IN CONVERSATION WITH JOSH SEGARRA

Interview by Jana Letonja

American actor Josh Segarra is a dynamic and undeniable presence whose talents as an actor on screen and stage are quickly establishing him in the industry. This Spring he joined the ‘Scream’ franchise in the latest installment ‘Scream VI’ and also starred in Apple TV+ comedy ‘The Big Door Prize’, which aired its season finale in May and has been already renewed for a second season. Currently, we can watch Josh in HBO Max comedy series ‘The Other Two’. This July, he will also star opposite Stephen Amell as Brooks Rizzo in the Starz wrestling drama series ‘Heels’.

Josh, we’ve just been able to watch you in Apple TV+ comedy series ‘The Big Door Prize’, which is based on the best-selling novel of the same name and tells the story of a small town that is forever changed when a mysterious machine appears in the grocery store, promising to reveal each resident’s true life potential. Tell us more about your favorite stories that we got to see in this first season.

I love the story as a whole, the idea of what would happen if you thought everything was going status quo or as you wanted it to go or as you prepared for it to go, and all of a sudden there’s this sudden shift because of this machine. I love the audience getting to meet Giorgio. He’s been such a fun character to play. I play the youngest Italian American goalie in New York Ranger’s history. I injure my catching hand by deadlifting 780 pounds. And that number changes every time he tells the story, of course. I just love the audience getting to see Giorgio’s restaurant. I used to work at a restaurant called ‘Olive Garden’, that was one of my summer jobs. I’m obsessed with ‘Olive Garden’, I still go to it on my birthday every year. I like to think that I get to bring some expertise of mine into the character.

It’s just been a lot of fun to play in this world. I’m obsessed with the idea of meeting the characters and you think that they are one thing, but as you get to know them, you realize that they’re something completely different. Our show is comprised of all those characters, characters that are all one thing on the surface, but then you quickly learn that there’s much more to them, just like we all are. That’s part of human nature, it takes peeling the layers away to see what they’re really made of, what makes their heart flutter, what makes them smile, what hurts them, what makes them who they are. And with Giorgio, I think that he’s exactly that. He’s very layered, figuratively and literally. And I like the journey of getting to peel away his layers as we go.

full look GIORGIO ARMANI

In the series, you play Giorgio, a former hockey player, local celebrity and the owner of a combination Italian restaurant and sports center, who is widely recognized as Deerfield’s most eligible bachelor. How was it portraying Giorgio? Do you find any similarities between him and yourself?

That’s funny. I think he has given himself the moniker of Deerfield’s most eligible bachelor, which I think is hilarious. I would say that with Giorgio, I love portraying him. When you meet him, he might come off a little brash, he sometimes might speak a little too loudly, he sometimes might be a little embarrassing, but I like the idea that the reason he is that way is because he’s insecure. He’s nervous, he’s looking for approval and he’s looking for love. Sometimes he’s looking in the wrong places, as with Cass and Dusty. But I see him as being that way with Cass and Dusty because he loves what they have and he wants it so badly that he just tries to interject himself in there every once in a while, sometimes inappropriately.

You learn along the way that his dad left him when he was young, so he takes his stepfather’s name Giorgio. And he talks about how whenever he ate a big bowl of pasta and he cleaned up the plate, his stepdad was so proud of him. Or anytime he stopped a puck, his dad was so proud of him. That’s who he is. He’s just somebody that wants to be told he’s doing okay, somebody that wants to be told that he’s loved and he feels like he’s a part of something. I love the journey that he’s on in this first season. 

The series has been renewed for a second season. What can we expect to see when it will return to our screens?

I think that we’ll get to dive deeper into these characters. The first season is all about getting to know them and getting to know the relationships that exist in Deerfield. And in the second season, we’re going to really dissect those relationships. New relationships begin and some relationships end. We’re going to see the makings of all of those trappings. We’re going to see the effects that these cards have had on this town and we’re going to dive deeper into the themes of the show, of hope and potential. Potential is the possibility of something to come.

There’s a saying that seeing is believing. But there’s an old philosopher that had coined that that’s not the appropriate way of the saying. The saying should be that believing is seeing, because that’s what this whole town is going through. They see this card and they’re believing what they want out of the card. And then they see it come to fruition. That’s what Giorgio’s trying to do. He sees superstar and he’s trying to tell himself over and over again “I’m believing that I’m a superstar”, so that way he could actually feel it in his life. He misses that feeling of being a superstar when he was playing hockey, so now he wants to be a superstar in his restaurant. He wants to show love to everybody. He wants everyone to have a good time. And that’s what I think is his driving force.

