Latest news with #JasonRitter
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jason Ritter Explained Why He Had 'This Weird Feeling Of Connection' To Beau Bridges Before Working With Him On Matlock, And It Involves Dad John Ritter
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. After a season of legal twists and family strife, the relationship between Beau Bridges and Jason Ritter's Matlock father and son characters is at a crossroads in the 2025 TV schedule. In real life, though, the collaborators are actually quite friendly. Part of the reason for that is because of a strange way that the late great John Ritter and Bridges would be included in a lot of the same conversations. During a Paley Center event on behalf of Matlock's early campaign for the upcoming 2025 Emmys, Ritter admitted that his paternal figure on CBS' hit legal drama bore a striking resemblance to his actual father. Through a TikTok video clipped from this panel interview, Jason Ritter shared as much with this anecdote: You know, there's this strange thing, when Beau was cast, throughout my entire childhood in my life, my dad and Beau would get mistaken for each other all the time. And there is a bit of a physical similarity. I can kind of see where the man behind Matlock's treacherous yet tragic lawyer is coming from. Which is funny, because at first I was kind of resistant to the idea, as John Ritter and Beau Bridges both have their own trademark smiles. Paramount Plus: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a yearWhether it's the Essential plan at $7.99 a month, or the Showtime inclusive/ad-free Premium plan from $12.99 a month, a Paramount+ subscription is never a bad idea. With both classic and modern runs of Matlock ready for viewing, the courtroom drama fun doesn't have to end for some time. Though I hear those Yellowstone shows are also might fine, should you want to switch things up. View Deal But as if he was ready to fight off any challenges to that claim, Jason Ritter shared this next piece of the tale that cites a compelling piece of evidence you don't need a Paramount+ subscription to enjoy. He said: …my dad, one time, got a fan letter from someone who had listed all of these things that he had done and the performances that they loved and said, 'Could you please sign the enclosed picture?' It was Beau Bridges on the beach. So I already had this weird feeling of connection to him. Now if you pull up that very photo from decades earlier that Mr. Ritter mentioned, it shows the shaggy-haired smoke show that is Beau Bridges, smiling away on the beach. That particular mane of hair is what swayed me in the end, because between that and The Millers star's high-wattage smile, Beau absolutely looks like our beloved Three's Company icon. And now that scene where Bridges' Matlock character mourns his brother kind of hits harder for me, because John Ritter playing that role could have been spectacularly funny. (Which is, of course, no slight against Beau's actual brother, the equally legendary Jeff Bridges.) You watch all of Beau Bridges and Jason Ritter's Season 1 antics on Paramount+. Don't forget that CBS' 2025-2026 fall TV lineup is still waiting to provide a date for Matlock Season 2 to kick off and bring Kathy Bates back to the TV fold in grand fashion.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jason Ritter talks ‘Lanterns,' working up the nerve to ask to wear the power ring
Jason Ritter may not be playing a member of the fabled Green Lantern Corps in Lanterns, the upcoming Max series adaptation of DC Comics' Green Lantern mythos, but he wants you to know he's eager to don the power ring if called to duty. 'I have to say, personally for me, being a fan of Green Lantern growing up, getting to see the ring in person was cool to me,' Ritter told Gold Derby about admiring the intergalactic peacekeepers' iconic emerald ring on set. 'I haven't quite gotten to the point where I am like, 'Can I try that on?' I'm hoping to at some point to just try it on, say the oath really quick, see what happens.' More from GoldDerby 2025 ACM Awards winners list: Lainey Wilson wins Artist-Songwriter of the Year After 12 career nominations, Scott Ellis could win his first ever Tony Award for producing 'Yellow Face' Everything to know about 'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum': Cast, release date, director Ritter plays Billy Macon, a character who may or may not have roots in the comic book canon. Macon is married to a dutiful small-town sheriff (Kelly Macdonald) and is the son of an outwardly charming but conspiracy-minded cowboy (Garret Dillahunt). The family becomes embroiled in a murder investigation conducted by Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Max Lanterns, Ritter said, has one foot in an adventurous, science-fiction-fueled superhero world, and the other firmly planted in more earthbound reality. 