When he accepted a temp job for a modest California hot sauce company called Rockin’ Grandmas a year ago, 25-year-old Anthony Norman had no idea he’d suddenly become a TV star. And yet, after experiencing a weeklong company retreat in which the staff of Rockin’ Grandmas awkwardly proposed to each other, hooked up, drank out of Fleshlights, and ultimately staved off an acquisition by a cold megacorporation, Norman discovered the truth about his temp gig: Everything he’d just experienced, right down to the people, was a fabrication.
For fans of Prime Video’s hidden-camera sitcom experiment “Jury Duty,” these developments are old hat: the show just aired the final two episodes of its excellent sophomore season, “Company Retreat,” which saw Norman gamely navigate the over-the-top characters and situations at an expansive resort in upstate California with the (fake) employees of Rockin’ Grandma’s Hot Sauce. There, we got to marvel as Norman not only ran with every quirk and idiosyncrasy he came across—from failson Dougie’s (Alex Bonifer) furtive attempts to prove himself as the company’s new CEO to receptionist PJ’s (Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur) snackfluencing hobby—but engaged with his castmates and the situation in ways that, looking back, are heartwarming, and frankly inspiring.
It’s been a similarly uplifting journey for Norman, who in the months since has still been temping while doing press tours for “Company Retreat” in the leadup to its reunion episode (in which Norman gets to meet Season 1 hero Ronald Gladden and reunite with his cast in an episode co-hosted by Season 1’s James Marsden). “Even the hotel they got me in now is freaking amazing,” Norman tells RogerEbert.com.
In the months since, he’s had time to process both his experience and the overwhelmingly positive reception to the show, and to him specifically. “I feel amazing, man,” says Norman. “There were a few nerves at the beginning of it, but seeing everybody’s reaction to it, it’s just been so much love. I’ve been able to experience things that I never even dreamed of.”
RogerEbert.com sat down with Norman (from said hotel room) over Zoom last week to talk about the ins and outs of his surreal experience, whether he ever suspected anything was up, and how he responds to people calling his everyman integrity heroic.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Let’s go back to the very first interaction you had with this: How were you “hired,” so to speak?
ANTHONY NORMAN: So I applied to a temp company and had to go through their application process. After a month, I almost forgot about it, but they contacted me and said they wanted to move on with me. And that’s when we get on Zoom with Kevin (or Ryan).
So it was pretty quick for you, gotcha. Now you’ve said in interviews, and even in the reunion episodes, that there were a lot of moments during that whole two-week period where you thought something might be up. And you would talk to your mom on the phone every day, and she was telling you things were hinky. What were some of the biggest red flag moments you look back on and think, “Oh, maybe that was too crazy to be true”?
I’ll say the stuff that [evil company] Truikus did: Them bringing in Sia, setting up this big brunch, that was so over-the-top. And some little things; there was a moment where I got Warren [who played salesman Steve] for his birthday, and I don’t know if it really was his birthday or not, but I was told that. I did the morning runs and got him a singular chocolate cupcake. That same day, I was talking to Doug/Jerry, and he was like, “Oh yeah, I got one of those chocolate cupcakes.” When there was only one. In the moment, I’m like “okay, maybe I said something wrong.” I don’t know. I dismissed it at the time. But looking back, he almost messed it up, right?
The biggest was the first day, it was almost ruined them. For the first three days, I stayed in a hotel before we reached the actual retreat site. I went to check in, and the dude behind the desk asked me, “Are you with Amazon?” I was like, “I don’t know.” I really didn’t know; I was working through a temp company, and Amazon has a lot of partners and businesses and stuff. So looking back in that moment, it was strange; they literally told me it was Amazon.
What I found most interesting about your season of “Jury Duty,” in particular, was that you’re the regular guy stuck in the middle of all of this, and so much depends on your reaction. But you have a character of your own, so to speak, that comes through, and you actually get opportunities to interact and forge the story. Even in scenes where you’re messing with the Malibu realtor and joking around about the Fleshlight, you get to improvise right back with a guy without even knowing it. Is that how you normally approach situations like that? Throwing yourself into something and figuring it out along the way?
Yes and no; at first, not really, but everyone was so welcoming, and just themselves? It allowed me to feel comfortable, let loose, and just have fun with it.
You did seem to form a really quick bond with all of these characters. Do you find that’s a typical attitude for you when you enter a new situation? Or was there something specific about this environment?
The environment and the cast, for sure, but also just me being a big team guy. I came into a team that was already really close, and that’s something I love to be placed in. So that made me really feel at home as well.
