Ronald Gladden thought he was simply doing his civic obligation, with a couple of cameras following alongside. Like all the opposite individuals within the documentary-style comedy sequence “Jury Duty,” which premiered on Amazon Freevee on April 7, Gladden performs himself within the present — however in contrast to the others, who’re all actors, Gladden truly thought he was taking part in a documentary about an actual trial.
“Jury Duty,” although, is most undoubtedly not about an actual trial. Co-created by “The Office”‘s Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, the present stars James Marsden, a bunch of actors, and the unsuspecting Gladden as jurors in a three-week Los Angeles trial. Out of the twelve jurors, Gladden is the one one who is not conscious that he is in a rigorously plotted comedy sequence.
30-year-old Gladden is a photo voltaic contractor hailing from San Diego, CA, per Collider. According to his Instagram, he appears to take pleasure in spending time together with his corgi, Meatball. He’s additionally in a relationship, and his girlfriend apparently was in on the joke and helped persuade Gladden to surrender his cellphone throughout filming.
“We didn’t suppose somebody in the present day can be so cool about giving up their cellular phone. And in reality, Ronald’s girlfriend apparently helped us out with that,” stated director Jake Szymanski in an April 8 interview with Primetimer. “Because the night time earlier than, he had been speaking to his girlfriend at house, and he stated, ‘You know, it is getting actually severe. They’re speaking about sequestering us.’ And she advised him, ‘Oh, which means they will take away your cellular phone, in the event that they’re sequestering you.'”
So how did Gladden land a starring function in a sequence he did not know existed? It all started when he answered a Craigslist advert asking for individuals to participate in a documentary in regards to the judicial course of. Gladden was certainly one of about 4,000 candidates who despatched a video, stated govt producer Nicholas Hatton in an April 6 interview with NationalWorld. Gladden was ultimately chosen for his likability. “We actually needed them to have a reference to Ronald, we did not ever need him to really feel like he was the butt of the joke, or that we have been punching down,” he stated within the interview.
Gladden himself appears to be taking all his newfound fame in stride. “It nonetheless actually hasn’t hit me,” he advised the San Diego Tribune on April 4. “I’ve been maintaining this quiet for a yr or so.”
The first 4 episodes of “Jury Duty” are now streaming on Amazon Freebee, and the ultimate 4 premiere on April 21. Watch the trailer above.