Interview: Patrick J. Adams Discusses New Scripted Podcast Series, AMERICA 2.0

Patrick J. Adams, who is best known for starring on the hit USA series Suits, makes his podcast series debut in the new scripted series, America 2.0, created by JS Mayank and David Carlyle.

Adam stars as Seth McGuire, who is a first term Congressman. He's also an unflinching idealist and a profound optimist, so it should come as no surprise that he sucks at his job. When embroiled in his first ever controversy, Seth is completely ill-equipped to navigate D.C.'s political treachery. His only hope comes in a EUREKA moment, putting him at a crossroads: can his bold and revolutionary plan really save this country, or is he going to talk himself right out of office when people hear his (crazy) idea - to give every American citizen 1 million dollars?

Adams took a moment to speak with BroadwayWorld about the podcast series.

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I get to talk to you today about America 2.0, which is the podcast that I was introduced to and really enjoyed!

Great! Thank you!

America 2.0 is a example of how podcasts are bringing back the radio drama that our grandparents used to listen to, but in a much more modern and current way. Was that something that drew you into doing the show?

Yeah, I found myself listening to a lot of podcasts on my own time, not a ton of narrative. I'd only really been introduced to it through Homecoming, and obviously the same radio dramas you were talking about sort of historically, which I spent a lot of time listening to and was always intrigued by, but Homecoming I thought was really excellent and really engrossing and just in a different way in that it let your imagination do a lot of the work for you and that sort of seamless, beautiful sound design that helped tell the story. It's a really compelling way to tell a story, and as an actor, a fun way to go in and play without having to be in front of the camera and worry things like your hair, your makeup, what clothes you're gonna wear. It is entirely about the way you tell the story with your voice, and with the other actors. So that sounded like a lot of fun to me, to try and figure out and then work with J.S and their team, like, they had a really strong sensibility about how we were gonna tie everything together, and they pulled together great actors.

Did you find it to be a different challenge acting with only your voice?

Yeah, I mean it definitely--you have to get used to not being able to communicate certain like more I guess subtle things, which is a lot of what acting is, is communicating things that are going on when you're not talking. And so it's an interesting challenge to try and keep a performance sort of nuanced and subtle, without being able to communicate those things using your body, your face, your breath. I think we just sort of cracked the surface of it. This is the first thing I've done like that, so I definitely walked away thinking, oh, next time I want to try that! Next time I want to be a little bit more diligent about my spaces, but I think they did such a good job of editing it together, and one of the more difficult constructs of this project too has been a lot of us as actors couldn't be in the same room at the same time.

Oh, really?

Yeah! That added another layer where performances were being done with us not having worked with each other or met each other, like Kate Walsh and I have not met.

So you recorded separately from each other and then they just put it together?

Yeah, I can't remember technically exactly why we couldn't do that, but there was a really good reason for why it would actually kind of gum things up more to try and speak a recording that she had done and have me play opposite. I don't exactly remember because I wasn't totally tied in to the technical part of everything, but it was sort of like that might actually slow us down more than me reading it with someone in the room, who's a good actor! I was reading with good actors. But- and they had to some of Kate's stuff rather than trying to replicate you know exactly what she did, it was more just being in the moment with a real-life human being and interact with

That's awesome, you don't even realize while listening that you're not really having a conversation together.

Yeah, I think they did a really nice job with that. It was a testament to these guys, and how hard they worked, as good as they were, that they could kind of keep all of those balls in the air and juggle it just right.

Definitely. So, your character Seth obviously is very passionate about helping Americans and it's a character that, in times like these you want to see and want to listen to. Did you find yourself having any similarities with the character, any ways that you kind of connected on a personal level with the character?

