Exclusive: Jocko Sims Talks The Last Ship Season 3Posted by Wilson Morales
July 30, 2016
Currently airing its 3rd season on TNT is ‘The Last Ship,’ which stars Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy), Bridget Regan (Agent Carter), Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck), Travis Van Winkle (Heart of Dixie), Marissa Neitling (Leverage) Jocko Sims (Masters of Sex), Charles Parnell (Pariah), Christina Elmore (Fruitvale Station), Bren Foster (Days of Our Lives) and Kevin Michael Martin.
This season, Captain Chandler and the crew of the Nathan James are shifting their attention to Asia after hearing rumblings that the Chinese leader has been hoarding the “Scott cure” from the infected people in the region, as well as rumors of a possible mutation of the original virus causing a fresh outbreak in Japan.
For Sims, who plays Lt. Carlton Burk, his role gets expanded this season as family and duty are more of a factor than ever. Having appeared on the Starz series “Crash,” Showtime’s “Masters of Sex,” and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Sims has found a home with The Last Ship.
In addition to the television series, Jocko also hosts a radio program with his mother (Karen Sims, a.k.a. Cinnamon) called Apollo Night LA (https://apollonightla.com/). The weekly show is designed to showcase unsigned/indie music artists representing all genres from around the world as well as provide an opportunity to be heard over the airwaves. In addition to entertaining their audience, it is their mission to become the avenue for music industry executives to discover new and untapped talent.
In speaking exclusively with Blackfilm.com, Sims talks about his role, this 3rd season, and what’s coming up from him.
Coming into the third season, how would you best describe him?
Jocks Sims: If you haven’t seen the show basically The Last Ship is about this virus, imagine Ebola, but it’s airborne, it’s killed millions of people. We’re on this navy ship and the scientist on our ship who are keep alive while she comes up with a vaccine. I play Lieutenant Carlton Burk, member of the U.S. Navy and we’re out there trying to save the world. It’s a lot of fun.
What’s expected of your character this year?
JS: This year I have a brother who was lost for four months, we found him he’s back on the ship. LaMonica Garrett is his real name, but he plays Cameron Burk, my older brother. You see a little bit of comedy in the first episode this season, little bit of sibling rivalry and definitely some more stuff to come between the two of them. LaMonica’s a great addition to the cast of the show, it’s been fun so far.
How much fun is it knowing that your character keeps evolving and that the show is still going strong?
JS: That’s amazing. As an actor that is more important, especially at my phase, my age there’s security. It’s not easy feat to land on a show that gets picked up. Most pilots that are shot don’t ever see the light of day. A lot of the networks started changing that model. Fox would shoot ten drams a year and go into one or two. More like the cable thing. Not to get too deep, but basically it’s always a wonderful feeling when the show gets picked up. You got to get that pick up letter yourself. The shows have an option to pick you up. The real official thing is happened, not when the announcement of season four, but when you get that official pick up letter, each individual actor gets that. That’s a great joy.
As an actor when you do these types of shows as opposed to a network, are you signed on for the entire season or a couple of years?
JS: When you sign an actor’s contract you sign up to six years and that means they have an option to renew you every year. You can sign a contract that means up to six years. If they want to kill you off on this particular show, just like Game of Thrones or The Last Ship, you never know who’s not going to make it. If they decide to kill you off early for ratings or for whatever reason, then they’ll do it.
Considering there’s more than one brother on the show, everybody’s expendable.
JS: Oh yeah, anybody’s expendable and you always have to watch out and I’ve already been shot twice.
Can you talk about the chemistry that between you, Eric and the rest of the cast?
JS: We’re actually really close. We have a lot of fun. Since season one we’ve been laughing together when the camera’s not rolling. We hang out. My best bud on the show without a doubt is Kevin Michael Martin, who’s hilarious. Very, very funny guy. The cast is really close, very talented cast, very diverse cast. You have some people who’ve been around for a while and then you have some newcomers. New as in this their first gig. That would be Marissa Neitling, Amen … Amen is actually not on … You have Christina Elmore. This is her only second gig. She had a small, very quick scene in Fruitvale Station and then for her to go on to something this big for this long, so really proud of her. Proud of everyone on the show.
Prior to this, were you working hard to get on a series, or movies, or how did this come about for you?
JS: I’ve been working now, about twelve years in. I’ve only been on two series, this is my second series that made it past the pilot phase. My first series was Crash, made with Dennis Hopper. After that was cancelled I think in 2009 it took me a good five years to get back on a series. I never take it for granted. It’s not easy. It’s very interesting thing, it’s like the wild, wild west. It’s crazy out there.