This March we’ve been able to see you in ‘Scream VI’, the latest installment of ‘Scream’ franchise. How was it being a part of such an iconic franchise? Have you watched all previous ‘Scream’ films?

I’ve watched all of them. I remember vividly where I was for the first ‘Scream’. It has a huge impact on me. I still remember that scene opening, the back sliding door and seeing the guy in the letterman jacket roped up on the chair, tied to the chair, that phone call. I remember all the spoof movies that came after, all the ‘Scary Movies’. Those were huge. They all had a huge impact on me. And joining ‘Scream’ has been an honor. I’m such a fan of some of the actors that have come along before in this iconic franchise, like Live Schreiber, David Arquette, Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell. Just knowing that I’m part of that list now is an honor.

And then the other side of that is actually shooting it. Getting to shoot a horror movie is awesome. Having it take place in New York City and representing New York, getting to shoot across from an alleyway, slamming open a window, talking nonsense to Ghostface, bringing a little New York to it. That whole scene in the bodega with the shotgun, I loved it. 

You’re also starring in HBO Max comedy series ‘The Other Two’, which follows two floundering millennial siblings who must grapple with their 13-year-old brother’s overnight internet fame. What can we expect from the remaining episodes of the third season?

I love working on ‘The Other Two’. In this third season, it picks up three years after the pandemic, so you see the effects that it had on this family and the effects of where now you see that not only is Chase a very famous public figure, you now have Molly Shannon’s character Pat a very famous figure. She has become so famous that she can’t even enter certain restaurants anymore. She has to fly private now. All these things definitely have an effect on the other two, on Cary and Brooke. 

And you get to see where Lance and Brooke are now in their relationship. They’re engaged at the start of the season. And that’s what I love about those two, that we’ve seen them in every wave of their relationship. They are ride or dies. They’re best friends. The meaning of the best relationships are lifelong conversations. They are two partners communicating. That’s what makes the best friendships and relationships. And we get to see them at this point in their relationship where Brooke is feeling like she’s not doing good and Lance is pursuing another dream of his, which was to be a nurse, to do good, to serve others. And comedy ensues.

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You’ve done quite some recurring roles on TV so far. How was it starring in the police and crime dramas, like ‘Chicago PD’ and ‘FBI’? 

‘FBI’ and ‘Chicago PD’ were awesome. My dad loved ‘Chicago PD’, so anytime my parents are fans of what I’m doing, I’m a very happy camper. And ‘FBI’ was the same. Getting to work on shows like that, that is my little kid dream coming to life, getting to play cops and robbers. 

In ‘Chicago PD’, I love that Justin was another side to Hank, because Hank is such a beloved character. And I love Jason Beghe, who plays my dad on there. He’s all heart, that’s my big teddy bear right there. So getting to play Justin, his son, and getting to see his emotional side play out on screen, I think was a gift for the viewers because you don’t get to see that a lot from him. It only shows his range. You get to know what he is like with his son and that was such a great element of that show. 

And then with ‘FBI’ it is something different, where I come in and I get to be friction. I get to be something that both Zeeko and Missy have to play off of. I get to come in and cause some ruckus and you don’t quite know what Nestor’s up to. But I like a character like that, where you can’t quite put your finger on him. Same thing that we were talking about with Giorgio. He seems one way when you meet him, but there’s something else going on behind the mask. And that’s what Nestor Vertiz was. He was just another wall for them to run up to, but in reality he was there to work with them and help them out. And shooting in New York City, all throughout the streets of New York, different parts of the city, shooting in Chicago, just getting to work in parts of the city that I hadn’t quite known, those things are great too. Shows like that, where you’re shooting all throughout the city and it’s very gorilla style, is just really fun. 

Do you still watch these shows?

Absolutely. I’m a fan first and foremost. Everything that I’m on, I watch as a fan. I love to pop in there, especially after I get to know the actors. I’m just watching them work and I love watching to see what choices they’re making and where they take the characters. I love television, I love film, I love the theater, I love reality TV, so for me to get to do it as my job will never take away the joy for me from getting to watch. Once I’m a fan, I’m a fan for life. I got to support my friends. Every job that I do, I’m just really appreciative that they let me come and be a part of it. And with every new job, they bring a new fan on, that’s me.

What excites you the most about being part of a TV show that’s going on for a longer period than a film?

