*”The show kinda shows that life is never what you think it’s going to be, says actor Brent Jennings about his new critically acclaimed AMC scripted series, “Lodge 49.”
“There will always be surprise twists and turns, these unexpected kind of happenings and I think the humor of the show comes from the juxtaposition with the expected and the unexpected. And that’s what gives the show a sense of fun,” he added.
“Lodge 49,” which premiered on August 6th, is a light-hearted, endearing modern fable set in Long Beach, California about a disarmingly optimistic local ex-surfer, Dud (Wyatt Russell), who’s drifting after the death of his father and collapse of the family business. Dud finds himself on the doorstep of a rundown fraternal lodge, where a middle-aged plumbing salesman and “Luminous Knight” of the order, Ernie (Jennings), welcomes him into a world of cheap beer, easy camaraderie and the promise of Alchemical mysteries that may put Dud on the path to recover the idyllic life he’s lost.
“They always say opposites attract. You have an older guy and a younger guy but the thing they have in common is they are both lonely people,” says Jennings, who is perhaps best known his roles in “Witness,” “Moneyball” and “Red Heat,” and he has recently appeared in Showtime’s “Shameless” and ABC’s “Modern Family.”
EUR/Electronic Urban Report caught up with Mr. Jennings to dish about Ernie and the mysteries of Lodge 49… check out our Q&A below.
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Let’s kick things off by dishing about the great mysteries that dwell within the halls of Lodge 49.
Brent Jennings: A big discovery was made at the end of episode three and it’s further developed in episode 4 and it involves alchemy, which is sort of the mysterious philosophy off the lodge. It involves this sort of search for who we are, why we’re here, what’s in the beyond, how do we get to the other the other side. Alchemy is the mythology of the lodge. It’s a conduit to some of that reality or it’s thought to be part of the history of the lodge. The search for this other world, the other side; we move further into that philosophy and that search through a discovery that’s made at the lodge. It’s a philosophy that some members of the lodge embrace. It’s not particularly Ernie’s thing. He’s into more tangible gains that he can make from the lodge, like simply being the silent protector, the fellowship of the lodge and the need to express himself in a position of leadership that the lodge offers him. But there is a component of the lodge that deals with this philosophy and perpetuates it through the character of Blaise and a few others. That discovery adds to some of the fun we have and the mystical otherworldly personality of the lodge.
So Ernie ain’t really feeling the esoteric curiosities at the lodge.
Brent Jennings: And I think that’s further clarified by a scene between Ernie and Dud at the end of episode four. Ernie is looking for immediate gratification. He’s not thinking about the worlds beyond. He thinks there’s a lot of beauty and things to be had right here.
When we meet Dud in the beginning of the show, he’s suffered some extremes loses and he’s trying to find something to hold onto and get his barring. It’s almost a form of post-traumatic stress. He’s in shock from the mysterious loss of his father. The loss of the business and their home. The world as he knows it is gone in a flash and he’s trying to hold on to something and this lodge is something that attracts him as a place where he can find his barring.
The furthest a manned spacecraft has traveled is around the far side of the moon during the Apollo 13 mission. At 248,655miles away from earth, this marks the furthest our species have ever traveled. #Aerospace #Lodge49 pic.twitter.com/tiGCPh60bV
— Lodge 49 AMC (@Lodge49) September 11, 2018
How would you describe Ernie and Dud’s dynamic and the journey they take viewers on this season?
Brent Jennings: They always say opposites attract. You have an older guy and a younger guy but the thing they have in common is they are both lonely people. Dud is lonely for the obvious reasons I just talked about, and Ernie is lonely because he’s a man who’s suffered some losses in his life. He’s lost a marriage. He’s lost a child. He’s lost his parents. He’s lost in love. He’s at a point where he sort of feels that the window of opportunity is about to close on him. So there’s a desperation for Ernie to make something of his life in terms that he feels are valuable and there’s a desperation for friendship and comradery, and I think that is what holds them together.
It really isn’t a relationship with a lot of conflict in it. There’s sort of this natural bond that I don’t think either of them ever expressed to each other or understand or speak about but it’s sort of there because Ernie does take Dud in and offers the lodge membership. Dud needs that comradery and Ernie does as well. They have a chemistry that’s sort of like a mentor/mentee type relationship. Dud has an innate innocence about him that gives him a lot of wisdom. So he’s able to enlighten Ernie in some ways as well, and they just keep each company.
In terms of the themes explored: loss, loneliness, the death of a father, (which I can personally relate to) and that feeling of wanting to belong and connect, did any of these themes resonate with you personally?
Brent Jennings: What got me about it was that it was about a community of people that are really trying to communicate with each other. Even if they’re competing against each other, they’re not adversarial. There’s a need to connect and in our show, I don’t think you see anybody texting or sitting on computers. We’re all dealing with each other and we’re all going through a sense of loss.
There’s things that come up in terms of ageism and job loss. It has very contemporary themes and all of the people are dealing with some loss and transition in their lives and we see that in the world around us. So I found it very relevant and it resonated with me because it was written so well and I thought the themes were very significant and timely.
One day when we were shooting the show I was trying to watch something on television and kept turning the channel and everything I turned to I couldn’t watch because it was so violent. And I thought about our show being something that people could really enjoy because it’s really about people connecting with each other and dealing with the ups and downs of life. The losses in life and the idea that we haven’t achieved in life what we want. And I’m finding that in my world. I have a son in his early 30’s and he’s telling me that his friends are watching it with their parents. So there’s a cross-generational thing that’s going on because the show is resonating to people young and old because of the fun of it as well as the seriousness of it.
It resonated for me because I hadn’t read many things that had a unique voice and had a perspective in life that’s very timely but not in any way mean-spirited.
“Any descent within oneself- any look within- is at the same time an Ascent- and Assumption- a look towards the true reality without.” – Novalis pic.twitter.com/aMePBFbyEa
— Lodge 49 AMC (@Lodge49) September 8, 2018
Lastly, what three words best describe the rest of the season?
Brent Jennings: Discovery. Revelation. Fun.
The show kinda shows that life is never what you think it’s going to be. There will always be surprise twists and turns, these unexpected kind of happenings and I think the humor of the show comes from the juxtaposition with the expected and the unexpected. And that’s what gives the show a fun perspective on life. I think that’s what this season will end up being for the audience. A fun roller coaster ride with thrills and surprises that are totally unexpected.
Catch Brent Jennings and mysteries of Ernie when “Lodge 49” airs Monday on AMC at 10/9c.
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