'It's both,' the Matlock star explained. 'It's very grounded. The performances all feel very real. Batman has always been sort of 'no magic,' in a city, a rich guy with a lot of cool, wonderful toys, as the Joker said, so there's that level of reality that suits The Penguin. Whereas Green Lantern can fly, can manifest things, and the universe is involved. So it's a much bigger world, but it does feel kind of rooted in reality.' Ritter said that not only was he eager to sign on to a Green Lantern-driven project, but he's also excited to join Warner Bros.' new DC Universe roster of films and TV series, overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran. This new slate formally launches throughout 2025 with Creature Commandos, Peacemaker's second season, and the big-screen Superman. The actor loves imagining how the tapestry will all come together. He's also enjoyed diving into some of the fan theories percolating about his character online. 'I looked a lot when I first got cast, and I was very honored by some of the ideas before they announced who my character was,' he said, noting one particularly intriguing bit of speculation: that Ritter would be voicing a longtime fan-favorite member of the Green Lantern Corps. 'I don't actually know how you pronounce it because I've only read it, but Ch'p, the little squirrel,' Ritter laughs. 'I was like, 'Oh my gosh, that's so nice that you were saying that – That would be awesome!' [But] I can totally dispel that one. No, I'm a human man.' 'But the truth is, as we've seen before in these shows, a character who's one thing in one season can go through a change, evolve,' Ritter, who's halfway through shooting the eight-episode season, added. 'So I have no sense, aside from what's going on in this season, my character can have secrets that I don't yet know, not even having gotten a final episode yet.' Best of GoldDerby 'I've never been on a show that got this kind of recognition': Katherine LaNasa on 'The Pitt's' success and Dana's 'existential crisis' How Charlie Cox characterizes Matt Murdock through action scenes in 'Daredevil: Born Again' 'Agatha All Along' star Joe Locke on learning from Kathryn Hahn, musical theater goals, and the 'Heartstopper' movie with Kit Connor Click here to read the full article.
Perth Now
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Jason Ritter found it 'weird' when his late father's voice suddenly appeared on television
Jason Ritter found it "weird" when his late father's voice suddenly appeared on television. The 45-year-old actor is the son of John Ritter - who died suddenly at the age of 54 as a result of a misdiagnosed thoracic aortic dissection - and Nancy Morgan, and recalled fixing a "fuzzy" television set when his dad's guest appearance in an episode of 'King of the Hill' was coincidentally on the air. He told People: "There have been a couple of times. "There was a time where I was in a trailer and I was trying to get this TV to work, and it was all kind of fuzzy, and the only channel that worked was playing a 'King of the Hill' episode, and it was my dad's voice, and I hadn't known that he had done that. And all of a sudden it was weird to hear his voice coming from this character. So I watched it. "From 'The Waltons' to 'Mary Tyler Moore', he was bouncing all over. 'Hawaii Five-O.' 'M.A.S.H'. — he has a great episode on that. It's fun to see." Jason has carved out a successful acting career himself over the years and is best known for his roles in series such as ' Joan of Arcadia ' and 'Gravity Falls' but previously admitted that his first foray into show business was completely as a result of his parents. Speaking on the 'Jess Cagle Show', she said: "As a little kid, when I was maybe six or something like that, my dad was doing this cartoon called 'The Real Story of O Christmas Tree'. "I will say, without any hesitation, this was like a full-on nepotism hire. I will admit that. He for sure got me the job. I did try to stay away from that later. "I got to play Little Acorn in 'The Real Story of O Christmas Tree', and he played my Uncle Piney. It was funny because, as I grew up and I found that recording again, I went, 'Oh, they must have sped up my voice to make it that high.' Both my mom and dad were like, 'No, no. That was, yeah... It was pretty high. Jason, that was your voice."
