As a child, Michael Kelly always knew he wanted to do something cool when he grew up, but wasn’t sure what. The performer moved to Lawrenceville with his family when he was in fifth grade and stayed in the area until he attended Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina on a running scholarship. There, he fell into acting and knew, then and there, that was his calling.
Now a TV and film veteran, Kelly stars in the new third season of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” based on the novels and starring John Krasinski as the titular character, a CIA analyst. The series premiered in 2018, but filming on Season 3 was delayed because of COVID-19. After a three-year absence, the series returns to Prime Video Dec. 21.
In the series, Kelly plays Mike November, a divorced CIA station chief in Venezuela. Kelly calls the character a fundamentally good man who, at his core, does what he believes to be the right thing regardless of the circumstances.
“He was in really good graces with the CIA and because of a hunch that Jack had that Mike believed as well, he was willing to put that whole career on the line, to do what he feels is right,” he says. “Mike is a good man but he can also tread in shady waters, which is where we see him in Season Three.”
While he joined the cast for the second season, the third is his favorite. “I think we upped our game,” he says. “(Krasinski) says we do every season for the fans but particularly this season, because of the three-year layoff we had because of COVID, we wanted to come out swinging and I really feel we were able to achieve that. ”
Credit: Attila Szvacsek/Prime Video
Credit: Attila Szvacsek/Prime Video
The actor was at the end of his long run as Doug Stamper in the Netflix series “House of Cards” when the “Jack Ryan” team reached out and asked if he’d be interested in a one-season deal for Season Two.
After a Zoom meeting the producers sent him the pilot episode and he was “blown away by the cinematic filmmaking” they were bringing to the small screen.
Though “Jack Ryan” marks the first time Kelly and Krasinski worked together, the pair actually met several years ago at a party for “The Adjustment Bureau,” which Kelly starred in with Krasinski’s wife, actress Emily Blunt. “I remember thinking ‘I love this guy and he’s a sweet man.’” Two years later, he got the “Jack Ryan” offer, and instead of starring for one season, he became a regular.
Kelly’s path to acting success hasn’t been without its struggles. After leaving college with the intention of becoming an actor, he had to deal with reality. “I was so naïve that I thought ‘I have my degree now — I’ll just move to New York and (do it).’ I’m glad no one ever told me otherwise. It took a long time but I did it.”
Kelly’s early roles were small, but he eventually found film work, including the 1998 indie features “River Red,” where he made roughly $75 a day, and “Origin of the Species” with a small cast including Amanda Peet. He had virtually no experience compared to his co-stars, but that to roles in 1999′s “Man on the Moon,” in which Jim Carrey played Andy Kaufman, and in 2004′s “Dawn of the Dead.”
Besides some “Law and Order” episodes and other TV gigs, Kelly was also part of the ensemble in Tim Kirkman’s 2005 Southern drama “Loggerheads” alongside Kip Pardue, Tess Harper, Chris Sarandon and Bonnie Hunt. “I look at that film with great fondness and I wish it had come out now,” he said.”It would be far better received.”
Credit: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
Credit: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
He also appeared in “Unbreakable,” “Changeling,” “Law Abiding Citizen,” “Chronicle,” “Now You See Me” and “Man of Steel.” It was his work on “House of Cards,” however, that really elevated his career. Kelly received four Emmy nominations for his role as Doug Stamper, the White House Chief of Staff to Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey). “I feel so grateful to have been given that role. The opportunity to play that role and say those words was a challenge like none before. It gave me those Emmy nominations and changed my entire career in how people in the business saw me.”
Yet the sixth and final season was awkward, following Spacey’s departure due to allegations that he sexually harassed cast and crew members. The season was rewritten without the character of Francis and was shortened from 13 to eight episodes. “It was incredibly difficult, no more so than for the writers. We were filming that final season with Kevin and were in the middle of the first two episodes and they pulled the plug and the writers had to completely re-do the season without their lead character.”
Kelly has been on a bit of a hiatus after a year and a half spent filming the third and fourth seasons of “Jack Ryan” back to back. He’ll visit the Atlanta area later this year and looks forward to reconnecting with his family, which includes his mother, father and three siblings. “I come home often. My mother has an annual charity event there I like to attend when I’m not working. And I always come home for my Atlanta Braves — at least one game.”
TV PREVIEW
“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.” Season Three premieres Dec. 21 on Prime Video.
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