'Homecoming' Season 2: Jimmy Bellinger describes incompetent Geist receptionist Chad as ‘very green employee’
In Season 2, Audrey Temple (Hong Chau) leapfrogs several rungs up the executive ladder to lord it over the very people she used to take calls for. But this corporate coup leaves a key front desk position vacant. Audrey's old position as the receptionist and personal assistant at the Geist company is now manned by Chad, who is the anti-Audrey in terms of capabilities on the show. MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) caught up with Jimmy Bellinger, who played Chad on 'Homecoming' Season 2 and is known for previous work as a high school senior in 'Blockers', where he was, believe it or not, also called Chad and his appearances in 'Shameless'.
According to Bellinger, Chad was written as a "very green employee", who benefited from a spot of nepotism to land the job. "He’s overwhelmed and still trying to learn the ropes. Clearly he must have some connections at Geist because he would probably not get that job under normal circumstances. He’s just not the best at it," he said, talking about his out-of-his-depth character portrayal.
"I approached the role from the perspective of a college graduate getting their first job. It’s exciting but mostly terrifying. You feel a lot of pressure not to mess up, even if you don’t know what's happening. I think it’s something we can all relate to," he added.
In a crucial scene in the show, Alex, played by Janelle Monae, panic calls the Geist office to let the security guys know that Walter Cruz might be headed to Geist to create trouble. Unfortunately, she gets Chad on the phone who is nowhere near as efficient as Audrey. "Comedy is at its best when you’re not exactly trying to go for laughs but just playing it by the seriousness of the scene and letting it come out. I find comedy to be relatively natural for me. But for that scene specifically, I think it's already a funny thing when someone is calling about a very serious matter and the person on the other end is just not getting it and not being very helpful," he said about the pivotal scene.
When he auditioned for the role, he had been told that Chad, "the new receptionist of Geist" was way in over his head and that he was not the "most tech-savvy guy". This is why when Alex asks him to get in touch with security, he fumbles over the touch screen directory and unhelpfully asks Alex who she is looking for, by name. "I don’t think I see him getting a big promotion like Audrey, but who knows!" he laughs.
When Bellinger came on to set to film his scenes, the show was already "a well-oiled machine". According to him, "they were knocking out scenes and the energy was good". He added, "I would say for me, the most memorable part was filming the conversation between Alex and myself. It was fun and I got to play around a little."
Despite quarantine affecting the whole industry, Bellinger is keeping an optimistic outlook. "Quarantine has been tough on everybody. But I’d say I’m more fortunate than some and it hasn’t been too awful. Just trying to stay busy like everyone else. My girlfriend and my dog definitely don’t mind having me home all the time. But I just keep looking towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Things could be worse. Just gotta keep on going," he signed off.
'Homecoming' Season 2 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It premiered on May 22.