Lord have mercy! BJ is in for a bumpy ride in season three of The Righteous Gemstones. And so are audiences, but in the best way. The new season began on HBO last week, and upcoming episodes find our favorite dysfunctional televangelist family confronting even more dangerous and emotional messy situations than ever. That holds true for the character of BJ, too, brought to life by Tim Baltz. In season three, BJ and Judy’s (Edi Patterson) marriage is truly put to the test, forcing BJ to make some big changes.
“I liked that BJ stands up for himself this season,” Baltz told MovieWeb. “I think he’s done certain versions of that in prior seasons, but this time, without getting into spoilers, he’s put in a position where he really must try to be someone that he’s not. He must push himself a little bit further and stand up to not just family, but also, to Judy, based on her actions. That forces him to evolve and grow. And when you’re playing a character for multiple seasons, that’s a blessing.”
Amen to that. Learn more about the evolution of BJ, how Baltz feels about the show, and much more in this exclusive interview.
What Happens with BJ and Judy?
Last week’s season three premiere episode revealed that Stephen (played by Stephen Schneider), the frenetic church tour guitarist, hooked up with Judy Gemstone during her singing tour. Judy does everything she can to end her affair with him to no avail—they may go down as one of the most bizarre couplings, in fact. BJ may be naïve, but he’s not dumb. Things heat up after he eventually discovers what’s gone down between the two, and there’s an inevitable confrontation between BJ and Stephen.
“Stephen Schneider did such a great job [in that confrontation scene] and I was very lucky to get to play that arc with him,” Baltz admitted. “He’s such a pro. And he’s so funny and present as an actor. I wouldn’t have wanted to do that fight scene [in real life], which is both intimate and intense, with anybody else.”
Confrontation indeed. In addition to working with Schneider, Baltz credits the show’s writers and the actors, and teases a big shift with many characters in the upcoming season.
“It’s great to work with these people on the show, and a lot of them have been in sitcom, but in a sitcom, you’re going back to the same joke bucket for a particular character,” he shared. “And that’s fine because writers know how to write that. But with this show, and specifically BJ over the few seasons, he’s keeps evolving and getting into more dramatic situations. You see these other sides and dimensions of him. That fight scene [with Stephen] took two days to film. We had some raw emotion in episode six, which is devastating. But that’s fun for me as an actor, because it’s a big challenge.”
On BJ and the Rest of the Gemstones
When asked how much he’s like BJ, if at all, Baltz shared: “I’m not like that character, per se, but I definitely connect with that character’s decency and their kindness and feeling like a fish out of water. I grew up in a conservative religious environment. And sometimes I felt like people projected onto me that character. So, I’ve found it easy. From the first time I read the pilot script, I connected with it and played with it.”
The Righteous Gemstones shines for many reasons, most notably its rich ensemble cast, whose different acting styles appeal to different generations of viewers. “I obviously came up watching a lot of John Goodman movies, and John is so well-trained, and it’s easy to get lost studying how he performs because he’s invested in the performance,” noted Baltz of the actor who plays Eli Gemstone. Baltz also sang the praises of other castmembers — Danny McBride (Jesse), Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine (Kelvin), and others.
You have Walton Goggins (Baby Billy Freeman), who’s a great actor and takes these like wild risks. Edi, Adam, Tony Cavalero (Keefe), and I are somewhat the same generation.
“I’m very lucky that most of my scenes are with Edi,” he added. “We have such an easy rapport since I first tested for the show back in 2018. And when we have the big church lunch scenes, those are kind of the best days. Everyone’s in a good mood.”
The Biggest Surprises in Season Three
Baltz said one thing viewers would be most surprised about in season three is that our beloved Gemstones find themselves in peril. The character of Peter (Steve Zahn), Eli’s ex-con brother-in-law, should turn heads. Peter runs a bizarre militia. May-May Montgomery (Kristen Johnston of 3rd Rock From the Sun) will also capture attention as Eli’s sister.
“There’s family drama that threatens the empire and a monster truck element that will surprise audiences this season, because the truck itself is such a character,” said Baltz. He added:
In general, though, this season we’ll see a lot of emotional devastation and bigger fight scenes or danger, like BJ’s fight scene. I hate to pick my own thing, but I do think that that fight scene is going to shock a lot of people because of its violence and because of the nudity. Yeah, when it’s the Gemstones, we know there was going to be nudity at some point.
One also must ask: What is it audiences are really connecting with in this show? Why do we love the Gemstones? “The family dysfunction is far more pervasive than we give it credit for,” Baltz explained. “People like to see other people’s family dysfunction. There’s a reason a lot of shows throughout American comedy centers around family dysfunction, whether it’s wholesome or dramatic or comedic. It’s hard to look away from it.”
“I also think that Danny McBride and the whole crew — they’re mid-Atlantic — they just get it. They really understand how to satirize those East Coast and mid-Atlantic things — you know, the angry guy, people striving for their place in the world and their power, and the megachurch,” added Baltz.
“That’s something in the back of our minds, the megachurch. It’s this undercurrent throughout our lives, and not enough people talk about it. And when they do, I think they get it wrong. What’s interesting about this show is they get it right. I come from a big family — I’m one of the youngest of 20 cousins — and I always grew up seeing power dynamics and not really understanding them. So, when you watch something like The Righteous Gemstones, you get to watch that without being emotionally invested or affected by it. You just get to laugh.”
The Righteous Gemstones airs Sunday nights on HBO and is streaming on Max.
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