9 Dec 2015
by Tim Beedle
Jeremy Jordan plays Winn Schott on Supergirl Image:
WARNING: This interview contains a major spoiler from Monday’s episode of Supergirl. Read on at your own risk!
How can you not love Supergirl’s Winn Schott? The cheerful, sweet smile. The pining eyes. The willingness to do almost anything for Kara. Yes, he may harbor the biggest case of unrequited affection since Ducky danced to “Try a Little Tenderness,” but he’s also been a peerless friend and supporter to Supergirl as she tries to come to terms with her new role as a super hero. While Winn may reside in the loneliest corner (at least, for now!) of the show’s love triangle, he contributes far more than a wistful smile. He’s Supergirl’s Q. Her Cisco Ramon. He created her awesome suit and regularly provides tech support when she’s unable or unwilling to depend on the D.E.O. In short, he’s the best friend that a young super-powered alien trying to find her heroic way could have.
That’s actually quite a bit to rest on one man’s shoulders, especially one whose father happens to be a well known super-villain. Fortunately, Jeremy Jordan, the actor behind the role, is ideally suited for the task. In fact, if he has his way, proving support to a well known super hero will prove to be just a step towards his ultimate goal as an actor—playing one himself.
Image: dcentertainment.com
Will we see some of Winn interacting with Maxwell Lord? He’s your hero, after all.
Yes, but not for a while.
Well, we hear you have some scenes with Calista coming up…
Next episode is the Winn and Cat show a little bit. I don’t know if you remember in episode three, I kind of come up to her and save Kara at the little gala and she’s like, “Who the hell is this person?” Just the guy that works right across from your office every day.
I can’t tell you all, but there are some crises that happen and Winn has some expertise that sort of helps CatCo get back on top of things, so Cat sort of recognizes his potential and turns her mentor brain over to him for a little while. So, yeah, it’s a cool little bit.
It’s very hard to walk that line where you want to see Winn get the girl, but you also have to make sure that you don’t play it creepy. How do you walk that line?
I think it’s just genuine. I think that Kara is smart enough and observant enough to not become best friends with a creepy dude. And also Winn, I think, is very respectful and I think he’s too scared to say anything. I don’t think he has a lot of friends, if any at all, outside of the office and he’s not about to screw up the one good consistent thing that he has in life, which is her. Maybe that’s part of the reason why he’s so in love with her. Maybe it’s sort of a love by proximity kind of a thing.
He’s not really seen anything from the outside world. He’s been stuck in this world, and I think that that can push you in a different direction. I’ve never worried about crossing that weird, creepy line. I think he has real, true, genuine feelings, but I also think that at the same time he doesn’t think he has a shot, so he hasn’t really tried to do anything. The most that he’s ever gone for is that kiss on the cheek. Even for him, it was a cop out and he decides to do it while James and Lucy are coming around the corner. So the timing is just a bitch…
Jeremy Jordan (Winn) with Melissa Benoist (Kara) Image: dcentertainment.com
I just noticed your hat…
This is my Justice League hat! I found it at Lids in the back of an aisle like five years ago.
So are you a big comic book person?
I’m a medium-sized comic book person. I know all the main characters and all the main stories. And I read a lot of comic books as a kid. I’ve kind of weaned off of them as an adult. But I still follow a little bit. But yeah I totally love superheroes and the whole genre and mythology.
Before I got this job and still now, people ask me, what’s your dream role. They’re always fishing for some role that you can recreate. But for me, I always tell people sort of jokingly, but not, that I just want to be a super hero. And I still do.
Which super hero?
I don’t care! I want to kick some alien ass and save the day. I just think it would be so much fun and sort of a childhood dream fulfillment sort of thing. And Winn’s kind of towards there, but I think he’s got a little bit of development to go before/if he is going to go that route.
Supergirl airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST) on CBS.
Also see interview with David Harewood (Hank Henshaw) and
Interview with Mehcad Brooks (James Olsen)