Down to earth Jared Keeso hits pay dirt with ‘Letterkenny’
One in a series of casual conversations with movers and shakers in (and from) our cultural community
He’s an unrepentant hayseed, a Canadian symbol of small-town defiance, who mixes it up with meth-head “skids” and thick-skulled hockey players in a rural community that bears a suspicious similarity to tiny Listowel.
“Here’s a tip — don’t fart in a spacesuit!”
A cross between William Butler Yeats and a scatological Mr. Spock, his eloquently robotic rants — poetic soliloquies smeared with horse manure — have made filmed-in-Sudbury “Letterkenny” a cultural phenomenon since its CraveTV debut two years ago following three years of YouTube shorts.
Meet Listowel native Jared Keeso, 34, a former Jr. B hockey player with the Listowel Cyclones who attended Listowel District Secondary School and studied theatre at the University of Waterloo before dropping out to launch his acting career in Vancouver.
With a flair for linguistics and an engagingly taciturn manner, his TV alter ego has become as iconically recognizable as Bob and Doug McKenzie and the “Trailer Park Boys,” a Canadian “Seinfeld” obsessed with burping etiquette and the correct pronunciation of “L.A.” (“L. Aye? L. Aiii? L. Ayyyy?”)
Because he was born in feisty, unfussy Waterloo Region with his hometown ingrained in his art, the winner of multiple Canadian Screen Awards remains as refreshingly down-to-earth as a mud-encased tractor wheel or mashed yellow corn husk. Beer and hockey. That’s all I hear about “Letterkenny.” When are you gonna tackle more refined subjects like opera singing and interior design?
Tough to beat beer and hockey. What’s this about designing opera interiors? How much can you mine your real life and hometown for inspiration? At what point do you have to start fabricating plot lines?
“Letterkenny” is fiction, so whatever I think is funny on any given day when I begin writing. “Letterkenny” is fiction? Come on
— it has “Listowel” written all over it.
In high school we had the hicks, the skids and the hockey players. Direct inspiration from Listowel starts and ends there. Everything past that is exaggerated/embellished for the sake of comedy. What’s the most Listowel-like thing about your series? Extreme pride in community and the people you share it with. Describe the typical “Letterkenny” fan.
When we toured the live show across Canada this past spring, there was no consistency whatsoever in age or race with the folks who came through. That made me feel pretty damn good. Everyone knows someone from “Letterkenny.” There’s accessibility there. Tell me about your most dramatic encounter on the street?
There’s a homeless man I see every day in my Montreal neighbourhood named Jean. I was walking down the street in Toronto this past Christmas and saw him in front of a Tim Hortons. I couldn’t believe it. I gave him a hug and said, “How the hell did you get here?” He told me later that he jumps trains ... Wait, did you mean most dramatic encounter on the street re: “Letterkenny?” I think it was fairly obvious. I live mostly in Montreal. No one
cares about “Letterkenny” there. Do your grandparents/parents get all the jokes, or like my parents, do they just pretend to get them but support you unconditionally?
I write this show for Listowel. My parents and grandparents live there, so they get most of the jokes, while supporting me unconditionally. My grandma was asking about you when I was home a couple of weeks ago. What, your grandma was asking about me?
She’s kept up with your columns since I first interviewed with you a while back. Pretty sure you have a fan there. You seem smart, intelligent, thoughtful. Why are you so good at playing dim-witted, vulgar barbarians who think with their fists?
I don’t think I’ve ever played a character like that. Wayne (in “Letterkenny”) is smart, intelligent and thoughtful. He’s the product of his surroundings. People drink and fight in “Letterkenny.” There are worse things. Sorry, that was my description of you in your 2010 miniseries, “The Don Cherry Story” — did I get it wrong? Don Cherry is a national treasure . ... (sardonic pause) ... Don’t provoke me. Jared is an interesting name, but not one you run into every day. How
did you make out in middle school? I was just fine till the Subway guy came along. Subway guy ... you mean Jared Fogle, the restaurant chain mascot sentenced to 15 years in prison for ... Moving on. I want to teach my sons, aged eight and 10, to grow up to be like the characters in “Letterkenny.” What are the main things they need to know?
