Episode 17: The Bad Guy Has No Limits: A conversation with Burgess Jenkins about the art of playing the "bad guy."

Actors often have preconceived notions of what the bad guy “acts” like and Burgess Jenkins says it is always a trap. Our character becomes two dimensional. As an actor who has played several bad guy roles, he says actors should say to themselves: “I’m the bad guy and there are no limits. It is candy land. I can do whatever I want.” The key, of course, is to figure out why the character is doing it. What motivates them? What has led to this? How can you justify what he/she is doing? Burgess says justification is one of the most important words for acting. “If, as an actor, you don’t embrace the concept of justification at every turn, then you’re missing out on all the fun.” The justification unlocks “your freedom to go forward with whatever you want to do.”
Burgess has been in a myriad of projects ranging from arthouse independents to blockbuster films. He is best known for his role as Ray Budds, in Remember the Titans, opposite Denzel Washington. He was Hilary Swank’s husband in The Reaping and most recently worked with Shirley McClean and Mira Sorvino. He’s had several recurring roles on such shows as the Young and the Restless, Army Wives, and One Tree Hill.
When he is not acting, he is an instructor at the Actors Group studio in Winston-Salem, which is a training ground for film and television actors.
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Find out more about Actors Group: https://www.actorsgroup.net/
Find out more about Burgess Jenkins: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0420792/