I think exactly that. I think it’s the relationships that you build. Whenever you work on a project, you go through the fire with this team, you build these bonds that will last a lifetime. And that is pretty unlike any other job. You spend years with these people, build these relationships, you see each other spend the best times and the hardest of times. People have kids throughout the journey. And when you’re done and you say bye to everybody, there’s always a piece of you that stays with that project. I’ve put a piece of me into every project. I get to meet a whole new group of artists and we build something beautiful together. At the end we try our best to put a bow on it and go onto the next thing and take whatever we’ve learned from that process and bring it on to the next one and make that one as best as we can.

How challenging is it to juggle your acting career with your personal life?

I’m very blessed for what I get to do and I’m very honored that I have the opportunities that I’ve gotten. The artists that I’ve gotten to work with, they’ve given me a chance to create something with them. And my family, that’s the best role I’ve ever played, being a dad. I’ve got three boys at home and I have an amazing partner and wife, who just is an incredible mother. We’re blessed to be able to give my sons an opportunity to travel and they get to come see dad at work, they get to go hang out in the trailer.

My son’s teacher told us the other day after school that he had told her that dada was getting chased by Ghostface . And she was like “What? ” He’s like “Yeah, my dada is getting chased by Ghostface”. Well, he’s not wrong, he’s actually telling the truth. The other day he announced to his entire class that dada listens to Bad Bunny and that dada is in a photo with Bad Bunny. Once again, he’s not lying, because I had done an interview where they asked me about professional wrestling and I mentioned that I’d love to tag team with Bad Bunny. So at home I was showing my wife this photo, our three-year-old sees this and of course that’s the reality to him. Dad is in a photo with this guy, Bad Bunny, and we watch his music videos all the time, so they’re friends. That’s just how this goes, that’s their reality. It’s so fun. I’m sure that one out of the three boys, maybe even all three, will end up in show business and I’ll be there to support them. Maybe we’ll hear about the Segarra brothers one day, you never know.

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When you’re not on set, how are you spending your free time? Any special hobbies or passions that you can share with us?

When I’m not working, it’s family time. I’ve got three young boys and it’s just trying to get to as many field trips as I can. We like to draw together, we’ll play video games together. I got my son an old super Nintendo with Super Mario and Donkey Kong and we love playing those. With my three-year-old and my six-year-old it’s a lot of wrestling. Like I told you, we’re big wrestling fans in the house, so a lot of wrestling, a lot of hide and seek. We’ll build Legos together. It’s family time. That’s where I want to put as much time as I can. 

I always dreamt about being a dad. My dad is incredible. I come from really good parents who’ve just supported me my whole life. They were there as much as they could be. They were balancing a career in the pharmacy and being great parents, and told me as much as they could that they loved me and my brother and my sister. And that’s all I want to be for my family. 

If I’m out of town working and my family’s not able to be with me, I’m watching old movies. I’m watching reality TV. I’m watching ‘Survivor’, ‘The Amazing Race’ and ‘The Challenge’ on MTV. I’m picturing what I would be doing if I was on ‘Survivor’, what tactics I would use. I’m playing my own video games, I’m playing my PS Five. I travel with it when I’m not home. And I take myself to dinner all the time and listen to a podcast. I love listening to the podcasts, whether it be talking or a wrestling podcast or a murder crime podcast. Just trying to keep it real chill. 

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Josh, this July you will star opposite Stephen Amell in Starz professional wrestling series ‘Heels’. Tell us more about this project.

Thankfully I didn’t have to physically prepare too much because my role doesn’t require me to be in the ring. I’ll keep that as a surprise what the character is. But before I was even on the show, I watched every episode of the first season because I’m friends with Stephen and because I’m a wrestling fan. I was just so excited. I remember the first text he sent me that said “You’re not going to believe what show we just closed, that I’m going to start soon”. I watched every episode as a fan. I’m a big fan of Mike O’Malley, the showrunner over there. 

I said to Stephen one day “Hey man, whenever you need me, I’m ready to come play”. And one day Mike called and said “Hey, it’s time”. They brought me on and I’m really excited for that to come out. I’m really excited for season two as a fan, first and foremost. I just love what they’re doing over there. I love the music of the show. I love the feeling that it gives you, that small town wrestling organization. I love the story of brothers, the connection of family and what family goes through. I’ve got little boys, I’m the oldest of three, I’ve got a younger brother and a younger sister, so the idea of brotherly love and what that means, I’m a sucker for that show. And to be on it, it’s an honor. 

talent JOSH SEGARRA
photographer EMILIO TAMEZ @e.miliotamez
stylist RYAN C. GALE @ryancgale
groomer RUTH FERMANDEZ @msruthiemakeup
photography assistant NICO DANIELS @nico.daniels
styling assistant DYER SHARPE @diorsharpe
set design EVAN JEAN @3vanjean
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA @timiletonja