Michael Kelly: American Actor on returning to Jack Ryan for the Ghost War film, the longevity of the franchise

Jack Ryan is returning to our screens.  

After four successful seasons, the modern adaptation of Tom Clancy’s political action thriller novels is heading to the big screen for ‘Jack Ryan: Ghost War’.  

American actor Michael Kelly is among the cast, reprising his role as Mike November for the high-stakes, action-packed story.  

The film heavily utilised practical effects and on-location filming – even closing down the centre of London to film an intense car chase sequence. 

“This whole thing, from the series to the movie, it’s all been a pinch me moment,” Kelly told Mike Hosking. 

“But certainly when you’re standing on that ground that’s hundreds and hundreds of years old, and knowing the feet that have walked across it and just all of it, all of the history that’s there and knowing that you get to shut it down and go play make-believe for a couple of days.” 

“It’s a pinch me without a doubt.” 

Tom Clancy published his first Jack Ryan novel in 1984, and as proof of the series longevity, it’s continued long after his death in 2013, with 30 new novels and a host of adaptations being released.

“Tom Clancy created this world that exists in this, y’know, there’s always geopolitical madness, right?” Kelly told Hosking.  

“Tom Clancy was writing around the Cold War times, but you can take that world and put it in any timeline, I think ... Jack Ryan is so well established that I think it could go on for, y’know, not with us, but it could go on forever and ever.” 

There’s a three-year gap between the conclusion of the TV show and the release of the film, and for Kelly, returning to the Ryanverse was a thrill.  

“When I found out we got, we we’re getting to come back and make a movie, I was, y’know, John [Krasinski] was like, hey man you wanna make a movie? I was like, yeah, I wanna make a movie. Let's go.” 

“I was truly over the moon, thrilled at the thought of coming back and especially playing this character that I just, I love him so much, man, he’s so much fun to play.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right to Michael Kelly, one of the stars of Jack Ryan.
Not Jack Ryan the series, but Jack Ryan the new movie.
After four seasons, they've gone feature film Jack Ryan Ghost
warr replays Mike November and Michael Kelly is with us
from New York. Good to meet you, morning, pleasure.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Nice to meet as well, sir.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Having looked at the having looked at some of this,
there's a lot of big budget, crash bang stunt feel
about it.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
All.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
How much is real? How much is c G I,
how much is II? How much it's the you know,
the way you used to do it.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
I think the majority of this is the way we
used to do it. I think it's one of the
things we take great pride in with this show is
that we do a lot of that stuff. You know
that they closed all of London down for that car chase,
and that's that's real and practical. Obviously the bullets and
stuff aren't. But you know you're getting out shooting half

(00:51):
loads and having a blast, and yeah, we did all that.
It was really you know, there's something else.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
This is big at what time? Because funny you should
rise it Because I looked at that scene and I thought,
that's clearly real. It's not cgi'ed. Somebody closed half the
city down. How I'm assuming you're doing that what six
in the morning, five in the morning.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
No, No, we had the whole We had the day.
We had the whole, the whole day. I have a
great photograph of myself standing in front of Big Bend,
jas like in the middle of the street, no cars,
no people know anything. They blocked and shut down the
whole thing. It was a weekend, we did it on
so less traffic, but still they shut down London and

(01:34):
in front of the Basilica there where the shootout happens,
they shut it down for us. It was incredible. It
hadn't happened in a very long time.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Although I was going to say, does that do Is
that a pinch me moment? Because you know it is
the Westminster Bridge and Big Bean and London and they've
stopped for you.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah, it's a it's this whole thing, this whole from
the series to the movie. It's all event and pinch
me moment. But certainly when you're standing on that ground
that's hundreds and hundreds of years old, you know, and
knowing the feet that have walked across it and just
all of it, all the history that there is there,
and knowing that you get to shut it down and

(02:12):
go play mate believe for a couple of days. It's
really it's a pinch, without a doubt. Yeah, does this work?

