- She grown up with a consciousness,
and I feel proud that she's carrying
that legacy with her intelligence and her powers
as well as her beauty and her talent.
Oh, dad.
[LAUGHTER]
It's the truth.
Hi, everybody.
I'm Maureen Leelenker, a digital writer
here at "Entertainment Weekly."
And I'm so excited to welcome you
to this very special conversation as part of "EW's
Awardist'" Emmy coverage.
Today, we're welcoming a very special duo,
a father and daughter, who are both Emmy nominated this year--
Ron Cephas Jones, who is nominated for outstanding guest
actor drama series for his portrayal of William on "This
Is Us."
And this is his fourth nomination.
And Jasmine Cephas Jones, who is nominated for outstanding
actress in a short film comedy or drama series for the role
of Tyisha in "#FreeRayshawn."
And this is her first nomination.
And so welcome, you guys.
Congratulations!
- Thank you, Maureen. - Thank you.
Thank you for having us. [LAUGHTER]
First off, I want to start by asking-- you know, getting
nominated for an Emmy is--
I'm sure it's thrilling, no matter what.
But you guys are in pretty rarefied air
being a father-daughter team nominated in the same year.
So does that just make it extra special for both of you?
100%.
I mean, the first time I'm nominated for an Emmy,
and I get to share it with my dad who
introduced me to theater at a very, very, very young age,
it's just--
it's a very full circle type of thing.
And you know, this stuff happens once in a blue moon,
once in a lifetime type thing.
And it's just really, really special.
It's definitely a very, very special
moment in time right now.
It's very hard for me not to get choked up
when I see my daughter, and I--
together at this point, it's hard to speak
from an actor's point of view.
I'm a parent looking at my child most of the time.
So it's very hard to speak from the heart, you know.
I can't find the words.
But exactly what Jasmine said, and it's just--
it's a special, rare, and unique moment that even early on,
I had visions of.
Well, so "This Is Us" obviously
already has a reputation for requiring a box of tissues
while you watch.
And then we bring in "#FreeRayshawn"
into the conversation, which is also very dramatic and tense.
So I have to ask, did you guys make
like a father-daughter pact to challenge each other to see
who can make America cry more?
[LAUGHTER]
No.
I've never really dealt with my show.
But certainly, I've always challenged her to do
the best work that she can.
I mean, I think also both of us as artists, we--
I think it's important to reflect the times and do--
have fun and make projects that are entertainment
but also that means something and are really important.
And we love to act, but we're also storytellers.
And being part of important projects
is even more important than just a regular role
or something like that.
I think we both love projects that are challenging
but that are also very important.
Well, so now we asked each of you
to choose a scene from your respective projects
to sort of dive a little more deeply into it
and talk about the work.
So Ron, I'm going to start with you.
You chose a scene from the episode "After The Fire,"
where Randall, played by Sterling K. Brown,
envisions alternate versions of his past
and that includes a version where he gets
to connect with his birth father, William, a lot earlier
in his life.
And in the scene you've selected,
William tells a younger Randall about his birth mother
and just how much he meant to William and Laurel.
I was wondering if you could tell me
more about my biological mom.
Oh.
Well, you know the feeling you get when you
take a sip of something hot?
That was Laurel.
She was a warm drink straight to your soul.
She stopped using when she was pregnant but right after you
were born, the old habits--
she didn't make it.
And me?
I didn't know the first thing about raising
the baby on my own.
You were never not wanted.
In fact, I wrote these for you a long time ago.
I never thought anyone else would see it besides me.
First off, just why did you choose the scene?
Why is this the one you wanted to focus on today?
Well, it was a turning point in Randall's life.
So that scene became very important
because the first time that I had to portray William
through Randall's dream or idea in his therapy session,
he was trying to explain or talk about what
he felt would have been--
what it would have been like if he would have seen his father--
met his father at an earlier age.
So my portrayal of William, I had never
done that before to portray William through Randall's eyes
and Randall's consciousness and that's what
made the scene very difficult.
You also get to revisit the "Poems for My Son," which
has been something that's tugged at our heart strings
since the very beginning of the show.
