EPISODE 145

Reading the Room to Create

Jonathan Torrens

Comedic Actor / Director / Producer / Podcaster

March 17, 2023

Welcome back to Behind Greatness. We chat today with Jonathan, from his home in the country in Nova Scotia (Atlantic Canada). Jonathan is an accomplished comedic actor, writer, director and producer – having started in the entertainment business while still in high school.

By the time he starting developing his popular character J-Roc on the Trailer Park Boys in the early 2000s, Jonathan had long been diligently building his “Swiss army knife” cache of skills in the business. And it’s from this well that we draw oodles of wisdom, wit and introspection from Jonathan with this conversation. We learn the grounding effects of starting your day with shovelling poop, owning the things you don’t know and taking criticism as teaching moments.

We discuss the universal magic of silly and its victimless crimes, the power of “chameleon” as a verb and the tight link between joy and pain. We have a good time discussing funny and where his particular sweet spot of funny is – and why. We also hear about the literal (and metaphorical) choice he made while in Los Angeles between a casino commercial and a dentist visit that brought him back to understanding what he was actually made of … a man living in the quiet, creating, and visiting the noise.

Jonathan: a “thank you”.

Jonathan Torrens:

Production Company: https://www.canadiancontentstudios.com/

Website: www.FilmPrints.ca

Podcast – Taggart & Torrens: https://www.taggartntorrens.ca/

Book – Canadianity: (via Amazon)

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0868474/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1