Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
And hanging out with the guys.
Then Rob Morgan ofMudboundcame in, and we hooked up again after a long time apart.
You start to build it into place.
Then the dialect work with Tim Monich.
If youve never interviewed Tim Monich, track him down and interview him.
A fascinating man deeply connected to a lot of amazing people in this business.
Putting it together was wonderful.
A fascinating trip through America.
Jerry spanned the 50s to now.
West is the NBA logo, and he has always seemed very paternal and grandfather-like.
InWinning Time, hes nearly frozen by self-doubt.
It was unlike anything Id read before.
It examined and acknowledged that he was deeply tortured and never took time to understand it.
The day I flew back to America was the day Kobe Bryant died.
There was a massive fog flying in; Ive never seen it in L.A. like that.
We landed, and it was like,shit, wow.
He wasnt always just Jerry the logo he went through the wringer with sports and fame.
You see his eyes and theyre alive.
You see Jerry now and he loves what he does.
Hes one of the most immensely knowledgeable and generous people of that age.
In an interview about another role, you described finding the circle of energy your character exists within.
What was Jerrys circle of energy?Ooh.
[Revolves index finger.]
Beating, beating, beating, beating, beating.
Come on, Jerry.
Come on, Coach.
Come on, fucking logo.
I would give a shot to make myself serious but not too serious.
I found a couple things from Jerrys book: I care so much it hurts.
I care too much, and I cant stand the people who dont care as much as me.
It was finding the little things.
Because I never met Jerry.
But its not, really.
For me, its just trying to feel their energy.
And it happens all the time, even now with you and me.
Were sitting, were finding a pace to relate to.
Hes having an existential crisis that he doesnt realize is happening.
Theres a manic-ness to him.
Jerrys, in a way, out of his mind.
He doesnt know how to stop himself.
Its a train wreck.
Theres this really effective blank stare you use to convey how dumbstruck Jerry is by success.
How did you perfect that look?Thank you; I appreciate that.
It was something I thought about.
He doesnt realize what he holds in his hand.
I think I can keep holding this water, but I cant.It hasnt really occurred to him.
I had a similar thing when I played Ted Kennedy.
Youre there, but youre not.
Your body is giving you away.
Your body is signifying something that hasnt landed but that resides in you, that you understand.
The stare is very existential, like you said.
But I also think Jerry is the funniest character on the show.
He has these great cutaways and smirks.
You gotta serve the story.
I need to take theSpinal Tapthing.
I think we all love seeing the lunatic within ourselves.
Jerrys letting it all hang out, even on the golf course.
He cant even fucking enjoy his golf.
He cant do anything at all, you know what I mean?
Certain things just came out.
And he says, Pictures of your sister.
Hes at war and he cant help himself.
On some radio show, youd hear him swear, and that was a real key for me.
This man has lived his whole life in front of the camera.
Hes very well brought-up and very well mannered, but theres this other side of him just swearing.
Jerry has some of the seriess more colorful lines.
Im thinking of sphincter puckers and fuck you, I love my job and these Boston Irish motherfuckers.
How do you formulate your deliveries?You talk yourself well the fuck into it.
The crew is wonderful for that as well.
A great crew knows what youre doing.
I start referring to myself in the third person Im not afraid if people laugh at me.
[Slips into Wests accent.]
Dont use my own fucking name.
What name do you want to use, Jerry?
What do you mean?
Mike Honcho, dude!
You find a way to circle your way into being what you want to be.
It struck me that when Jerry was at work and around people he trusted, he really went hard.
Theres a lot of physicality to this: fist clenching, pointing, slamming.
At what point in preparation do those flourishes come in?All the time.
You gotta get them going.
I had a lot of pictures of him on the court with his expressions.
You gotta find it and release it.
It has its own memory.
It just kept getting reaffirmed, and I loved it.
How much does the costuming help you?[Laughs.]
The wig was great.It takes a lot of work to get the wig right.
There is so much work that goes into a good wig.
That just changed my posture; Im no longer standing like Jason.
We saw him in Cuban heels and we found the right pair of Cuban heels.
Wardrobe was amazing on this show.
Of course, the gold chain.
Youve got one ring, but you always wear it.
That ring is huge.
They also made it properly, so it was heavy.
I love letting those people in.
As an actor, you dont know everything.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
