Interview: Jay Will on Portraying Rob Peace, Getting the Family’s Blessing

ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to Rob Peace star Jay Will about starring in the new film by Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor. Will discussed working with Ejiofor, getting the blessing from Peace’s mother, and more. The film is now playing exclusively in theaters.

“Directed, adapted by, and starring Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Rob Peace follows the true story of a brilliant young man (Jay Will) torn between his father’s shadowed past and his own promising future. Raised by his devoted mother (Academy Award nominee Mary J. Blige, Mudbound), Rob risks everything he has worked for to free his imprisoned father (Ejiofor). Also starring Camila Cabello and based on the New York Times bestseller by Jeff Hobbs,” says the synopsis.

Tyler Treese: Yyou give such a wonderful performance. This being based on a true story just adds so much weight to everything that happens throughout. As an actor, knowing that this very tragic story actually happened, did that change your approach or help you connect with the material?

Jay Will: Man, that’s a great question. For me, I always honor my upbringing and how my mother raised me, and I honor my father and how he raised me. I understand that there is a specific protocol, there’s order in a lot of things. For me, in this case, applying that knowledge, I feel like the order was to speak with his family, first. Specifically his mom, and asked if I can get the blessing of doing the role. So I went to New Jersey, spoke to the family, and they sure gave me the blessing. But did feel the responsibility of bringing justice to his life since for generations his father dealt with mad injustice.

So I felt like I had an opportunity to bring a more positive light to his life and awareness to it. So, just the preliminary process for me, I had to go deal with the family and go talk to the family and make sure that I got their respect and I got their blessing. But once that happened, then the artistic stuff came. I can’t skip that first step for me only because it was a real person.

Mind you, if I’m playing like a fictional character in Marvel or something, what am I gonna do? Go to Zeus, and be like, “Hey, please let me play…” like, no. So, it worked out pretty cool on this one where I was like, you know, looked them up on Facebook family and found ’em, hit ’em up, got invited to the crib, and it was up from there.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is both the director and actor in this. I wanted to ask you about working with him as an actor first because he plays your father in this film. We see that relationship really get tested the more his father is imprisoned, and we see that even the son has doubts about his innocence because when that injustice just happens for such a prolonged period, I think it’s just natural to be like, “Oh, did this actually happen?”

Those doubts are very natural, and you both convey those emotions so wonderfully throughout this film. So, what stood out about Chiwetel as a scene partner? Because you both have these wonderful scenes together.

I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I learned how to cry on command through this project, man. I learned how to turn that thing on in a matter of seconds, and it had more to do with the inner life that I carried and brought to the role. So I’m with him doing the jail scenes, and I’m sitting there. You just have to believe it [that] you are in a real jail. These are real phones, and [that it’s] true.

It is so believable that you look at his eyes, and you can’t play anymore. Nothing’s funny, nothing’s a joke, and he believes it so much. It startled me a little bit. I’m like, whoa. Like we were just over here joking, but now it’s like you’re in it, you know? So he pushed me, man. He really helped me to be a better actor, just dive into the seriousness of it all, and just to go at whatever length to make it real.

He’s one of our great living actors right now, and he’s such a talent. So having such a experienced actor as your director, how was that relationship? Because you can’t get better advice than him.

Oh, you can’t, man. You can’t. He was one of my like stars growing up when I didn’t even know if I wanted to get into acting when I didn’t know what my direction was. I get with him, and now we’re working together, and he’s like my coach. A mentor on an artistic mentorship level. Teaching me about what it takes to really tell that truth to a level of my eyeline, what it means when I look up here, what it means when I look down. Very detail oriented stuff he wanted. So he spoke that language, man, it’s like your favorite actor would want it. This type of movie is your favorite actor’s favorite actor’s movie. You wanna do this movie as an actor because of the people that’s in it, you know? It makes you a better artist.

I can’t think of a cooler on-screen mom than Mary J. Blige. That’s such a delight. I know you’re both musicians, so how is it working with somebody who also has that experience of really balancing her creative pursuits?

Man, I think it’s the same thing. The vocals of a singer is emotional. You’re singing these long notes. It’s just emotion coming up in the form of vocals. Here, the translation to an actor, is you literally saying the words. It’s like you’re saying the words that come from an emotional place. To see her translate, that was very inspiring. I mean, again, I’m in my first preliminary years into this professional world, she’s figured this out and been translating. So I took notes. I humbled myself. Though I was number one on the call sheet, I humbled myself to the fact that these people know so much in their own part of it too, so I can learn from them too.

That’s such a great attitude as well. You’ve been working with so many legends lately, like Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King. Talk to me about that attitude of soaking everything in.

Man, it just works out, man. I just, I can’t go around acting like I know it all. I’ve been blessed. I’ve hit lightning in a little bottle with this. Sly just feels so inspired to give me insight, and to give me little pointers and tips, and help me be a better actor as well. I guess if I keep that student in mind, the legends and people will wanna give insight because we all want to teach. We all want to feel like we know something, and for me to absorb that it’s just a way of showing my respect and gratitude because it’s a blessing that I’m here, you know?

Sly is the man. Shout out to Sylvester, Mr. Stallone. He’s a great guy, for sure, Really great actor. A hustler, for sure.

Thanks to Jay WIll for speaking about Rob Peace.

Tyler Treese

Tyler Treese is ComingSoon and SuperHeroHype's Editor-in-Chief. An experienced entertainment journalist, his work can be seen at Sherdog, Fanbyte, Rock Paper Shotgun, and more. When not watching the latest movies, Treese enjoys mixed martial arts and playing with his Shiba Inu, Kota.