Interview with RPG (Jake) and Chrishell Stause (Amanda)

CS says RPG had a big hand in getting her to stay an extra 6 months. RPG jokes that in order to get her to stay with AMC, he streaked, campaigned, consulted his Magic 8 ball and prayed. Seriously, though, he says he begged CS and exec producer Julie Hanan Carruthers, and showed CS articles of what people were writing about Jake/Amanda. CS says RPG was very persuasive and after 4 yrs on AMC she felt very possessive of the part, especially since it's such a good story and she's never had a successful love story before; she wasn't just going to let someone else step into the part just when it was getting good. RPG says that if CS were to leave he can't think of anyone else who could play the part because CS has got "her own special sauce." He calls her his Marilyn Monroe/Jayne Mansfield when they were still young, hot and in their prime; he says he feels like he's got a movie star in his hands.

RPG says the two of them have grown as actors together and understand each others' acting processes. Sometimes he likes to go "off the beaten path" with the script; he likes to write down ideas and notes all over his script, and when CS sees his script she jokes that they've let the monkeys out again. She says 90% of the time he comes up with some brilliant ideas but the other 10% of the time he goes to some scary places and she's there to reign him in.

CS says that the way she approaches acting has totally changed since she met RPG. Before, she would almost always do the script exactly as it was written, word for word. When she first worked with RPG she was uncomfortable because he'd want to change bits of the script to make the scenes flow better. Now, CS feels like she's doing her best work ever because she's got RPG to work with. RPG says he's watched her in scenes with the baby, and CS's performance rips his heart out. He says her tears are real and emotional, and she's often still in the moment when the cameras have stopped rolling. RPG says, "she lets me be me and I try to let her fly. And it's knocked me out when she takes flight." CS says they click in a way where sometimes they're no longer just acting, but actually become Jake and Amanda. CS says RPG knows how to bring out the best in her, and he should be proud because it takes a great actor to be able to do that for another actor.

RPG says that he's happy that CS has decided to stay an additional six months and wants to be selfish and have her stay longer but she's got to follow her dream and heart. He feels like they haven't finished the story and have only just touched on it, but it would be self-serving to want her to stay. He says sometimes he stands on set and thinks, "I'm really going to miss us. I really want to remember this time," and says that this has been one of the happiest chapters of his life.