Brandon Scott Jones on Working ‘Vampire Hours’ for ‘Renfield,’ Acting Alongside Nicolas Cage, and Taking High School Theater Way Too Seriously

Brandon Scott Jones loves horror films — but despite starring in the CBS series “Ghosts” as forgotten Revolutionary War soldier Captain Isaac Higgintoot, the actor and writer has yet to appear in the horror genre. That all changes with the April 14 release of “Renfield,” starring Nicolas Cage as the legendary Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his put-upon underling. Jones plays Mark, the leader of a co-dependency support group who advises Renfield — with no idea just how toxic his relationship with Dracula truly is. Jones will also be seen in the third season of “The Other Two,” hitting HBO Max on May 4, reprising his role as Curtis, the confidante to aspiring actor Cary.

“Renfield” is so great but it’s not easy to describe. Did you know it was something special when you first read it?

Well, you always hope. But I remember reading page one and going, “I love this. This is exactly the type of movie I would want to see.” And when we were shooting, it felt like we had something wild. We shot practical nights, even on interiors, so we were on vampire hours, which I think helped the mentality a little bit. But it was really, really fun and felt special and cool.

How did you go about booking the role?

It was a pretty straightforward process; I self-taped and Rebecca Wisocky, who plays Hetty on “Ghosts,” was my reader, because I did it after a long day on set. In fact, I think I still had a little Isaac makeup on.

Wait, did Rebecca play Dracula?

She did! And I should go back and find that audition because she did such a good job. She was so committed! If you’re going to have anybody as your reader, Rebecca Wisocky is the one you want. I would not be surprised to find out I got that part largely due to her.

The whole cast is great, particularly Nicolas Cage. You’ve worked so many amazing actors, do you ever have moments where you sort of want to pinch yourself?

That happens frequently. Mostly, you just really want to watch these great actors work. Everyone on set would kind of watch in awe when Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult were acting together.

Did Cage stay in character as Dracula between takes?

Not necessarily but I think he was in, like, the vibe of the character. I got the sense that he really lives in the feeling of a character and keeps moving and talking like him. It was a really cool work ethic that I found infectious.

I know “Renfield” is an outrageous comedy but personally I felt like they really took care in depicting the co-dependency group to be as realistic as possible.

I always felt like [director] Chris McKay kept a good check on making sure this felt real because you don’t want to punch down, you know what I mean? This is a real thing that people deal with and it’s challenging. And when you’re working on yourself like these people are, it’s very noble. So you want to honor that as much as you within this world. So I’m happy that they were never the butt of the joke.

You’ve had so much success as both an actor and a writer. Did they always go hand in hand or did you start out in one direction?

When I was in about the seventh grade, I saw “Good Will Hunting.” My dad told me Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote the movie. I didn’t know you could do that. So I asked my mom to take me to Barnes and Noble and got a book on screenwriting — “The Elements of Screenwriting.” And I wrote my first full screenplay with the idea I would act in it. At the same time, I was doing theater in high school and knew I wanted to follow that.

The two paths really converged for me at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in New York, where I studied and performed a lot. They really teach you to celebrate your own voice and those around you and write for yourself and for others. It’s a really fun way to combine the two and I am very, very grateful both have worked out for me.

Was high school theater a big part of your life?

Oh, God, yes. I became the president of my drama club and I took it so seriously — like I would put it on my resume to this day. When you’re young and doing theater, in your brain you’re essentially on Broadway. I mean, I would call the New York Times to see if they wanted to come down and review our show. I was truly so into it. I wanted to sell season tickets. I tried to advertise in the Baltimore Sun. I remember asking, “Are we eligible for the Helen Hayes Award?”

Do you remember some of the shows you were in?

We did “Footloose” and “Getting Away with Murder” which isn’t a musical but was co-written by Stephen Sondheim. We did Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” which is an odd choice for a high school to do. And we paired it with “Annie.”

Were you Daddy Warbucks?

I was Drake the butler. And I’m not going lie, I tried to really, really milk that part for as much I possibly could — I went to so hard; it was crazy. And because this was high school, our Daddy Warbucks and Annie were dating. It weirded us out because backstage they’d be making out then go onstage and play father and daughter.

You also wrote for “The Other Two” and played the role of Curtis. Did one job lead to another?

I knew the creators, Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, from my UCB days. And I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but they had actually cast someone else in the part who, unfortunately, had to pull out at the last minute. I think it was 6:30 in the morning, I got a phone call. They were like, “Can you come shoot this scene?” Two hours later, I was on set saying the lines. And it turned into this wonderful, amazing job. Then in the second season, they brought me on as a writer. And it was such a cool experience to work on that show and see how the sausage is made from both angles.

And Curtis is back for Season Three?

Definitely — I think this is the most Curtis you will get to see and you’ll learn a little bit more about him outside of his relationship with Cary. Being on “Ghosts” prevented me from writing on the show this year but I would text them hair ideas.

“Ghosts” has also been picked up for Season Three. How much did they tell you about Isaac when you auditioned for the show?

All I knew when I got the part was that the was a closeted Revolutionary War soldier who has a big chip on his shoulder about Alexander Hamilton. That rivalry was there from the start, and it’s been such a fun thing to play.

If Alexander Hamilton ever appears on the show, I’d love to discover he has no idea who Isaac is.

Oh God, he would just walk right past him. Isaac thinks he’s this forgotten Founding Father and he’s literally done nothing. It’s so sad.

How often are takes ruined by someone in the cast laughing?

We’ve gotten good at keeping it together. But there are times, like when Devan [Chandler] starts improvising as Thorfinn and he’s just screaming. If you go back to early episodes, you can probably find moments in where you see us in the background trying not to laugh.

Who’s the worst at breaking?

Asher. Asher Grodman.

That’s so funny, that was going to be my guess!

He breaks a lot and he’s a good person to make break because he has a great smile and a great laugh. 

I just feel bad for him because he must be cold without his pants.

It’s funny, he wears sweatpants in between takes. And there’s a moment right before rolling where he just rips his sweats off. We’re two seasons in, about to go into our third, and it’s still jarring when he takes them off and has that flesh-colored underwear.

Does he rip them off stripper style?

In the beginning, he did. It was snaps on the side, and it was hilarious. So theatrical.

Do you enjoy playing a character who always has the same costume?

There is definitely a comfort and consistency in it. And it’s a good marker of whether or not I’m gaining weight. 

With the “Ghosts” season finale coming up in May, can you tell us what’s ahead for Isaac?

This is going to sound really vague and cryptic, but something big will happen to Isaac and Nigel’s relationship. And it might be good, or it might be bad, or you might think it’s good, or you might think it’s bad. And then I guess my other little cryptic teases, you know, maybe, maybe there’s somebody who gets sucked off [to Heaven] in the house. Who knows?

Things you didn’t know about Brandon Scott Jones:

Age: 38

Birthplace: Bel Air, Maryland

The Write Stuff: Screenwriting credits include the Rebel Wilson film “Senior Year” and the TV pilot “The Demons of Dorian Gunn.”

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