I enjoy somebody who is excited about the process of governing, helping people, and definitely wants to do good. I mean, obviously, we live in pretty dark times at the moment, and everybody's feeling pretty disenfranchised, and I think very few people I know legitimately trust any sort of government body right now. So I think just the idea that we believe that people in positions of power have the capacity to do good, that we have someone who wants to do good, and that person would be really young, and, you know, to the current institutions in place would seem naive and silly, it was fun that he would come up with something so completely insane, that it might actually work. And obviously that hook, of giving everyone a million dollars the inspiration. Is that a thing that we could do? How would that work? And they had done a fair amount of research about it, it's not actually that crazy, I mean, it IS obviously crazy, but, there are valid reasons how that might actually help the economy, and help bolster the population of the United States, and maybe give rise to a middle class that's been disappearing, so all of that I thought was really fun to play, and if you're gonna play a politician, why not go for somebody a little bit more aspirational than our current leaders?

Is that a takeaway that you want audiences to have from listening to the show and kind of going along the story with Seth?

Yeah, I think, for me, and for J.S. I think the takeway is that you can listen to something to do with the government and not like walk away feeling like you need a shower. That you can put something on and be like, oh, wow. Obviously these are fictional characters, but it feels good to hear people talking about hope and change and working to the benefit of others. That just would feel nice. I think that's a welcome change from what everybody else is hearing every second they turn on the radio and listen to the news.

Is there a second season in the works?

I actually have no idea. I can't comment, cause I don't know exactly what their specific plans are. I think they've been working so hard to get this first season out, and, uh, and get an audience for this, that they are open to whatever the powers that be might ask of them.

Would you want to see America 2.0 as a television series, or do you think it's perfect in the form it is right now?

I, personally, as someone who also likes to develop stuff in my spare time and know how difficult it is, even though we have sort of a glut of things in television landscape, still know how difficult it is to get something made, and get it through development, get it shot, get it made. The idea of using podcasts as places to develop things like this, to prove that they work, that they're interesting, that they're compelling, over a long period of time, that you have the capacity to tell an interesting story on a creative platform, it's all really doable for someone who might not have the resources to get through in television. So I'm all for anybody who'd find a way to take something like this to television. I love the medium of podcasts, but I think a good story's a good story, and if you can take it from where it is now, from where it lives, which is special and you can evolve it into a television series, I don't see why not. It'd be great, it's a whole new world of making sure you get the right EP, and the right directors, right producers, and the right writers, and it's just a big step up that I think the story is very strong enough to keep people interested, so I think that if J.S. wants to do it, we can get him to do it. It would be great to see it as a television series, but it's also equally as captivating as a podcast. As I listened to America 2.0, I so quickly realized how easy it is to fall into the story and see the world in your own head.

Patrick: Yeah. I think it- I think there's almost something so powerful in that. You get to close your eyes and let your imagination run wild. You get to imagine where these people are and let your brain do all the work. I think there's something sort of magical about that. So I wouldn't be surprised if you see, you know, more, not just inspired by America 2.0, but I think we're going to hear more scripted podcast series. They're just easier to use, and I think there's a ton of creative people who are dying to create, and it's difficult to get the money and the resources to do it. So I'm hoping that there's a lot more stuff to be made.

The platform podcasting gives for people to tell their stories is really important and it has given us so much new content.

Right, and you get to be original, that's the other fantastic part about this. People can say "I have an idea that no one's ever done before, let me try it out." Any time a piece of technology or new media comes around that can allow interesting creative voices to do what they're supposed to do and tell interesting, new stories--That's what I want.

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Creator JS Mayank also commented on the series saying,"Politics is supposed to be aspirational, yet it's become anything but. With AMERICA 2.0, we wanted to create a series that depicts the world of politics, not as it is, but as it could be. We wanted to get back to positivity and hope. To accomplish that, we had the herculean task of creating a politician we could truly root for. And with Patrick embodying the titular character, we were able to accomplish that. Patrick is a consummate professional, a gifted artist, and a true collaborator. He BECAME Seth. He elevated our words with his impassioned, sincere, and earnest performance, and was an absolute delight to work with. Couldn't have asked for a better person to lead the charge on our series."

To listen to America 2.0 visit www.reinventingtomorrow.com or listen on your preferred streaming site.