JT Neal from 'Bless This Mess' says playing the role of Elvis Presley is on top of his bucket list
'Bless This Mess' is a new show from 'New Girl' creator Elizabeth Meriwether and Lake Bell, that follows New Yorkers (played by Dax Shepard and Bell) as they navigate leaving the big city and move to a farmhouse they inherit in Nebraska.
The married couple Rio (Bell), a therapist, and Mike (Shepard), a music journalist, quit their jobs in New York and move to Nebraska to live a simpler life. Apart from Bell and Shepard, the cast also includes a neighboring family who has a son called Jacob. JT Neal stars as handsome farm boy 'Jacob' in the comedy series.
Neal has been acting since he was in middle school, and after starting in school plays, Neal has made his way to Hollywood where he plays roles in well-known series and movies. His most recent role was in Netflix's 'Sierra Burgess Is A Loser'. In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), Neal spoke about his role in the series and the similarities and differences between him and Jacob.
On how he got into acting, the young star said, "I always was a really big fan of movies. My dad and I always watched movies every night like the 'Princess Bride', 'The Mask of Zorro', etc. I kind of realized that people get to do this for a living and maybe that's something I want to do. It was out of my mind for a long time and then in middle school, I had an English teacher who politely projected that either I audition for a play or go to the principal's office again because I was constantly entertaining people and disrupting the class. She gave me that kind of ultimatum and I definitely couldn't go back to the office. So I auditioned for the play and that was my first experience."
Over the years, Neal played a lot of different roles on a range of genres. On his bucket list of roles he wants to play, Neal said, "I have always wanted to play Elvis Presley. I have got really close so many times. And I know that it's right there. It's right around the corner and I know for sure one day it is going to happen."
On how he relates to his character Jacob, Neal said, "I think Jacob and I are very similar because I'm generally an optimistic, happy kind of person. But obviously there are moments where I'm a little bit down and frustrated where I'm having a bad day or something and Jacob doesn't have that. He doesn't worry about anything and I love that about him because he is so wide-eyed innocent and it's just really refreshing to get that perspective. Life is so serious all the time and Jacob just likes to have fun and smile and laugh all the time."
The entire series is set on the farm in this rural town in Nebraska. So prior to the fake circumstances set up on the show, we asked Neal if he ever spent time on a farm in his life or even in Nebraska. He said, "I never spent time in Nebraska but I did grow up in Texas and we had this giant ranch with horses and cattle. So my entire childhood was a mixture of suburban life because I live in the suburbs of Dallas and then on the holidays, I would go and spend all of our time in South Texas with my family. I spent a lot of time on the ranch working with livestock. So I was very familiar with the kind of the rural lifestyle and the work that goes into that."
'Bless This Mess' airs every Tuesday on ABC. Check your local listings for more information.