You were also immediately given the role of “Captain Fun,” which felt like offering you a specific set of parameters for the retreat (especially after Kevin bestows it on you before leaving in the first episode). Did you feel that responsibility suddenly?
I mean, he definitely gave me a new task. But honestly, that was my job; I was expecting to show up and help in any way they needed, to make sure everybody kept their spirits high. So no, that wasn’t a big ask for me.
Did the hat give you any sense of power?
Yeah, for sure, it definitely helped. Honestly, I did it because I felt as if the Rockin’ Grandma’s crew would appreciate it, right? They all got more excited. So it was more about embracing the silliness.
In the reunion, we see a lot of unused footage. Was there a moment or an interaction you had at the retreat that you remember as significant, but which didn’t make it into the show?
I know this might be a boring answer, but whiffleball. I’m a big baseball fan, but the fact that everyone was enthusiastic about wanting to play, and not half-heartedly out there, that meant a lot ot me. Because if I called all of my homies back in Nashville, maybe two of them would show up to play. So it meant a lot. Everyone from the company came in, even Marjorie.
Speaking of her, you also had an interesting dynamic with her because she exists outside of the Rockin’ Grandma’s crew, so she becomes this confidant. There’s even a moment in the first episode, after the disastrous Kevin proposal, where she almost offers you an out. Did you think about it?
When she offered it, I considered it for, like, a second. But honestly, I ended up saying “no” because nothing had happened that made me feel uncomfortable. Nothing like, “I can’t be here.”
Everyone’s talked about the “hero” aspect of your role in the season, and whether the show kind of innately brings the best out of the people it’s focused on. I think it especially brought out the best in you; I’m thinking specifically of your big speech at the end, where you’re suddenly thrust into the position of talking Doug down from selling Rockin’ Grandmas. It’s a big end-of-movie moment, and it’s astonishing to see the poise and conviction you express in that speech you give to Doug. What were the emotions you were feeling in that moment, which, for all you knew, was really happening?
My heart was pumping, my adrenaline was going. Mentally, I didn’t really have a plan, because when we were at the top of the hill, I was telling Alex (or Dougie), “Yo, you gotta do it!” Of course, they’re not gonna let it happen. So as I’m walking up, I’m asking myself, “What am I gonna say? I didn’t really have anything.” When I first walk in, I know I have to say something he’ll connect with and stop to hear me out.
That’s where the “father to father” line comes out, which hits you like a ton of bricks. And when you throw the Triukus exec’s line back in Doug’s face (“Do you really wanna listen to the temp?”), everyone can see that you mean it.
Somebody said the quiet part out loud! The only way anybody gets through this madness is if they’re a little crazy themselves.
When the initial reveal happened for you, what emotions ran through your head there? Was there ever a feeling of betrayal, or of trust being broken? How did you process that moment?
I never felt my trust had been broken; honestly, just them being there for me and continuing to build on the relationships we’d already had was what drove it home for me.
It really does feel like the cast was also impacted by getting to know the real you, and it came out in the way they’ve engaged with you since.
Yeah, they absolutely impacted my life, just being so supportive and loving of me, even to this day. Having that community around you just uplifts you and makes you more willing and wanting to show up for people.
And of course, you’ve now met Ronald from Season 1, and are aware that this show exists in a broader context. It almost feels like you and Ronald share a unique experience that only you two have gone through, even though you didn’t experience it together.
I honestly look at Ronald now like my big brother. Anytime I call or text, or even when I’m out here. When we sat down and talked for the first time [in the ninth episode, “The Meeting”], I told him, “I know you’re trying to help me, but is there anything I can do for you?” We went through the exact same experience, and for that, he’ll be my big brother for life.
How does this whole experience sit with you as a chapter in your life? I know the future is probably still a little uncertain, because this was an arena you probably never expected to get into. But do you know what your next steps are in the wake of this?
I don’t know for sure, but I’d like to see brand deals, partnerships, and maybe commercials. If an opportunity comes to do a movie or a TV show, I’d be open to it. But that’s not the alley I’m chasing down.
Is there a character at Rockin’ Grandmas you wish actually existed, irrespective of the actor? Is there a persona you really wish you could go back and talk to again?
Honestly, I’d say Dougie; I know I keep bringing him up, and I know [Alex] is my brother, but I just want to go back to check on him and see how things are going. Just to see if he really stepped up to the plate, and if everybody was still motivating him to be the best CEO he could be.
I’m really curious; what did the Jamaican Jerk Off Sauce actually taste like?
It was solid! Like I said in the episode, 8 1/2 out of 10. I didn’t really get a jerk flavor from it, though. I’m not a big jerk guy. But it was good.
Did it taste at all of Taco Bell hot sauce?
Not at all.