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[0:10] Robert Bannon: Are you ready? It's the round table with me, Robert Bannon.

[0:14] Robert Bannon: Well, welcome to the roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon, and you're listening to us right here on Broadway World or over here on the Broadway Podcast Network. And I know everybody in my house. My partner, my family, my friends, everybody is super excited because Jacob Anderson is here to talk about a brand new movie called Timestalker. Jacob, welcome to the show.

[0:33] Jacob Anderson: Thank you very much. It's nice to meet you. Nice to be here.

[0:37] Robert Bannon: So I have a confession, Jacob. Don't judge me. I've maybe watched one episode of Game of Thrones in my life. And everyone looks at me like I have 10 heads because we're obsessed with the show in our house. So thank you for giving me cool points out here in New Jersey and in Detroit.

[0:59] Jacob Anderson: I mean, very welcome.

[1:01] Robert Bannon: Well.

[1:03] Jacob Anderson: Yeah, I love Detroit.

[1:05] Robert Bannon: Shout out to Detroit.

[1:06] Jacob Anderson: For real?

[1:07] Robert Bannon: Yeah. Shout out Detroit, Michigan. We're in the 313 in Detroit, Michigan, right now at Detroit Lions High School. That's where I work during the day. So come on, Detroit.

[1:19] Robert Bannon: And you're about as far from Detroit as we can possibly be. You are over in Europe right now.

[1:26] Jacob Anderson: I am, yeah. I'm in London, England.

[1:29] Robert Bannon: Perfect. So how did that show and lead you to it? Like, how did your career in Game of Thrones and everything that you've done lead you to something like Timestalker?

[1:54] Jacob Anderson: I mean, to be completely honest, it's kind of this, it's kind of the same, like day to day. It's a similar process, and but yeah, I guess the biggest difference is that TV is a much bigger commitment than a film. Like a film, you know, you're there for a few weeks, usually unless you're doing some kind of like big studio thing, but yeah, it's like a slightly less commitment, you spend a little bit less time with your character. But I kind of enjoy that, I think it's fun.

[2:36] Robert Bannon: Absolutely. I want people to know that the theatrical releases on the 14th, the digital releases on the 14th, it's perfect. It's Valentine's Day.

[2:43] Jacob Anderson: Is here so the film's out on Valentine's Day.

[2:47] Robert Bannon: What how do you describe this? Who's Agnes and who are you in the film, and what's the journey in the story like?

[2:49] Jacob Anderson: That's a very good question. It's quite a difficult film to describe in some ways. But it basically follows the main character is Agnes, and she basically falls in love with the same man through time. And the way that works is that every time she finds him in a new life at a new point in history, she dies and has to start again in a completely new era. But she kind of like keeps finding him, keeps falling in love with him, and she's sort of not learning a lesson, so it's like a time travel romance with elements of sci-fi and horror and fantasy, and it's just a lot of fun. It's like I can guarantee it'll be the weirdest film you see this week, but it's full of laughs and an amazing cast, including Alice Lowe, who wrote and directed and stars in it, and Nick Frost, who is a British hero, but I think in America is probably best known for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

[4:22] Robert Bannon: So do you just grab it as is it an action romance comedy? Like what do you think this is?

[4:32] Jacob Anderson: I don't know if I describe it as an action film, but it's definitely a comedy, and it's very funny, and Alice is very funny. I don't know how romantic it is to be fair. It's about the lessons you learn from romance when it's not good, when the romance is wrong, it's a bad romance. Most people need a lot of that in their life because we all have made mistakes in romance, and even on Valentine's Day, we can all be reminded about it.

[5:05] Robert Bannon: Kind of sounds like Groundhog Day, like you're just reliving it until you get it right.

[5:10] Jacob Anderson: Kind of, yeah. It's just that she's not really learning the lessons that Bill Murray's character learns in that. Like, I mean, something about Groundhog Day is he's awful. Like in the beginning, he's terrible, but he kind of like learns over time. I mean, you could definitely read the film in this way, anyway, that he kind of learns to hopefully be a better person.