Forbes
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Jason Ritter On His Acting Career, ‘Matlock' And Remembering His Dad
Jason Ritter, recipient of the SeriesFest Distinguished Artist Award, attends the SeriesFest Soiree ... More on May 02, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Yes, he comes from a family of celebrated actors, but two-time Emmy nominee Jason Ritter has spent his career selecting roles and projects that allow him to showcase his own unique skill set. Currently playing the somewhat troubled lawyer Julian Markston, alongside Emmy winner Kathy Bates, on the hit CBS drama series Matlock, Ritter, 45, is arguably at the top of his acting game today, with even more much-anticipated television projects in the works. Speaking with Ritter last Friday in Denver, Colorado, where he was awarded with this year's Distinguished Artist Award at SeriesFest, what is it about his acting work as Julian on Matlock that is fulfilling him, perhaps more than ever? Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter and Kathy Bates on "Matlock" 'Gosh, that's a great question. I think that there are sides of myself that I get to kind of explore in Julian - maybe being too worried about what other people will think of me or trying to get people to like me or something like that. Julian can have good day and bad day, and that's sort of freeing to be this person who can get annoyed. I feel like I'm getting to explore some parts of my personality that I don't often get to explore.' As for receiving SeriesFest's Distinguished Artist Award, Ritter said, 'It's so nice, I have to say. I'm having a tough time accepting it. There's the part of me that doesn't feel quite like I deserve something like this, but I'm ignoring that. I'm pushing that to the side and just taking the lovely compliment.' Jason Ritter speaks on-stage as he receives the SeriesFest Distinguished Artist Award from ... More SeriesFest co-founders Kaily Smith and Randi Kleiner on May 02, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. Being the son of fellow actors Nancy Morgan and the late John Ritter, as well as the husband to Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey, Ritter has remained in and around Hollywood for his entire life. So, what is he seeing within the entertainment industry today that he is liking, and what parts of yesteryear's ways does he miss? 'Another great question. One of the things that I really love is there are so many shows - there's so much content coming out, whether it's on network TV or streamers or the internet. You can find so many incredible things for whatever you like. That's absolutely wonderful and it creates a lot of work for everybody.' As for what he misses, Ritter said, 'It's a similar answer. It's a double-sided coin. There are so many shows, that you can be excited about a show and you go to tell somebody else and they go - Oh no, that's not one of my seven shows that I watch. I did like that feeling of say with Lost or something like that, where everybody was watching it - there are still some shows that have that. At the same time, it really feels like television is just getting better and better, and the writing and the acting is going up. There used to be kind of a separation between movie stars and TV stars, and all of these incredible movie actors are coming and doing television because that's how good the writing is.' Beyond his acting work on Matlock, which is in its first season, Ritter will soon be seen playing Billy Macon on the DC/HBO series Lanterns, which is currently in development. So, where exactly within the production process is this project at right now? 'We are about to start shooting,' Ritter said, 'We've shot four episodes so far and we're about to start shooting episodes three and four. We're doing it all a little out of order. The story is kind of jumping all around, but it's been so fun and it's a really well-written, really fun show. I'm just trying to fit into that world and maybe put a little silliness in there.' As for his marriage to Lynskey since 2020 and raising a daughter together, I wondered what it means to Ritter to be with someone that understands the schedule of an actor, but can also level each other out as a supportive spouse and co-parent. Jason Ritter and Melanie Lynskey attend the premiere of Paramount+ with Showtime original series ... More "Yellowjackets" Season 3 at the DGA Theater on February 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Ritter said of Lynskey, 'We both have an understanding of the spontaneous nature of this business and that you may have to leave. I always feel like we have had each other's back through this period of time that our daughter's been - that we've been a family of three. Basically, every job or audition that comes in - we audition for everything - but if we get it, we always have to sort of talk to each other before we officially take it, to figure out how is this going to work with our lives - is it possible or not. I really feel like we both want to help it happen for the other person so much. We both very much feel like we're in each other's corner, which is nice.' Having learned how to effectively craft his own career, what advice does Ritter have for other creatives that are trying to navigate within this ever-evolving entertainment industry? 