Of little silly voices or a lot from her.
Carmen Lezeth:I asked disrespectfully, and if it's wrong, I'll cut it out. Has she passed on or is she still around?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Oh, no worries. I don't think that's disrespectful. Uh, she's passed on as of 2022, I believe.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh, recent. Oh, Jack, I'm sorry.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, it's it it hurts, but she is not hurting anymore. So I'm happy for her.
Carmen Lezeth:And that's she lives on through you because I saw that in every single thing I was looking up about you. And that's kind of the beautiful thing about it is she's, you know, I'm I'm not gonna uh try to coax it or whatever. I just think the way in which we honor people says a lot more about who they are than we realize, even when we say something about them, you know. Um, so I love that. And she was a huge influence in you doing the work that you do now, which is just beautiful. I'm so excited. All right, so now we're gonna do a couple of rapid fire. You don't have to be rapid about it, though, if you wanna. Okay. So, all right. Tell me the name of a role you would drop everything for to play.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I would drop everything to play a uh the the first sort of uh comparison I think of is Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. I'm thinking of goofy main character that's out to well, he was just out to get his bike, but like someone save the town or um Oh, that's awesome.
Carmen Lezeth:I wouldn't have guessed that at all. That's good. Oh yeah.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, I'd love to do like a goofy, an earnest, um, scared, stupid, uh uh any of those type of any of those types of roles. Uh goofy main character that yeah, is has got a heart of gold.
Carmen Lezeth:I love it. Okay. I think that's kind of who you are, though, too. I think what people don't understand about actors is they can always find, they have to find a piece of themselves in the character they're playing. And it's so interesting who you chose because I don't know you at all, but I feel like I'm a I have good intuition. That's why that relates to you. They have a hard goal too. But don't mess it up and get arrested as something tomorrow for something bad. Okay.
Jack Seavor McDonald:All right, all right. But I I'll say Carmen said. I know.
Carmen Lezeth:Carmen said, right. Um, okay, funniest moment on set.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Uh funniest moment on set, uh there was on Never Have I Ever, I was swimming for an episode that I was in, and that there was this other actor, Pete Gardner, that was playing the coach. He's a really big improv comedic actor as well. And when you're a speaking line on a set, the people who in the crew who are sort of in charge of you, knowing where you are, letting you know when you're up next, it can feel like a very sort of pampered existence, the way that they oh, do you need anything to drink? Like, are you okay? And I was expressing to Pete that it was kind of it kind of made me a little uncomfortable because I wasn't used to that, and I just I hadn't had this kind of uh speaking role where they were so on hand and foot. And he said, like, oh well, you know, don't worry, that's kind of their job, that that's all they're there to do is make sure you're okay and you can do your job. And then I was like, okay, I don't know, I might ask them maybe not to do it. Cut to, I'm in the pool, and I start to get a cramp in my foot, and I swim over to the edge, and the swimming instructor says, Give me your foot, give me your foot, and starts to massage it, and someone, the set health person is giving me a drink of water with electrolytes in it, and then Pete walks by as I've got one foot out of the water drinking a delicious propel, and he just shakes his head at me, like, yeah, you really don't like the pampering, huh? I actually love that. Yeah, it was very funny for me. I was like, oh man, he caught me good.
Carmen Lezeth:Well, and just so that people who don't know, the reason why actors, and this is where I we spend a lot of money. So from the money side, from the insurance side, from all the other business end of the reason why we take care of all actors on set is for a lot of reasons. It isn't just to make sure that you're okay and fine to that you can deliver your lines, although that is a big one. Like if you're comfortable and all you have to worry about is not the lighting or what your shirt looks like or if your makeup's on right, you don't have to worry about any of that. All you have to worry about is your line and doing your work, the work that you were hired to do. But the other of it is also insurance. And you said you were in a pool, you know what I mean? Like, so we have to have everyone in place to make sure nothing happens that is wrong. And you having a cramp and having somebody like the doctor on set to be there to make sure they must that's so important, insurance-wise, too, you know. So I I think there's this idea about Hollywood that everybody's pampered all the time. So I wanted to give the other perspective. There's a reason why we do that, you know.
Jack Seavor McDonald:So oh, yeah. No, I think it's so good to point out that they they're not doing this because you're a big star or no, that's no, that can be it too.
Carmen Lezeth:We want to take care of you to make sure you deliver your line. So I'm not, do not do that. You were you were the actor on set, that was your scene, you were waiting. So I'm not taking away from that, too. That is why we're doing it. We're delivering lines. You're you're just as important as any other person on set. And that's um on Ron Howard sets, what I loved about there was it didn't matter who you were. Um, didn't you were everybody, whether it was the crew or background actors or Ron Howard, everybody knows him as Opie from you know, whatever that show was back in the day. But also he's one of the greatest uh directors around. Um his his film sets, his the work environment. I was on Parenthood and I worked for a couple other uh film sets, but he that that that whole environment is just all about positivity and joy and happiness, and doesn't matter what they're filming, you know. Yeah, but I've been on sets, I'm sure, and I just as the financial person, I'm sure you've been on sets that you would never want to walk on again. And we won't discuss those.