[5:33] Robert Bannon: Well, and it's a quick 90 minutes. So you go, you get a nice 90 minutes, you get to come in here, see the film, and have a little moment on this 14th, or whenever you're watching the film.

[5:43] Jacob Anderson: I was reading about your career, and yeah, I was talking about Grey Worm and all of that fun stuff, which is a whole big thing. But you've a lot of credits now. Like you've done Interview with the Vampire, and you've done Doctor Who, and you've done like the big franchises, big things that have big fandom, lots of people following and watching.

[6:04] Robert Bannon: Giant sense. How do you pick a project? This seems like it's indie, it's fun, it's quirky, it's not, you know, Game of Thrones, it's not Interview with a Vampire. Like, this is a different side of you, a different acting piece of Jacob.

[6:20] Jacob Anderson: Yeah, but I think to be honest, that's exactly why you want to go to like it's why you want to be a part of smaller projects that are being made by exciting storytellers who are just like putting everything into what they're doing, because you know, I think unfortunately, that's where a lot of the most interesting stories are now. You know, it's like the smaller projects, and there's like, you know, there's a certain level of passion that has to go into making an indie film, or you know, making something for a smaller budget and with less time, and that's the kind of thing that I like gravitate towards is like I guess things they're trying to do, they're trying to tell a story in a different way, and Alice is definitely approaching romance and time travel in her own unique way and it's not really something like I can't find this film on television or in a big budget.

Like I'm surprised I read this script and I was surprised that like, you know, that they managed to find the money for the, I mean I'm not surprised because it was amazing, it's one of the best things I've read, but I was like this is so unique. It's not the kind of thing that normally gets supported sadly. That's what I love about it.

[6:20] Robert Bannon: I think it's to stretch your muscle as an actor to be able to do something different.

[6:20] Jacob Anderson: Oh man, if I could time travel back in my day, I would have done so many things different, but that's a whole other show. Jacob, what when a project like this comes along and your name and your work, do you still have to audition? Was there a conversation? Did people reach out to you and offer you? Like what is it like for you? Do you still self-tape? Do you still do in-person auditions? What's it like business-wise for you to get into a film like this?

[6:20] Jacob Anderson: It kind of just depends on the project. I do still audition. I still send self-tapes occasionally. I don't really audition a lot because I don't audition for things that I don't really want to be in. Like I know like, you know, for some people it's like they want to work and they wanna, and I think like especially when you're early in your career, it's a great idea to just like be on as many sets as possible and get experience and learn. But yeah, if I really love something and I want to do it, then I'm very happy to audition or send a tape. For Timestalker, I didn't audition because Alice was a fan of Game of Thrones, and I think she thought of me when she saw the show, which is weird because it's, you know, the characters aren't very similar, but yeah, we just we spoke over email, we met over email and continued to talk, and yeah, she offered me the part, sent me this script, offered me the part, talked to me about it, and that was that.

[9:36] Robert Bannon: And so, yeah, sometimes you get offered things, sometimes, you know, I'm happy to audition if something's exciting.

[9:43] Robert Bannon: Well, I'm sure I would have auditioned for this film. I hear you, I get it, and it's got great reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, it's like way up there as a positive film. So if you're into that, if people are into films, this is definitely one for you to see. I know you put a film out here and you put it out, and you don't know what's gonna happen, but you know, you had your premiere at South by Southwest, you've been in this film has been in film festivals. You never get a vibe, I'm sure, when you're on a set, how it's gonna be when you get in these film festivals and people start to see it and you get a wide release. Because when you started this, I'm sure that was not a guarantee, it's an indie film. What's it like for you that this now gonna be able to be seen and people are gonna be able to check this out at home and in theaters?