'My advice would be to follow your creative instincts. Some of the success stories that I've heard have been people - friends of mine - having an idea, pooling resources, coming together to shoot a little thing, and nine times out of ten, they put it on the internet and it wouldn't go anywhere. Every once in a while, something will start to gain traction and people can build their careers without waiting for help from the powers that be - or going the normal route where someone has to give you permission to make something. So, I would advise people to give yourselves permission to try to make whatever you can with your friends, and at the very least, you have a calling card to show somebody else.' This September will mark 22 years since Ritter's popular dad, John, passed away. These more than two decades later, I was curious if Ritter feels his dad's presence at all lately within his everyday life. Jason Ritter and John Ritter at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on August 14, 2003 in Los Angeles. Ritter said, 'Oh boy. You know, it's so funny - I flew into Denver Airport every year from when I was maybe 11 to 17 or 18, going to a Colorado camp. On the little shuttle, my dad did this joke where he was pretending - like these two-second little songs that come on in-between stops - he was just doing a joke that he had written those songs. He was like - Look at the joy that it's giving to all these people! Everyone just standing, having just traveled, looking bored and couldn't care less about the music. He just would do things like that, that would make us laugh, just off-the-cuff, and I cannot take that shuttle without thinking of that weird character. Today, I had that moment where he was with me in that little tram at Denver Airport. I could see him doing that old bit. So, I do feel his presence all the time. He made such a huge impression on me and my family and the world. It's nice to have those moments where I remember a little silly thing that he used to do.' Concluding the conversation with Ritter, I wondered what he would say to his Matlock character Julian, after embodying him on-screen so far, if only he could. Jason Ritter on "Matlock" 'There is light at the end of the tunnel. You have to accept the consequences of your actions - and hopefully, you learn from it and stop lying.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Melanie Lynskey's Stunning Oscars Afterparty Dress Had Everyone Asking The Same Question, So Her Husband Jason Ritter Responded
This past weekend, all of Hollywood came out to celebrate the 97th annual Oscars, which celebrates the very best in film from the past year. Ultimately, Anora came out on top, winning Best Picture and four other awards, including Best Actress for Mikey Madison and Best Director for Sean Baker. Karwai Tang / WireImage / Getty Images, Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images Adrien Brody, Zoe Saldaña, and Kieran Culkin also walked away with Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. And while the show itself was great — with Conan O'Brien even being praised as one of the best hosts — the afterparties are also a huge part of the Oscar weekend celebrations. Namely, Vanity Fair's annual Oscars afterparty, which includes a red carpet, where a lot of stars turn up in stunning outfits, with celebs who attended the Oscars even changing into their second look of the evening. Frazer Harrison / WireImage / Getty Images, Jamie Mccarthy / WireImage / Getty Images And this year, one of my personal favorite Vanity Fair afterparty looks that made my jaw hit the floor was Melanie Lynskey, who always, always understands the red carpet assignment and dresses incredibly. She wore a stunning off-the-shoulder red sequenced gown by Christian Siriano, paired with a red clutch and simple but gorgeous diamond jewelry by Martin Katz. Melanie attended the event alongside her husband, Jason Ritter, who looked just as flawless, opting for a classic black tux and bow tie. Jason and Melanie got married in 2020 after dating for seven years, and they have a daughter. And I'm not alone. As soon as pictures of Melanie hit the internet, people — including her current Yellowjackets castmates and her BFF/But I'm A Cheerleader costar Natasha Lyonne — were simply gushing over this sparkling red look: Amy Sussman / Dia Dipasupil / FilmMagic / Getty Images / Via One response to a viral tweet about Melanie's look had fans asking if Jason could fight: A popular comment on Melanie's Instagram post also asked Jason the same thing: And, well, it led to Jason responding and leaning into the popular internet joke: Then, he filmed a video of himself practicing fighting, LOL: Jason Ritter / Instagram / Via Melanie even commented: The whole thing is so effortlessly charming that everyone is even more obsessed now with Melanie and Jason: Editor's Note: While we can't endorse what X has become, we can bring you the worthwhile moments that still exist there, curated and free of the surrounding chaos. @lesbiagatha / Jason Ritter / Via @lottiesacolytex / Jason Ritter / Via @taissaturnr / Jason Ritter / Via @ali_sivi / Jason Ritter / Via In conclusion: Cindy Ord / VF25 / Getty Images for Vanity Fair / Via Twitter: @shaunasknife And I'll say it once again: Melanie and Jason have the kind of love I aspire to find. You can check out all of our 2025 Oscars coverage here.
