Every Year After’s Joseph Chiu on Jordie’s Season 2 Future

Fans of Carley Fortune’s novels may have come to Every Year After for Percy and Sam’s sun-drenched friends-to-lovers romance.

But if you’re like me, you stayed for Jordie: the scene-stealing, quick-witted, charismatic best friend of Sam, who now sits at the center of an equally compelling love triangle of his own.

I was incredibly lucky to get the chance to sit down with Joseph Chiu and talk with him about what it was like to build the character that fans immediately fell in love with. 

Exuding the same effortless charm and easy-going energy as his character, it became immediately clear why Joseph was cast in the role.

But there is a lot more to his easy-going exterior, which Joseph notes. Under Jordie’s “chill vibe” lies a character yearning for more, both from life and from love.

With almost nothing to go on but a one-line character description, Joseph had to lean on his well-honed instincts to build out one of the most layered characters in the show, knowing what to bring to the character from his own personal experience, as well as what to leave behind.

We discussed everything from his hopes for Jordie’s Season 2 journey (will they be what you expect?) to his love for musical theater (he has incredible taste).

And, of course, we chatted about his thoughts on the Chantal/Delilah love triangle and how he wants to see everything play out. (Spoiler: it comes with some backstory on a deleted scene and one very dramatic monologue).

Check out the interview below.

Jordie is a unique character because, while he’s in the book, he’s essentially mentioned only by name, leaving him as more of a clean slate for book fans.

What did you do to prepare for the role, and is there anything from your own personal experience that you brought when constructing Jordie’s character?

Joseph Chiu: I think, because of the way that I was cast, it was so fast — but all I knew about Jordie was that he was Sam’s loyal best friend, loyal to a fault. He’s a likable dude who suffered a traumatic sports injury and has now returned to Barry’s Bay to run the family motel business.

For me personally, as an actor, it’s about bringing contrast to the other character playing opposite me.

So if Sam is crashing out, Jordie should be the chill and reasonable one. If there’s a very straight, hard-headed lawyer type, Jordie should be the chill one. So I really settled on the chill vibe.

But underneath that energy — well, I know a lot of friends who externally seem chill, but actually there’s a lot going on beneath the surface once you really get to know them, and they’re the least chill people on the planet. [Laughs]

So I started there. I observed a lot of my friends throughout college and even back to high school, tried to borrow things I’d seen them do, and poured that into the initial audition or the callback. I guess they liked it enough that I got cast for the part.

And then, once I arrived, it was really about how much of myself I included as Joseph.

Because as a 23-year-old, I’m still finding my identity. But because it was such a safe environment, I really felt like I could be myself.

That was interesting because it was a time in my life where I had just graduated from university. I really did not know how to navigate this new world, but with my mentors on set, I felt free.

What do you feel is something you brought to the character that doesn’t necessarily reflect who you are as Joseph?

I’ve thought about this a lot. The biggest difference is that I’ve moved so much as a kid. I was born in Vancouver. My mother had me in college and then moved us back to Beijing.

I grew up in a hot yoga studio — she brought hot yoga to Beijing. Right after school, I’d have to stay in her yoga studio and do homework, and I’d meet a lot of cool people. That was my childhood up until high school.

I moved to Hong Kong, and then in my sophomore year of high school, I was a K-pop trainee. So I moved to Seoul, Korea. Then my parents moved to Brussels, and I moved to Toronto alone to start university.

So I never had a “Barry’s Bay.” If Barry’s Bay is a home and source of unconditional love and warmth, for me, that’s just wherever my family moved to.

I haven’t had a real sense of that community aspect and intimacy with a specific city or town. So I had to really double down on the fact that  Jordie has lived in Barry’s Bay his whole life.

He knows every detail of the concrete — he’s probably cracked his toenail there. I’m imagining him at 13, looking for attention with Sam, doing stupid stuff on the block — maybe he fell out of a tree.

Because of how much I traveled, it’s been hard for me to stay in contact with friends I’ve made, but Jordie is someone who consistently shows up. So yeah, that’s the biggest difference between him and me.

When we first meet Jordie, we know he’s working at his family’s motel after having to give up his dream of becoming a professional athlete. It seems clear he’s not fulfilled.

So I’m curious — what do you think his true feelings about his life in Barry’s Bay are? What do you think his personal development could look like in Season 2?

The reason Jordie takes naps during the day is that he’s trying to get through the day faster. The reason he’s golfing, running, hiking, and so focused on other people’s feelings is that he’s neglecting his own a little bit.

