Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
94.9/The Bull's morning host Jason Pullman has never acted before so it was comforting that his first gig was playing a radio DJ - not a stretch, really.
During the April 30 episode, Pullman "interviewed" Rayna James, the Reba McIntyre-type lead played by Connie Britton on the ABC show "Nashville," which just (barely) received a renewal for a third season. He lightly grills Rayna on her relationship with Deacon, who is the father of one of her daughters and one of her artists Scarlett having a meltdown on stage. Then off-air, he gives her unsolicited career advice.
Pullman, who has been with the Bull since 2009 and has been beating the morning show at competitor Kicks 101.5 in the ratings recently, said the casting people at "Nashville" contacted him to audition for the role.
Normally used to ad-libbing, he said the toughest part was just memorizing lines. "It was a lot of lines," he said. "It was a decent part." He said to his surprise, they ran his entire bit, didn't cut it at all. And he said it only took a couple of takes.
"I am a big fan" of the show, he said, though he said his hours as a morning host precluded him from watching all the episodes.
If anything, Pullman now has the acting bug and is open to other opportunities.
As for Britton (who I spoke to briefly when she came to aTVFest at SCAD in February to receive an award), he is a fan, having watching her on the classic NBC show "Friday Night Lights." "She is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth people," he raved. "She couldn't be more generous on and off the set. I ended up spending most of the day with her. I got a crush on Connie Britton!"
Pullman's rival at Kicks 101.5 Cadillac Jack played a reporter on another ABC show nine years ago, "Hope and Faith." Here's what I wrote in 2005 about it:
In the episode, which was taped in New York last month and airs this Friday at 9 p.m., the disc jockey plays a TV reporter and gets a few lines, including one about the Runaway Bride.
His take on Ripa: "She looks even smaller in person. A 3-year-old could fit in her jeans!" He donated his three-day, $1,780 paycheck to St. Jude Children's Hospital.
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