OK, I’ll humour you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Work hard, play hard. The show is a TV juggernaut and cultural phenomenon. After years of struggle, the gravy train has arrived. What’s next for Jared Keeso — stretch limos? Fur coats? House servants? The dog’s food is so premium I could eat it. I may have to when luck inevitably swings the other way. “Letterkenny” recently got the green light for 40 more episodes. Even top-flight shows on American networks don’t get pickups like that. How did you pull this off ?
Full credit to our producer Mark Montefiore. It didn’t even cross my mind to ask for that. Forty episodes means job security for the next three years. The fact I didn’t have that for my first 10 years in this business is not lost on me. As a big-city snob from Toronto, the small-town humour of “Corner Gas” irritated me, yet I find your take on rural Ontario hilarious. How do you explain this? Different strokes for different folks. What are the odds of your deadpan, take-no-prisoners anti-hero popping up in a Marvel superhero film? I’ll continue to pay attention to audience feedback and make adjustments based on what’s going over well. I don’t think Marvel needs another superhero. What’s your preference, hicks or skids? I’ve got plenty of time for both. “Letterkenny” has developed a language unique to small-town Ontario — “pitter patter,” “hard no,” “electric lettuce.” How likely is it that a third stream will be added to the Canadian education system: English, French, “Letterkenny?” Not likely. What is “electric lettuce?” Free-form herbal jazz. Had you been born in, say, North York or Mississauga, how would the show be different?
There wouldn’t be a show. I’d likely be trying to make one about skateboard kids in Toronto. (Note: I tried. No takers.) Every time I read about “Letterkenny” there’s a comparison to its profane, subversively ironic predecessor, “Trailer Park Boys.”
“Trailer Park Boys” is one of my favourite shows of all time. I love that world. It makes me feel
good. The goal with “Letterkenny” has always been to create that good feeling for our audience by stepping into our world. “Trailer Park Boys” had a lot of rock star cameos. Now that Rush has retired, what Canadian legends can you get to fill the gap — Bryan Adams? Goddo? Shania Twain?
Here’s a good story. I was at the Junos two years ago and Bryan Adams was introduced to my wife and I. We chatted for a few minutes and then he asked me to come with him. We went into his dressing room where he had a photography studio set up. He took my photo for five minutes and then went back on stage. Turns out he was creating a photo album of Canadian personalities while simultaneously hosting the Junos. Good story. Nothing to do with what I asked you. But what a legend. If “Letterkenny’s” Wayne could travel back in time to 1990s Listowel to confront teenage Jared Keeso, how would that conversation go?
Teenage Jared Keeso was using “Dawson’s Creek” to connect with girls, so ... not well.
What was Listowel District Secondary School like when you attended in the ‘90s?
There was a lot of fighting then but I’m told there is significantly less now. It was a bit scary for me, as I’m sure it was for many. I fit in just fine. I tried to be a leader. I get the impression your sojourns to L.A. to audition for American TV shows were less than productive. What happened?
Nothing happened. I couldn’t make anything happen. Young actors get a lot of pressure to go to LA because the most opportunity is there. Though that is true, humans must first decide where they are happy. I am happy in Canada. You brought “Letterkenny” to Listowel for two live shows in March — what was the most “Letterkenny” thing to happen during your visit?
I tailored some jokes to Listowel using names of people from town. Those jokes got the biggest laughs because all 1,100 people at both shows knew the person I was referencing. Given the show’s distinctive Canadian character, how likely is the humour to translate to an American audience?
“Letterkenny” has been working in the U.S. since we started the web series. We’ve sold merch to all 50 states. Like I say, everyone knows someone from Letterkenny. When does the next season start and where can we watch?
We released six new episodes on the Canada Day long weekend. Next six-banger comes out Christmas Day.