Jack Seavor McDonald:No, we don't need to, but yes, I I sure have. Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:But but you would do it again because you get paid. So you might do it again, you know what I mean, if you get paid.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Sure, sure. And depending on the the part, like there's so many different uh milestones that actors can have, like, oh, I finally did a death scene, or right, oh, I finally got to do acting in a pool, or things like that. That's um so fun. Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay. Favorite curse word.
Jack Seavor McDonald:You know, in an Australian way, I find the C word pretty fun. Okay.
Carmen Lezeth:See you next Tuesday. You know what it is? See you next Tuesday.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yes. Yes, yes. I would never use that as a derogatory misogynist term, but as a hey friend.
Carmen Lezeth:Got you. Got you. Understood. Understood. Okay.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Even here, I I won't I don't even want to actually say it, but uh I think it's funny in certain contexts.
Carmen Lezeth:I love the way you said it, and that's why I said see you next Tuesday, because I would have bleeped it out, but it would I would have done something underneath to make sure people knew. So I appreciate you being so kind on the set. But on the set. Oh my god, I feel like we're already on set. So crazy. Okay. All right. Um, is there work as an actor or comedian that you wouldn't do?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Um, I I'm not really interested in playing any racists. I know that that is a real thing that should be shown so that people know that it exists, but I don't I'm just not interested in playing a part that has to be derogatory or racist. I I don't I don't like that. Of course, nobody likes it, but I I would say that is a type of role that I would rather not okay.
Carmen Lezeth:But if Steven Spielberg came to you and said, I'm doing a movie and I see you as the perfect person to play this character and he is a racist. Your answer to Steven Spielberg. Okay, wait, let me let me set this up for you. If Steven Spielberg, like I will not do nudity, okay? True ever. As a as a performer, I was like, I will never do nudity. And then somebody said, if Steven Spielberg, like Okay, so now answer the question.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I'd say, look, Steven, does uh does this racist get a comeuppance for it? Because that is important to me. If if I'm gonna portray a character that is duplicitous, then I need them to be punished.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, so as your newfound manager, okay, like I am telling you right now, if Steven Spielberg came and told you that you are going to play a racist in his upcoming movie, you're gonna do it. Because you know that he would get his comeuppants. Because that's the kind of film director he is.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Okay, well then, well then great.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm just telling you, you would. I would make you do it.
Jack Seavor McDonald:No, sure, sure. I get it, I get it. Uh but no no no.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh, yeah, right, right, right. Uh I'm 20%, so I don't know about your manager, but I won't be 20%, right? No, I'm just kidding. Um, wait, I'm I I don't want to negate what you said. I get it though. It's kind of like I would do because I had to change my idea, right? I'm not gonna do nudity for gratuitous sake. But there's a difference between art and there's a different, you're right. There's art and then there's just gratuitous bullshittery. And that's where the line is drawn. I think that's what you're saying about racism or any other ism that we could probably throw on the table. I don't know.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, no, I think that's absolutely fair. Uh uh Oh, uh I I would really I I don't ever want to uh portray or ableism is uh what another one that I would not like to be portraying a certain um birth uh um illness or or what have you, facial difference. If I don't have that facial difference.
Carmen Lezeth:Right. Yeah, it's such a like people don't understand how hard it is to because there's the part when you're starting to be a performer, you'll take anything, especially if you have no money coming in or you don't have that kind of financial support somewhere else, you'll take anything. And I saw so many of my friends end up regretting some of the roles that they took, you know. Um, but but then you have standards, and I'm glad that you are in a position where you can kind of decide not to take certain things. That's a great place to be.
Jack Seavor McDonald:That's absolutely I I love that you brought that up. It it is weirdly unfair that the earlier you are in the uh career, the less options you have. Yeah, yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:They're fine though. So um let's see, what's a sound you hate?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Oh, a sound I hate. Uh oh, the the classic iPhone alarm sound will just get my hackles up immediately because I had it as my oh that's okay. I had it as my alarm for so long that if I just hear it while I'm awake, my brain just gets confused and upset. Like, I'm already awake.
Carmen Lezeth:That's so funny. I don't even know what that sound is because I'm not an iPhone user, so I trust your judgment. Okay, no argument for me there. It just kind of goes like uh oh yeah, okay, yeah, yeah. That would drive me. Why would that be their normal sound? But okay.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:Um, what's your favorite food on set?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Oh gosh. Uh you know, I I really if I'm going for fuel, I love a trail mix. But if if I'm just going for a little snicky snack, uh I would say probably like a cookie or or some chips.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay. It's just fun, snacky stuff. Craft services doesn't get enough love. I'm just saying, craft services on sets do not get enough love. Sometimes they're horrible depending on what you're on, but most times if you're on a real set, craft services are amazing.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Can can I tell you my theory on craft services that no matter what set you go on, there will always be at least coffee and bananas.
Carmen Lezeth:Yes! That's true. Why is that?
Jack Seavor McDonald:I feel like the bananas they're like easy to carry around and carry around. They they have they're not they don't have the trash involved, and then just people everywhere always want coffee.