When you’re not on a series, are you looking for other parts? Whether it be TV, or movies?
JS: One of my best years of my career was a couple of years ago where I did The Last Ship, the first season, right after that I went into production for season two of Masters of Sex. I did seven episodes of that, played probably one of my most favorite characters I’ve played. Then I had a … let’s see. By the time we aired that summer, summer of 2014, I had a number one movie at the box office which is Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I was on Masters of Sex and The Last Ship. I think I might have been the only actor that year working on two shows. The Last Ship came on at 9pm and then you turn off TNT and go to Showtime at 10pm you catch me on Masters of Sex. It was really great. Whenever we go out of production I definitely try to look and do other things as well.
Anything else coming up down the road?
JS: Down the road I’m going to be writing and producing my own comedy series. Its basically about a group of guys trying to make it in the hip hop business. They form a hip hop group and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Watch out for that in the future.
Are you a comedian per se, do you have funny bones?
JS: I think I’m funny. I’m a prankster, I like to have fun. Somehow I’ve been relegated to doing only drama but I write comedy and I have a good time with it. Took me a while to get comfortable with it. I always took myself very seriously. Studied really hard. That personality lent itself to the character that I played. That’s what I’m looking forward to doing, more comedy in the future.
When you’re not working in the business, doing this comedy thing, what keeps you humble?
JS: My mother. Sometimes people, my oldest friends who I haven’t talked to for a while for one reason or another who look at my Instagram or Facebook and think that perhaps maybe I’ve changed and that just it’s not just me. A lot of entertainers go through that sort of thing. The reality is what you see on social media nowadays is not necessarily a reflection of how you’re living your life or who you are. I think of myself as a very humble person from Texas. Humble beginnings. I am star struck still. I’ll sit and work with some of these actors, these legends that I grew up watching.
I did a couple of movies with Jamie Foxx, I worked on those movies while he was winning his Oscar for Ray. That was amazing, I learned a lot from him. Gary Oldman, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I had scenes with him, couldn’t believe that. Of course, the late great Dennis Hopper who had worked on over 150 films, nominated for an Oscar and I was the last actor to work with him two years before he passed away. I had quite a few experiences that were interesting.
Growing up in San Antonio in middle school and high school, even elementary school, I remember watching these guys on TV. One of them was Mark-Paul Gosselaar from Saved By the Bell he played Zack Morris. Then Chris Klein who was in that American Pie movies and Breckin Myer who did a lot of teenage type films. He was in Nightmare on Elm Street, he was in Freddy’s Dead back in the day. When I was watching these guys the idea of me being an actor just hadn’t even crossed my mind. That ranges from when I was in elementary and middle school and Saved By the Bell was on all the way to high school when I was watching American Pie.
I found myself on an episode of Franklin and Bash playing a lawyer. I’m in the courtroom pretty much going up against these guys. Breckin Myer, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Chris Klein and it was really one of these most surreal moments that I’ve had. It’s amazing because literally at the time that I see these guys I never thought that I’d be out here working as an actor and getting scenes with them. That now is just now epic.
With so much TV competition, what’s a good reason for people to start watching The Last Ship and go on back and binge watch if they haven’t caught it already?
JS: There’s a lot of cerebral type stuff. There’s House of Cards, these shows are great. You have that and you have Game of Thrones is a big show. You have all types of shows. At least this one is a little unique that feels like you’re watching a movie every week. Part of the reason is we have Michael Bay at the helm. He’s done a couple of films, small films, you might have heard of him. Transformers, Ninja Turtles, Armageddon. This dude has really put his stamp on the film industry and so he’s gotten into TV. He’s got a couple of shows, big shows and it really does feel like you’re watching a movie every week. This is the type of movie that you can watch on your iPhone or your iPad if you want but you really go to get that Apple TV going and binge watch those first two seasons at home with the family. Turn on the surround sound and go for a ride. It’s a lot of fun.
Also, what’s creepy about the subject matter is this sort of thing can happen. What ended up happening on the show is you have this virus and somebody weaponized it more or less, and it kills you quickly and it spreads quickly and there’s no cure. It can wipe out the human race. This is sort of a type of story, what would happen if and this sort of thing as I mentioned can happen. That’s what appeals to the audiences is the fact that it … it’s not the most far fetched type story, believe it or not. It’s been a lot of fun and hopefully we’ll have many more seasons to come.