He’s a person dedicated to serving others, and he struggles with people-pleasing a lot.

With the way season one ended, I’d love to explore him getting a teaching job. I think he’d be a great history teacher — all my history teachers were always cool in school. Or I’d like to see him pick up music.

The archetype of basketball players who got injured — I know so many of these guys, they usually become social content creators, or they get into fashion because they’re tall, and maybe they can model.

So that’s also possible for Jordie — maybe a model agent sees him in Barry’s Bay, he gets two months in New York, does a Paris fashion show, and then realizes, “No, this isn’t chill at all” — and goes back to being a history teacher instead.

Or, because I don’t think Barry’s Bay has a really strong basketball program, and I think Jordie, with his experience traveling overseas in pursuit of professional basketball, could bring some of that into his community.

That would be amazing — especially because one of the key parts about Jordie is that he gives back to his community and is such a rooted part of it. That could be a really interesting way to see him give back even more.

I also have to ask about the budding love triangle between Chantal, Delilah, and Jordie, which is obviously one of the most gripping parts of the season.

What do you think it is about Chantal that draws Jordie to her the most, and what part of their relationship do you find most compelling?

Well, first off, Chantal is beautiful — the moment she walks in, I did a double take as Jordie, on purpose. What’s appealing about Chantal is her determination to succeed, which Jordie gave up on a long time ago. He sees the grind that Chantal is in.

In his head, maybe he believes she’s still in a bit of survival mode. Jordie’s curious if that’s actually her, or if there are layers underneath, if there’s just a five-year-old girl who really just wants to relax.

He’s curious what Chantal’s gone through, but when she reveals she’s engaged, he can’t immediately get into that deeper conversation. But that’s what’s in his head the whole time talking to her: “What is really underneath all of this?”

Because, with the people-pleasing thing, I’ve been told Jordie has a healing energy. Not to say Chantal is flawed, but all the characters, even Jordie, are flawed characters looking for love.

With Chantal, it’s a push-and-pull. Instant chemistry. Because one person has made a different choice after being disappointed by life, and the other has decided to just keep going.

It’s a lot of clashing, but contrasting opinions are also chemistry, right?

That makes it the most compelling. And it’s one of the hallmarks of his character — because he’s such a good listener, he can draw something out of someone and make them feel comfortable opening up to him.

It seems clear to me that if Charlie hadn’t interrupted them before their post-bar-fight near-kiss, they might have gone through with it. Do you agree? And if so, what do you think Jordie would have felt in the aftermath if they had actually kissed?

I think he’d spiral, get drunk, and end up blasting music at the Barry’s Bay Motel because he knows the situation is cooked. [Laughs] 

Knowing him, he’d probably stress about what Drew is currently thinking, since Drew’s literally living next door at his motel. He’d be worried, “Is Drew going to destroy the new vintage light I just installed? I’m going to have to have a conversation with my mother.”

But he can’t even tell his mom the real reason he’s crashing out, so he’d have to lie. So he would have spiraled.

But I will say, with the pacing of modern television, everything moves so fast. Not to rewrite the show, but I think it would be cool if there’d been a discussion before that near-kiss about where she’s at with Drew — though Jordie’s constantly thinking about that. 

In a perfect world, it would have been amazing to have an hour-and-a-half-long episode where we could dive deeper into the psychology of exactly what they’re feeling in that moment and why she’s in the relationship she’s in.

I’m curious about Delilah. It feels like Jordie definitely still has complicated feelings for her. How do you think he feels about Delilah at the end of the season? And what do you think she brings out of him that’s different from what Chantal brings out of him?

With Delilah — there was actually a scene in episode two, cut from the final show, where it’s clear Jordie and Delilah have similar childhood trauma — both their parents are divorced.

I don’t know if it’s trauma bonding exactly, but when you’re young and have similar family environments, you tend to attract the same type of people, or you completely overcompensate.

Delilah was Jordie’s first love because, when he met her in his youth, she had a confidence he didn’t. As a 13-year-old going through divorce, I think you can make two choices: let it affect you, or don’t.

Delilah didn’t. She overcompensated with this mask, and Jordie was fascinated by that. So that’s the initial spark of his crush—also, Delilah’s beautiful.

In terms of current-day, 28-year-old Jordie with Delilah, I always go back to “the first cut is the deepest.” At Jordie’s most vulnerable moments, because you’re in such a small town, constantly seeing each other, it’s hard.

He’s definitely a yearner. I don’t think he consciously wants to pursue her anymore because he’s been let down so many times. He hasn’t made a conscious choice to move on, but the situation is kind of dead.

