Jordan Calloway was booked and busy with the newest episode of Fire Country, which had him pulling double duty as an actor and director.
During the Friday, November 7, episode of the hit CBS series, Jake (Calloway) found himself in the running to be Cal Fire Battalion Chief, but that required proving he could lead the team. Jake ran into some issues with Bode (Max Thieriot), who was still grieving his father’s death and a near-relapse.
Jake’s best efforts weren’t enough, and ultimately Manny (Kevin Alejandro) scored his job. Calloway, meanwhile, had much more fun offscreen getting to direct an episode of television for the first time ever. The actor, 35, spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about balancing the surprising developments in Jake’s arc with his job as a director:
This is such an important episode for Jake. Did that make it easier or harder for this to be your directorial debut?
I would be lying if I said it was a piece of cake. What made it easy was my crew and my cast. Honestly, it was such fun and such a pleasure. I was tired at times, definitely, but it wasn’t hard or difficult at all. Everyone was so gracious and supportive. I just dove into the story for all of my characters, for all of my actors.
What did you learn from this first go?
The one thing that I learned is that it is so good to trust and lean on your team. Having played sports helped tremendously, because as a team captain you know the different players that you can count on to step up in certain times.
Did you ask your costars for their individual advice? What was the best tip you received?
The best advice I received on set was I would hear, “Tell your story and don’t be afraid to leave your mark on here. There is the tone of the show, but also tell your story. Get in there and do it. But do it how you see it and don’t rush.”
That was very helpful, because I do remember at one point I was so worried and consumed about the time. I was on camera and we had gotten the shot, and they asked, “Are you ready to go?” I was like, “I guess I’m ready to go.” But Quincy [Paglaro], our A camera operator, he was like, “Are you sure? This is a shot that you really wanted, and I think you should go see it through.” That’s what I mean by my team having my back.
Did you always want to direct?
I originally never thought about directing. It was my parents that were the ones that were like, “You’re going to be a good director.” I didn’t think so. I went to school for cinematic production and I minored in screenwriting. I thought I was just going to write and then maybe be a showrunner.
But I ended up stepping into this. I wanted to direct back when I was doing a show prior to this called Black Lightning. Then the opportunity just came up with Fire Country because the other show had ended before I could actually go in.
I assume this made you interested in doing this more. Are you hoping to do more Fire Country episodes?
It’s just another vehicle as a creative and as a storyteller to just tell a story. I hope they call me back. I hope the audience enjoys it. I hope they feel the emotion that I’m trying to emote through the characters. I hope my actors feel as if I told their story to its fullest as it should be.
Fire Country puts in a lot of work to make their cast look nearly unrecognizable on the show. The CBS series, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he gets a chance to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. Bode gets assigned to his hometown where […]
While you are thriving behind the scenes, Jake is going through it. It feels like he can never catch a break, so talk to me about how this new development with Manny taking over affects Jake. Is he truly leaving?
Jake, he’s a big softie. He has a lot of heart, which is one of the things that makes Jake who he is. With everything that he’s endured, there might be a reason that he does need to leave, and we shouldn’t be sad about that. We should embrace that, and it’s been a pleasure.
I’m totally joking with you, by the way. I’m fine and he’s going to be here. He’ll work through it, he’ll get his s*** together.
I was really worried he might leave!
He’s going to be OK. Because you see how he takes on humility at the end of the episode and he realizes we need to come together on this new problem. This new problem is a saving grace for the trio, because while they all deal with these different things in their own right, this is something that’s unifying the three of them in order to handle it together.
What can you tease about the note and its significance?
We’re going to find out. I’m not going to ruin anything, but I think this new problem is a major nuke that is just about to rock the entire family. If we know Vince and how much he loved Sharon, I don’t see it. But that’s just my opinion.
This is all tied to Vince and Gabriela leaving. What was it like for you coming back to set and Billy and Stephanie aren’t there?
It was a huge blow losing them. It’s a change in the dynamic. But at the same time, we wish them well and we miss them. I just love meeting new artists that have their own commitment to the craft and just come show up and just crush it.
Is it hard playing a character who is the voice of reason when the show follows Bode, who is almost always opposing Jake?
It becomes frustrating at times — obviously — but these two have such a bond that goes back to diapers. I know this dude is gonna be who he is but I know his heart and his intention, so I will be there to always pick him up.
Fire Country went through several surprising cast changes — and demotions — ahead of season 4, but which characters are returning to the show? The CBS series, which premiered in 2022, follows inmate Bode (Max Thieriot) as he attempts to shorten his prison sentence by volunteering for the California Conservation Camp Program. After being assigned […]
What else can you tease about Jake’s journey?
Now that he’s no longer going to be the BC, he’s past that crossroad of the heartbreak. He’s also learning and he’ll get to a place where he’s learning something new within himself. He realizes that there are areas in his life that he didn’t take care of and they are individuals that he didn’t help.
We’re not just talking about people that were, like, victims, but we’re talking about there’s stuff that he needs to take care of within his own camp. He got that from the realization that he missed the mark with his best friend. Jake’s the type to fall back into his head and do some soul-searching and fix it.
Have you had any specific requests for him?
A request is to let me get to Sheriff Country. Maybe we want to see Jake go a little dark. Maybe he falls into something that he needs to be saved from. I’m a huge fan of telling truthful stories that first responders deal with.
I have a number of friends that are first responders, and one of the things that I would love to talk about is the mental struggles and the issues that these first responders deal with, from things that they have seen and how important their core circle is.