Now playing on Machinima Prime is a new series from a surprising star/writer, Orlando Jones. It turns out that he’s a comic book aficionado and absolutely loves graphic novels. His new series, Tainted Love is an interesting mix of media, combining live action with a graphic novel. The story however, is not for the kiddies: the plot is urban, contemporary, and if it was rated it would certainly be an “R”.
Orlando Jones stars as Barry, a criminal suffering from “Tainted Love.” He’s a hustler who has a way of making ends meet, but when he hooks up with lady love, ‘Jezebel’, played by Deanna Russo (Being Human, Burning Love), things start to go crazy, including a non-so-planned pregnancy.
Notorious good actor who plays bad guys, Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables), brings his own brand of tough guy to the production as well. He plays a crime boss not unlike the one he played as Marconi in Nolan’s Batman. In addition, Maz Jobrani (Axis of Evil Comedy Tour) and Jim Jefferies (Legit) bring comedic touches to the show.
In an exclusive interview I spoke with Orlando about this hilarious, laugh out loud series.
Allie Hanley: Tell me about your new series ‘Tainted Love’, that you wrote and also star in.
Orlando Jones: It is an action comedy, graphic novel, at least that’s how I describe it anyway. The ideology is really just based on that we all love things that we are not supposed to, and as amazing as love is, it is often tainted.
I really like that idea and I really thought telling the story about characters that people think have no dignity and therefore, people treating them as if they have no humanity. Just an idea that I was interested in exploring.
Barry and Jezebel are two criminals having a kid, which felt to me like “Tainted Love.” They love the criminal parts of their lives, and at the same time they are having a kid which just seemed like crazy making to me.
AH: So your show is part live action, part graphic novel; Whose idea was that, and how hard was that to incorporate into live action story?
OJ: I think there were a lot of challenges to figure out. It was definitely an idea that I had and the simple idea was that if you were to create Batman or Iron Man, or whatever the comic book is, you wouldn’t do it the same way you would do it in the 50’s or the 60’s, even the 70’s for that matter, where in you would draw this and then launch it in the print business. I mean every week we hear about the dying print business and how everything is moving to digital so I thought in 2013 if I was to launch a graphic novel into the space, I thought where would I do that and how would I do that? It meant that it had to be live action and how would that come to life? It also meant that you had to go where that audience is, and that would be Machinima. At the time I didn’t know anyone really at Machinima. At the time I didn’t think I was going to walk in and pitch them a live action graphic novel and have them go great, let me write you a check. So I felt the burden was really on me if I wanted to tell that story, and try to figure out how to do it with my partners.
Ultimately what you are looking at is pretty much collaboration with those individuals. It’s been an exciting ride. Incorporation of art created a whole other set of different issues because it needed to feel that the graphic novel was the basis of it, and that it was in fact, coming alive.
It meant first deciding what your art was going to look like; and then secondly the art needed to be original and fresh. Thirdly that the visual effects elements were there to make it come alive, and lastly that the narrative felt organic.
A lot of that was trial and error, and a lot of that was planning. Frankly we were just fortunate that it all came together, happy that it all came together. It certainly affects the way we told the story, because the rules are different on Machinima than they are on a traditional expense.
AH: Your series rolls at a fast pace, and is definitely for adults. Your co-star Deanna Russo has a lot of screen time with you, and a lot of skin to skin action as well. Tell me about that, and if you guys were friends before that…. And just for fun, can you do it in an Alabama accent since I know that’s your home state?
OJ <in a crazy Southern Accent>: Well I remember seeing her a couple times on the television… and she’s hot to trot. So I asked her if she would come on over and meet with me. And she came on down there, and she had the right spirit and the right attitude and I didn’t want her to be some side-arm, ya know what I mean? So she’s a comic book nerd herself -ya know? And I wanted her not to be the way so many other women are portrayed on television – ya know? What I mean, not another girlfriend or just a pair a boobs. I told her she was driving this, and I am going to be following you. Then she looked at me like I was crazy; and then she thought I was bullshittin’ but I wasn’t. And that there is the way it came together.
AH: Thanks for cracking us up with that funny accent! You’re the best! So in episode 2 we get a look at “Fred Lucus” played by Eric Roberts in a role that looks similar to the one he played in the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, will we be seeing a lot of him in the 6 episodes?
OJ: You will see pieces of him, they are definitely there. In this story I wanted to spend most of my time with the two lead characters. Eric is hysterical and amazing in it. But I think he represents an image (for me), the type of bad guy that’s very funny. His interest in violence is really secondary to his interest in his brand of playing the bad ass. For me, he does things for his brand and he doesn’t really do things that are personal. So “Barry” creates a scenario where he invokes him in personal way. I don’t want to spoil it.
We’ve been fortunate to take this to the big screen and you will get to see more of that character as it plays out. Because there is a definitely an idea of how a bad guy is suppose to be, not just a pretend bad guy.
AH: He’s got the look, that’s for sure.
OJ: Ha ha, yes he does.
Looking for more from Orlando Jones? He’ll be joining Jonathan on Thurday’s episode of Geekscape! Check it out at 6PM PST on the Toadhop Network! Watch chapter one of Tainted Love below, and let us know what you think!