Coffee Chats Episode 10: Joel Kinnaman

One small sip for man… One giant sip for all Coffee Chats! ScreenRant‘s signature interview series returns for its 10th episode with the frontman of For All Mankind and the original leader of The Suicide Squad, Joel Kinnaman. Kinnaman shares a caffeinated conversation with host Liam Crowley over a black coffee as the two dive into the actor’s three active TV projects airing right now (For All Mankind, Imperfect Woman, Detective Hole), reflect on his time as Rick Flag Jr. in the DCU, and open up about his ambitions to expand his genres.

In this episode of Coffee Chats, Kinnaman shares his “really emotional” connection to For All Mankind‘s ageing process, reveals how his DCU return in Peacemaker came to be, and details how working with Nic Cage helped him evolve as a performer.

Coffee Chats no.10 w/ Joel Kinnaman

Kinnaman’s For All Mankind Character Is Now The Same Age As His Father

Apple TV+’s For All Mankind has begun its penultimate expedition. The historical wrinkle space-based series is currently in its fifth season, with Joel Kinnaman’s Ed Baldwin being the top-billed star throughout its run.

Beginning in 1969, For All Mankind has leapt forward one decade each season, bringing its current season to 2012. When Kinnaman first started playing Baldwin, both were 38 years old. As the show progressed, the actor and character grew further apart in age, and the 46-year-old Kinnaman is now portraying an 82-year-old Baldwin.

Joel Kinnaman: It’s really emotional. I’m aging 10 years every season, and then, at the same time, I’ve been shooting this show for almost eight years. It’s been with me for an entire era of my life.
Seeing myself in the mirror in the makeup chair, different ages, you see yourself in these different phases of life, and it does something to your psyche. You’re not doing an epilogue scene in a movie where you put on some age makeup for one day. I’m in there for six months every day doing this, looking at myself in the mirror at this different age.
In the fifth season, when Ed is 82 years old, he’s a similar age to my dad. It was a really kind of profound inner process for me to do this. I was incredibly affected by it, like more affected by it than anything else that I’ve done before.

James Gunn Personally Called Joel Kinnaman For Peacemaker Return

Kinnaman Leaned More Into Comedy In His Final Rick Flag Appearance

Speaking of longtime characters, Kinnaman’s time in the DC Comics world stretched nearly a decade. Kinnaman first suited up as Rick Flag Jr. in Suicide Squad (2016) and reprised the role in The Suicide Squad (2021). The leader of Task Force X was killed at the end of the sequel, but returned as an alternate universe version in Peacemaker season 2 last summer.

Joel Kinnaman: We’re friends, so we talk every now and then. He just called me and asked if I wanted to come in and he was like, ‘This is this little fun thing I’d love for you to do.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll come play with you anytime.’ And James knows that I want to do more comedy and he thinks I’m funny, so that’s why he wanted to write something that was kind of playing to that.

Working With Nic Cage Changed Kinnaman’s Career

Kinnaman Starred Opposite Cage In Sympathy For The Devil

Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman in Sympathy for the Devil

Outside of his franchise work, Kinnaman has starred in a number of one-off original stories. Recently, Kinnaman was one-half of effectively a two-man show in Sympathy For The Devil, where he and Nicolas Cage tangoed together for the full 90 minutes.

Joel Kinnaman: I had this thing where I really wanted to work with Nic Cage. I find him to be like one of the bravest and craziest actors of our time. And I felt like I’ve always been more understated. I just wanted to be really truthful to the situation. I think sometimes maybe I don’t take enough risk in doing that. That’s why when I look at Nic and see his characters and what he does with the characters, I’m like, “That’s so different from what I do.”
Working with Nic, he’s just as advertised. He’s the best. In our film, it’s just me and him in a car. I love Nic and I revere him as an actor. I feel like I got the rub a little bit from him. There’s that saying in fighting where people fight someone great, even if they lose, they kind of ‘get the rub.’ They got to feel the greatness and then in their next performance, they carry a little bit with them. I think I did that a little bit.
I think I got a little braver from working with Nic and just seeing how he approaches it. I think I have shifted a little bit in how I look at work and I think I’m going to fail a little bit more moving forward.

Coffee Chats with Joel Kinnaman is available now.

Source: ScreenRant Plus

More About ScreenRant’s Coffee Chats

Custom Image by Laura Watson, Jacques Reeder

Coffee Chats operates as a mixture of personal discussion through the lens of coffee as well as a dive into the guest’s latest project. Along the way, we’ll hit a Cold Brew Open, give our First Sip Synopsis, discuss our personal Coffee Callbacks, share our dream Desert Island Drinks and more.

“I pride myself on being a conversationalist, and there’s no better setting to chat it up with someone than a cafe,” ScreenRant Reporter, Host Liam Crowley said. “Back when I attended Syracuse University, I used to make ‘coffee review’ videos with my friends on my social media. To essentially expand that 60-second concept into a full-blown production and be accompanied by some of the biggest names in Hollywood is a true ‘pinch me’ moment.“

“From the moment I reached out to Liam about joining ScreenRant’s New York team, we envisioned expanding our content offerings with engaging, in-depth interviews, including an original series,” ScreenRant Editorial, Branding, and PR Director Rob Keyes said. “Liam already had an idea for this, and Coffee Chats perfectly embodies this vision, offering a unique format that connects audiences with leading industry talent while supporting local businesses. We are thrilled to launch this series and collaborate with local establishments on this exciting initiative.”

“Over the past 21 years, ScreenRant has interviewed every star in Hollywood several times,” ScreenRant Content Director Alex Leadbeater said. “Across press junkets, red carpets, convention panels and beyond, we’ve been a constant presence in the entertainment industry. Coffee Chats builds upon this success to create a more intimate backdrop for a more personal, longer-form style of interview.“

Coffee Chats is created by Crowley, Keyes, and Leadbeater and is produced by Tiffany Loving, Laura Watson, Sierra Nutkevich, Jacques Reeder, John Aljets, Leah Nucum, Cesar Garcia, Kazden Risk, and Joe O’Shea.

Check out our other Coffee Chats episodes with…

Coffee Chats with Joel Kinnaman is available on YouTube now.