Nine months ago, Ronald Gladden was working construction in San Diego when word began to spread about a new genre-bending TV comedy that he didn't even know he was starring in while it was being filmed. Last week, all gleaming in a light blue tuxedo jacket, he posed for photos with “The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal at the Golden Globes and hoped his meeting with “Oppenheimer’s” Cillian Murphy would be a little more exciting.
“I was walking in the bathroom, he was leaving. I didn’t want to strike up a conversation while he was trying to get out of the bathroom,” Gladden says sheepishly.
Gladden is no longer accustomed to these types of experiences, he admits. As the accidental breakout star of Freevee's “Jury Duty,” he captivated the Internet last spring as the juror with a heart of gold and an endearing lack of awareness of the TV deception happening all around him. The surprise hit revolves around Gladden, who believes he has signed up to participate in a documentary about jury service. The capture? The trial is fake and everyone but him is an actor, including the most recognizable of the group: James Marsden, who plays an exaggerated, egomaniacal version of himself.
Since then, Gladden has answered countless selfie requests with her fans, filmed a commercial with Ryan Reynolds, been at events alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Kendall Jenner, and signed an overall deal with Amazon to produce and star in more projects. Gladden even moved to Los Angeles in October to take advantage of this moment of opportunity.
“We're working on a couple of things, but it's too early in the process to really give any kind of concrete idea of what they might be,” he says of his deal with Amazon. “I want to post content that is happy and feels good. I think people responded to 'Jury Duty' because they realized the humanity in it. And I would love to continue doing things like that.”
“Leaving my job wasn't really a huge leap of faith that this was going to work. I can always go back to being a contractor,” she continues. “I was offered so many opportunities that it seemed silly not to explore them.”
The whirlwind of her unique rise to stardom continues Monday as she attends the 75th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. “Jury Duty” received four nominations: comedy series, supporting actor in a comedy series for Marsden, casting and screenplay.
“'Surreal' is the best word I can use to describe all of this,” Gladden says. “I feel like I keep abusing that word, but that's what all these experiences are like.”
Gladden invited The Times exclusively as he experienced his first Emmy Awards. Follow our daily live update throughout the day for travel:
Leftovers from lunch.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
11:14 am: How does a former normal turned television star prepare for an event like the Emmys? After spending the morning eating a breakfast burrito from Chick-fil-A, Gladden headed from her new home in Santa Monica to the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, where she would spend the morning getting ready for photography. When I got to his room, he was brushing his teeth to “Splashin'” by Rich the Kid. (He swears there are no surprises in the bathroom, though. “James isn't here, so I think we're fine.”) “Normally, I would be getting ready for the day by dancing with Meatball. [his Corgi],” he says. “So you're missing out.”
“Jury Duty” star Ronald Gladden shows off his Emmys tuxedo.
(Yvonne Villarreal/Los Angeles Times)
11:48 am: Hairstylist Desirae Cherman arrives to start Gladden. After taking a look at her peacock teal suede Paul Smith tuxedo jacket, she says, “I'm pretty low maintenance. It takes me about 15 minutes, tops, to get ready on a typical day. I got dressed at home for the Globes. It took me 10 minutes. My hair: 30 seconds.” He marvels at the lip scrub she asks him to apply: “Wow, my lips were so dry.”