I’m imagining that when Delilah initially left town, he probably listened to “Hey There Delilah” a lot.

That’s all I’ll say about it right now — there are other things in my head I’d like to keep to myself for the future.

Of course — you want to keep some of those close, so when it’s time, you can bring that to the character and have it feel fresh.

What I do want is a big monologue about how Jordie has always just cared about her, with no other expectation than being there for her. I want to see Jordie kind of break; I want to see the 13-year-old version of him come out.

I want her to realize what he’s felt and what he’s had to deal with, as she’s coming to terms with what she’s feeling at the end of the season. That would be really rewarding to see.

One of the most interesting dynamics to me was that between Percy and Jordie, especially in the scenes where you see Jordie fiercely defending both Sam and Delilah.

At the end of the season, what do you think Jordie thinks and feels about Percy? What could their dynamic look like in the future — could you see a world where they’d actually be friends?

I don’t think Jordie ever wants to be friends with Percy. I think they can be cool with each other, but he’s grown up in Barry’s Bay seeing Sam hurt so many times.

He also knows his boy is a little reckless. I’m imagining Sam and Jordie have some kind of pact — like they made a cut and did a blood-brother thing. Jordie would like to keep that brotherhood.

Jordie has seen Sam on top of the world one minute, down in the dumps the next, and Jordie has to talk him out of it every time, and it affects Jordie’s own life, too.

Because frankly, Jordie doesn’t have that much going on beyond running the motel. He keeps himself occupied, but he really cares about Sam.

In terms of Sam, friends are inherently competitive, I think, and seeing Sam return to Barry’s Bay is a constant reminder that Jordie didn’t make it out.

There’s a lot of admiration for Sam becoming Dr. Sam, but also that little feeling of, “Damn, we could have really moved out of town together.” But that’s a story for another day.

In terms of Percy, there’s respect, but even if Sam and Percy ever get married, I don’t think Jordie will ever love the plant he brings to their house. It won’t be Percy’s favorite plant. He’ll bring the second-favorite.

Like a little spiky plant, a cactus or something.

Exactly. 

I just thought the way you played off Sadie Soverall’s Percy was really interesting — there was a lot of great tension you could really see on screen. It was really well done.

Sadie’s amazing. She’s very focused on the craft of acting, and we’re kind of similar in the way we work. We don’t have a plan going into it.

For that scene where Jordie’s leaning on the lamppost talking to Percy, that was like a dance of how much they want to get into each other’s space — it’s a push, little tiny footsteps, like two cheetahs watching each other. It’s so fun working in a scene with her.

It must be really special when you find an actor who balances the way you approach a scene like that. You could really tell that the dynamic between you was complementary.

I have one last question for you: do you have a favorite scene you shot or a favorite memory from set?

I made a promise to myself when I arrived on set that no matter the scene, I was going to have fun. But if I had to choose one, it was the first day on set.

I’d just flown in, met Amy (B. Harris, our showrunner) and some of the cast, and the next day was my first day. We shot the scene where Jordie pretends not to know Percy. 

It was like my first day of school, and I was so freaking nervous. But once I saw Sadie and Aurora work, I stopped being nervous and started having fun.

I started experimenting, throwing stuff. Our director of photography was like, “No, don’t do that, it makes it complicated.” Then Sadie grabs the food and drags it, and I’m like, there’s a lot of playing involved.

It reminded me of what I did on stage to take the pressure off.

I do this every time I’m doing a musical theater show during my mic check. I like to purposely make my voice crack, so everyone knows it’s totally okay if your voice cracks, because that’s something in my head constantly. So I purposely made a mistake.

As a musical theater kid, I get it.

Right. I purposely make mistakes right off so I can rip off the Band-Aid and just go.

That’s awesome, what an interesting technique. I’m kind of a little mad — that wasn’t something people did all the time when I was doing theater. Maybe that would have taken some of the pressure off.

What’s your favorite musical?

Oh my gosh, that’s like trying to pick a favorite child. I can tell you my favorite one I’ve been in: my university production of Hairspray. I had the time of my life. What’s yours?

Okay, just like you, I struggle with a favorite, but right now off the dome, it’s Cabaret.

I saw Eddie Redmayne and Marisha Wallace perform in the West End. It was my birthday present from my dad, and I brought my 17-year-old sister, but because she wasn’t old enough, she couldn’t have the Schnapps.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

If you’d like to watch our full interview and listen to more of what Joseph Chiu has to say about pretty much everything, you can check out our video interview below!

Every Year After is now streaming on Prime Video.