Carmen Lezeth:Coffee, always, always nice. Okay. If you weren't an actor, what would you be doing? And you cannot say gas attendant thingamajiggy that you did back in the day.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Well, good, because I I would never go back.
Carmen Lezeth:Um you you'll have to tell people that you were you had to work a shift at like 11 p.m. to seven in the morning or something. You were working as a gas station attendant. Uh where were you? You were in school or something?
Jack Seavor McDonald:That's right. Yeah, I was in uh Fullerton going to Cal State Fullerton for theater, and I needed a job bad, so I I went and did a graveyard shift at a gas station nearby. And uh I would not recommend graveyard shifts.
Carmen Lezeth:Right, but I read that um so many people came and would get gas and hang out with you for a bit every once in a while, right? Like your teachers and your friends would come just to hang out with you and some of your improv buddies, right?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yes, that's right. I uh my friend Casey Bowen created these posters uh that he put up around our theater department that were photoshopped pictures of me, and it said Graveyard Jack will be working at this gas station. Come visit him. And uh and then people did.
Carmen Lezeth:That's kind of nice. That's that's good friendships, man. That's really cool.
Jack Seavor McDonald:I love it. It really is. There's really sweet community at the Cal State Fullerton Theater Department, and yeah, they'd take pictures and post them on their Facebook page.
Carmen Lezeth:That is the coolest thing. Okay, so if you weren't an actor and a comedian, what would you be doing?
Jack Seavor McDonald:You know, I think I could be a food critic. Oh. That was that was another one of my dreams as a young'un before actor. I was like, maybe I could be a food tester. Okay. And then my dad was like, that's called a critic. And so, yeah, I think I could be a good food critic. I've got that's kind of cool. I I mean I I love food. Uh and then just exactly, exactly. And then just there there are some times where me and my spouse Joe are are trying things together, and I'm like, oh, do you taste the cinnamon in there? And Joe will be like, no, this I don't taste that at all.
Speaker 1:Not at all.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, and I'm like, oh, that's weird. Why am I picking up on something else?
Carmen Lezeth:Because you're very sensitive to it. That's good, yeah, because you love it. Okay. Window seat or aisle?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Hmm. Well, if it's an airplane, then I would say window seat because it it was in 2018. I was on a trip to Ireland for my sister's wedding.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh, nice.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Uh-huh. Uh my brother-in-law is a pilot, so they were going somewhere neither of them had been before to get married. Um that's nice.
Carmen Lezeth:That's nice.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Very cool.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah.
Jack Seavor McDonald:And I had a aisle seat on that flight, and I had taken a melatonin to help just sleep through the 12-hour flight. But then about half an hour later, the drink cart comes out and rams right into my knee.
Carmen Lezeth:Oh, okay.
Jack Seavor McDonald:And wakes me up, and I'm like, I'll never want an aisle seat.
Carmen Lezeth:I'll never want that again. All right, that's a good enough reason. I I tend to like the aisle seat, not window seat. Oh. I don't like people walking over me when they have to go to the bathroom and stuff. Like, I just don't like, you know. So, of course, my preference, I'm sure, is yours, would be to be in first class and not be bothered at all. But just another dream. Okay. All right. So here is my take on the actor's studio question. This is the last question for you. Okay. If there is a hell and you found yourself at the fire-embossed gates, what would you say to the clerk of damnation guarding them?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Oh my gosh.
Carmen Lezeth:Everyone wants to do the pearly gates of heaven. I'm saying, what if you find yourself in hell?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah, if I found myself in hell, I would probably say, was it just one thing, or did I do a bunch of bad things? I'd want to know exactly what got me there.
Carmen Lezeth:Right. Was it just one thing or a bunch of things? That's awesome. Oh my God, thank you so much for being on the show. Um, I want to tell people how they can find you. Of course, I'll be putting it down at the bottom. I know I could find your IG. Your Instagram is JackSeber, right? At Jack Siever, and that's S-E-A-V-O-R.
Speaker 1:Correct.
Carmen Lezeth:Uh, so that's your Instagram. But did did you have another place people could find you at?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Um, you can also find me on TikTok. Uh it's fantastic. The similar uh username at Jack Siever8.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, so there's an eight at the end of it. Okay.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Yeah. Uh for TikTok.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay. Thank you so much. Will you come back? You have to come back. We'll have to talk about something else. We'll talk about acting and performing, but you'll have to come back. So I'm gonna make you say it on camera.
Jack Seavor McDonald:Absolutely. Carmen, I would love to be back to talk all things acting and performing art, whatever.
Carmen Lezeth:So much fun. Do you do you have anything else coming up soon that you want people to be aware of?
Jack Seavor McDonald:Maybe uh can people come and see you with your improv group or there are no standing performance dates that uh like I do all the time, but my Instagram will always have updates.
Carmen Lezeth:Perfect answer. Yep. And so we can always figure out how to find you, see you, and just be in your presence. It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much. And everyone, uh, please go visit him, follow him on Instagram and on TikTok. And um, yeah, remember at the end of the day, it really is all about the joy. Thank you, everyone. Bye. Thanks. Thanks for stopping by, All About the Joy. Be better and stay beautiful, folks. Have a sweet day.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