Was that emotional for you to revisit?
Or with it being through Randall's point of view,
did you have to reshape your relationship to it in any way?
That particular moment, no, because we were
already familiar with the book.
All the other stuff that wasn't familiar--
but the familiar stuff helped to make the scene full.
You know what I mean?
The other part was I had to keep referring to the writer
and director to remind me that it wasn't my specific
interpretation but Randall's.
So I had to keep checking in on that
like William might do this, but Randall's vision of William
might be doing this.
And so we had to explore what that might be like so that's
what made it difficult. It was a very collaborative scene,
where you had to constantly be referring
to the writer who, fortunately, was there and the director.
In addition to that sort of reframing
of whose point of view it is, it was also a chance for you
to work with Milo Ventimiglia and Niles Fitch,
which you've done very little with Niles.
And you haven't worked with Niles before.
So how did that change the process or the challenge
for you?
The brilliant, young actor.
Obviously, I'm watch-- I'm a fan of the show as well.
When I'm not on, then I watch it anyway.
So I love the sketch, and I love the work
that everybody does including Niles, so I was thrilled.
He's such a great kid and a young man.
And I just had a lot of fun.
And it was new.
It was the newness of seeing Randall at that age
and being in the scene with him, it was very joyful.
Now, Jasmine, over the last four years,
your dad has quickly become one of America's favorite dads.
What has that been like for you?
Is it weird, and is it fun to share him with all of us?
You know, it's so funny because I
remember off Broadway, and dad being in the theater.
And he would play these crazy, awesome villains--
[LAUGHTER]
--like in "Titus Andronicus" and "Jesus Hopped
the 'A' Train" in Lucius and they
were incredible characters to play,
but it was always the villain.
So to see him play this emotional dad and everybody
loves him and he's crying, it's just awesome to see, you know.
Jasmine, we're going to switch over to your scene now, which
is from early in the series.
In the scene, you're basically going to lay down the law here
and demand the truth from your husband, Rayshawn
and want to get to the heart of why
you're in this hostage situation that you found yourself in.
Tyisha!
Get down!
[SIRENS]
[THUD]
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Talk.
[SIGH]
I was the only one.
TYISHA: You just saw his father waving a gun,
bullets flying over our heads.
What do you think?
I'm trying to keep us alive.
TYISHA: I am not a soldier under your command, Ray.
I am your wife.
And I need you to talk now!
What do you want me to say, huh?
Tell me what you want me to say.
I want the truth.
They try and talk me into a drug deal.
I wasn't down with it.
That's the truth.
TYISHA: Some cops you've never seen,
never met just magically walked up to you, ask you for drugs.
Oh.
So all of a sudden, I want to build
a drug empire under your nose? - Ray--
RAYSHWAN: Huh?
And we got out of shit to cover the drug game, right?
Marble floors, jacuzzis, the beds outside?
You believe in that bullshit now?
God!
I was going to do what I had to do and make the rent,
but I walked away.
They said you tried to kill a cop.
RAYSHWAN: How about what I'm saying?
Because you always tell the truth, right?
I see that thirsty bitch down the hallway is pregnant.
Is it yours?
What?
What the fuck are you talking about?
No!
But you don't know for sure do you
Tyisha, why do you got to bring
this bullshit up right now?
Tyisha.
Ty!
MAUREEN LEELENKER: So first, same question that I asked Ron.
Why did you choose the scene?
Why was this the one you wanted to focus on?
Well, I think it's one of the only times
where you really get this rounded moment with her
and the tables have turned, and she--
you know, she really demands an answer.
I mean, throughout the whole beginning of the series,
their windows are-- their windows are exploding.
They're getting shot at.
There's tear gas getting thrown in their house,
and it's just so chaotic.
And you get this moment of silence,
and she's constantly asking her husband, Rayshawn, for answers.
And he's not giving it to her.
So she really-- this is a moment where
she really challenges him, and she's
not yelling at him at all.
It's such a great scene.
She's so soft, but she's so stern.