[10:23] Jacob Anderson: I'm just very excited for people to see it. I think it's like, like I say, it's a very unique film, and I think that there's gonna be people that watch this and they didn't necessarily know that this was gonna be like their favorite thing this year, but I think like some people will be like, "This film was made specifically for me." And I think like I'm just very excited for those people to see it, and like you say, you don't know what's gonna happen with a film or a TV show when you're working on it, more so in film, I guess. You don't know how it's gonna be received, how it's gonna be released even nowadays. So you just have to hold on to like the thing that you love about it and that you loved about it when you, uh, before you started and just hope that as many people as possible can see it.

I'm so I'm so happy for the film and for Alice that it's getting released globally, like it's so rare for British films, especially British films as ambitious as this to like reach beyond, to yeah, to reach beyond our own country. So it's very exciting.

[11:35] Robert Bannon: Well, you talk about love and work and other things, but I also know we're on the Broadway World, we're on Broadway Podcast Network, we talk to singers all the time. I know one of the things you have to love is music because you have had a music career aside from your acting career. And how do you—you're a father, you have family, you have a television and film career, you have a music career. So how do you balance? I mean, you put out records like you just have new singles out. You have this past year, you have, you know, an EP coming out, you know. So how do you do that and keep the schedule and tuck your kids in at night?

[12:12] Jacob Anderson: Um, it's hard. I'm not gonna lie, it's difficult, especially now. I've got two kids now. I've got two daughters, and like I don't wanna—I'd rather not miss, you know, I'd rather not miss bedtime and like even just like daytime, like drawing and doing homework and reading and going to the park. So I'd rather miss as little of that as possible. I think you just like you find time where you can and where you can't, then it's fine. Things can wait, I think is my attitude. My kids are only gonna be this young for a bit of time, and I don't really—I don't want to miss out on that. So they come first, you know, and then everything else is just whatever I can fit.

[13:03] Robert Bannon: I love that. I absolutely get that. Um, it's beautiful. I love that you can still sing. Are we gonna get new music? Is that something that's on the horizon for 2025?

[13:14] Jacob Anderson: Yeah, yeah. No, I've been in the studio today. I'm working on my third album at the moment. I've been working on it since October. And again, like today, I dropped my daughter off at school this morning, went straight to the studio, left, picked her up from school, you know, like it. You just—I wasn't at the studio for as long as I normally am. Um, but you grab what you can, you grab the time you can. And you're able to then do it and literally dropped her off, sung, put her to bed, spoke to me. I mean, what better way to end the day, Jacob? This is it. This is as good as it gets.

[13:55] Robert Bannon: After a full day of singing and creating music. Um, when you put out music, can we get you on tour? Will you come to the States? Come on, the people here want to hear you.

[14:04] Jacob Anderson: Yeah, yeah, of course I will. I've been—I’ve toured in the States before. Yes, and yeah, I'm looking forward to coming back.

[14:12] Robert Bannon: All right, I haven't actually—I haven't come over to your part of the States. I need to come to Detroit.

[14:15] Jacob Anderson: Well, that's what I'm saying. You know, there's fun little spots here in Detroit. We can—big spots, little spots. I'll be there. I'll bring the partner. He's watched every episode of Game of Thrones. He made me sit through the House of the Dragon. I didn't know what I was watching, but I tried. So, but I—you're not in that. So why would I watch that, Jacob?

[14:35] Jacob Anderson: Exactly. Why would you watch that if I'm not in it? See, I'm gonna go stream Game of Thrones because at least a penny or two will come your way from me. And then that's what we're gonna do. That's my plan. I'm gonna—everybody here's your plan. We're gonna listen to Jacob's music. We're gonna listen to his music. His music is out right now. You haven't watched him in any of the shows. We're gonna watch them all. And then we're all mandatory. Valentine's Day and the week thereafter, Timestalker is going to be online, it's going to be on demand, it's going to be in theaters. You can find the information below. We're gonna be able to find where Jacob is on social media as well, so we can follow you and stay up to date. And then when you come to Detroit, I owe you a Detroit moment, a Coney dog or a Fago soda or something real American and Detroit-like.

[15:30] Jacob Anderson: That sounds great.

