I was lucky to be part of a recent interview with actor Jordan Rhodes on the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast. Jordan worked with Bronson on two separate movies almost twenty years apart, MR. MAJESTYK (1974) and THE INDIAN RUNNER (1991), so he does offer valuable insight to my favorite actor. Jordan also worked with so many great actors like Joe Don Baker, Sean Penn, Andy Griffith, Gregory Peck, etc., etc. One of the most interesting works of his career is a stage play he developed about Ernest Hemingway entitled PAPA: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND. I’ve seen a filmed version of the play on DVD and I can confirm that it’s incredible. He toured this play for over 7 years, with the emergence of Covid in 2020 effectively ending its run. During those Covid years, Jordan did find time to write a biography entitled “The Life of a Blue Collar Actor,” which I also own and have read. It’s such an interesting take on what life is like for your basic working actor who never becomes a star, but somehow carves out a four decade career. I found it very entertaining.
If you’re interested in character actors like Jordan Rhodes, you should enjoy this. You’ll find that we do very little interviewing. He just gets to talking and it goes from there. I did want to point out that he does misspeak about a situation in Bronson’s personal life during the episode. He issued this statement on his Facebook page a few days after we recorded:
“I want to apologize for making a misstatement about the death of Charlie’s son, which I quoted as having shot himself on Charlie’s Vermont farm. I was given that misinformation by a producer prior to working with Charlie on a film, and it was incorrect. Charlie’s adopted son, Jason, died from an overdose, and I apologize for making the misstatement.“
We sincerely thank Jordan Rhodes for taking the time to speak to movie nerds like us! I hope you enjoy!