Yeah.
This scene also really starts to delve into the heart of what
the show is about, which is wrongly accused
Black man, police brutality, and justice,
the relationship between police and marginalized communities.
Obviously, this is something that has been going on
for decades, and people have been
trying to call attention to it and shine a light on it
for years.
But does it feel more emotional or more pertinent to be
nominated when the show sort of has ended up being part
of a moment where this is even more
in the national conversation than it
might have been previously?
Yeah.
I mean, this is a story that's not so far away from me.
This can happen to my father.
This can happen to my cousins, my best friends.
It can happen to me.
And I didn't really have to dive into something
and try to find this feeling.
It's something I understand very much.
And so-- I don't know.
I--
Yes.
To have this Emmy nomination is amazing,
and it's like the cherry on top.
But why I said yes to this project
is so people understand and get a look into what these victims
and their families go through.
And I think that's more important than any award
or any nomination.
I'm sure you're always proud of Jasmine.
But as she pointed out at the beginning,
she does seem to have a real knack for landing in projects
that speak to our current moment or are in some way trying
to foment change through art.
Is that something that makes you even prouder not to just see
her chasing her dream but also be participating
in work like that?
Not only proud of but as you know, in this business,
that's not easy to do.
You have to be willing to make certain sacrifices.
That struggle is between money and consciousness.
There are roles that are offered that you might not like,
but they have a financial gain.
And there are times where your consciousness will
lead you away from the money and into something more fulfilling.
But as you know, Maureen, those roles
don't always come up often.
And that's why now younger generation are
developing their own projects.
They're using the new technology to move forward and come out
of this old design of success and starting
to develop their own definition of what
success is in this business within the Hollywood framework.
And it's just a pleasure to watch her
and many others like her, how that direction is going,
and I'm thrilled about it.
My mother-- God rest her soul-- she would be thrilled
about it, who spent much of her life
in the civil rights movement.
So we have a history of being conscious.
I've always taught my daughter about the diaspora
and how she fits into all of this.
So she grown up with a consciousness,
and I feel proud that she's carrying that legacy
and with her intelligence and her power
as well as her beauty and her talent.
Oh, dad. [LAUGHS]
[LAUGHS]
It's the truth.
[LAUGHTER]
I know you guys were together in "Dog Days" a little bit,
but do you have plans to work together again?
Or is that something that's on your to-do list?
Yes.
Yeah.
I mean, we talk about it for sure.
And I think eventually, we'll find something.
But we always love to work together
and act with each other.
And it's awesome, and it's fun and--
sure, there will definitely be something on the line.
RON CEPHAS JONES: Oh yeah, it'll be revealed.
If either of you win, what are your plans to celebrate?
I mean, I think you're on opposite sides of the country
but hopefully, some champagne, a phone call.
[LAUGHS] What do you think it is?
Yeah.
[LAUGHS]
I don't know what we'll do, but it'll definitely start
with the phone call for sure.
And hopefully, when time allows us, we can see each other
and properly celebrate together face to face.
RON CEPHAS JONES: I think that's--
There's definitely a phone call for sure.
[LAUGHS]
A FaceTime.
It's the only unfortunate part about it
is that I can't actually give her a hug right now.
To be honest with you, I know it sounds cliche-ish,
but we've already won--
JASMINE CEPHAS JONES: Oh. - --right here.
You know what I mean?
That would be like putting icing on an already
very, very, very sweet cake.
[LAUGHS]
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
If that makes sense, and I'm only
speaking that also as a parent.
I mean, what else could you ask for?
God couldn't bless me more.
I mean, to win is right here talking
with you, with my daughter.
That's just beyond winning.
Well, cheers to that.
And congratulations to you both.
Congrats on the nomination.
Jasmine, congrats on what has been a crazy summer for you.
[LAUGHS] And thank you, guys, so much for joining us today.
Maureen-- and Maureen, you're--
- Thank you. - --the top.
You're the top.
Thanks so much for having us.
Oh.
Thanks, Ron.
The feeling is mutual.
[LAUGHS]
[LAUGHING]