[15:31] Robert Bannon: All right, let's do it. Thank you so much for being here. I really mean it. You gave me a—you gave us a lot of street cred. You did give me my family and the people here are really excited that I get to talk to you. And I'm really—yes, come on. I'm gonna have to look at it. There's anything else you want to ask me? We—I've got time.

[15:50] Jacob Anderson: Well, here's my question for you. I say as now a representative of your team, because I just made myself. Um, we're gonna listen, Entertainment World. Jacob's gonna do offer only. He's a star. He's got shows that have won 55 Emmy Awards. He's got movies that have made money. It's offered, you know what he can do? That's what I say. Jacob.

[16:10] Jacob Anderson: There you go.

[16:14] Robert Bannon: Offer only. Offer only. He's not auditioning. That's it. Um, when do you have a recommendation for people who should watch this film in particular? If you say it's not necessarily romantic, is it for theater fans? Is it for people looking to have a good time? Like if you were to recommend it to somebody who's people.

[16:35] Jacob Anderson: I think it's for anybody that is like that's willing to go into something different and new and give it a chance and just like give themselves to the film. Just like go in, expect to be surprised, and yeah, just allow the film to take you where it takes you because it goes to some really wild places.

[17:00] Robert Bannon: I love that. Do you get inspired on set with some of your music? Has set life or being involved as a character, getting involved in the life of the character and thinking about that character's journey? Does that ever trickle out to the other art that you make? Or is the art you make as a singer, is that the real Jacob, or those stories that come from your personal life, and then you go play pretend on a set?

[17:21] Jacob Anderson: Yeah, the second one. I definitely like my music tends to be the most personal thing that I can make, and then acting is like, you know, that's somebody else's inner world, and that music is mine.

[17:39] Robert Bannon: I got it. I—it amazes me. I speak to people who act and sing all the time, and what amazes me is that you make the work work for you, that you do it all. And then is it a conversation you have with your family and your team about like, "I need some time to sing. I need some time to go on tour," and is it something that you plan out or is it just the work comes and you take whatever is meaningful and moving at the moment?

[17:41] Jacob Anderson: Yeah, I think it's like a delicate balance of both. Sometimes you're just like, "We need to figure out how this is gonna work practically," and then sometimes you're like, "This just—this thing is so special that I can't—it's undeniable. We'll have to figure it out," you know? And that works for both me and my wife. Like we—and she's very talented, very, very talented actor. And she's sort of same rules. We figure it out.

[17:41] Robert Bannon: Did you two meet in an acting way? Are you both—and when you find out that you're both actors, does that make you want to run? I mean, two actors in the house is definitely something.

[17:41] Jacob Anderson: Yes, I understand.

[17:41] Jacob Anderson: It doesn't make me want to run. She's my best friend. I think she's amazing. I just want to be near to her as much as possible. There's—it's the opposite of that. But yeah, with—it's a very—it can be a very emotional household for sure.

[17:41] Robert Bannon: Well, but I love that though, because it's—you get to tell stories and you get to be a part of art. And as a—if you haven't—if you don't know about his wife and his family, you know, she's quite the, you know, a nominated award performance actor, and you all know how to throw down out there. And as an actor myself, I look at the work that you both do, and you're all doing it. So thank you for sharing. Thank you for taking the time from your family, thank you for taking the time from your home to entertain us with your music, with the movies, with the television, and you're such a class act. And, uh, fine, I'll watch the dragon show. Damn it. This is fine. I'll watch the show.

[19:54] Jacob Anderson: You really don't have to.

[19:57] Robert Bannon: Okay, I'll just—that's—I'll just watch Timestalker.

[20:00] Jacob Anderson: It's been on.

[20:01] Robert Bannon: Yeah, watch Timestalker or watch Interview with the Vampire.

[20:04] Jacob Anderson: Okay, I love Interview with the Vampire, and I'm old, Jacob. I go back to, you know, Tom Cruise days. I'll be there, I'll be watching.

[20:12] Jacob Anderson: Amazing. Thank you so much for spending time with us. Much love to you, you two, and I'll see you in Detroit.

[20:15] Jacob Anderson: I'll see you in Detroit.