Speaker 1 (02:19):
But there was a film or a television series you reckon.
Now that you've seen both and done both, I.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Think that fans will see this as our show on
steroids this is It works in both. It totally works
in both. But I think and can proudly say that
this film, you know, while it's a standalone you don't
you don't have to have had seen the series to
watch this movie. It's a completely standalone project. But I
think we went bigger and better with the film.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
It's got old world movie vibes about it, doesn't it.
It's like the movies of the old days.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah. I think that was you know Andrew Bernstein, God
bless them, our director. He was amazing, and he was like,
you know, he's going back to French connection, and you know,
he wanted it to feel and have that the authenticity
that you had in the old films. You know that
I that I think we kind of get away with
with what you were talking about. With the CGI, with
the with all the effects and everything. You know, this

(03:17):
film feels like a throwback in that way.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
It takes money though, don't know. I mean it looks expensive.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
I think it was pretty expensive.

Speaker 1 (03:27):
How does that work these dice for you guys? I mean,
is A is a prime and Amazona? Netflix is is
that we're the doughism that allows this sort of thing
to be made of the sauce.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
No, no, they pay us less. No, it's no, I'm kidding,
it's no, it's yeah. Look, I mean you can you know,
thank God for these streamers that are willing to take
the flyers on something as big as this, you know,
a massive film this size and I don't know what
it was probably close to one hundred million dollars to
make this movie. Wow. But they know people are going

(04:00):
to watch and hopefully people are going to watch and
love it. You know, I think it's a it's a
great investment.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
You know, this has got leagues, has not. I mean,
this the franchise could go forever, couldn't it.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
Yeah, it has been going for a very long time.
I mean Tom Clancy created this world that exists in
this you know, there's always geopolitical madness, right, and never
more so than now obviously. Well, yes, okay, you can
look back in history. There's been worse times. But I'm
just saying it's pretty crazy and it always has been.
You know, Tom Clancy was writing around the Cold World time,
Cold War times, but you can take that world and

(04:39):
put it in any timeline. I think you know, these
characters Jack Ryan is so well established that I think
it could go on for you know, not with us,
but it could go on forever and ever, you.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Know, how did you handle it? So did the series?
The series comes to an end as an act. Is
that great? You're booking and you move on to whatever
was next? Or do you do O for it? Pine
for it? And when it comes back to life, it's
a thrill.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
This one hundred percent. This is you know, I am
fortunate to do what I love for a living. But
when you get to do what you love for a
living with people you truly love that are your best friends.
Like in real life, we're dear friends. You know, we
go to each other's shows, our families know each other,
We hang out outside of the project. So when I

(05:26):
found out we got we were getting to come back
and make a movie, I was, you know, John was like, hey, man,
you want to make a movie. As I go, Yeah,
I want to make a movie. Let's go. You know
I was. I was truly over the moon, thrilled at
the thought of coming back and especially playing this character
that I just I love him so much. Man, he's
so much fun to play.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
As far as characters go, I had you in House
of Cards as the character. I mean, surely that doesn't
get to be a bit of character than that, or
does this one beat it?

Speaker 2 (05:54):
Well, they're they're they're so different, right, I mean I
had I had critical claim and the Emmy nominations from
being on Ars of Cards, and so that's very rewarding
with this. Okay, I might not have a nomination or anything,
but I have, Like I said, I'm doing what I
love with people I love, truly love to be around

(06:15):
every day that it doesn't get much better than that. Man,
I don't have to go to work. I get to
go to work. Good on you or is it more
evident than on this one?

Speaker 1 (06:24):
Jack Ryan Ghost War Prime video. It's out May twenty,
So May twenty you'll be Thursday our time, and that's
say so it'll be Winsdony and America Thursday Our time anyway,
Michael Kelly is will us love him in the line? Is?
The text are coming in already? Michael love him in
the line?

Speaker 2 (06:39):
Is?

Speaker 1 (06:39):
What is it with with Sheridan? He seems to write
everything in anything, and it's all successful, and he's clearly
some sort of genius. What's his magic?

Speaker 2 (06:49):
I think he's truly a genius. I don't know how
else to explain. It's it's incredible what he's done. I
mean to have two it shows in your career is
as a showrunner, as a creator, as a writer, is
a great accomplishment. The fact that he has six going
at the same time, it's mind blowing to me. You know,
he writes. He wrote every word of Linus, both seasons

(07:13):
that have been out and now all three. We filmed
the third season already, and he writes every word and
you'd never get a rewrite. And he told me when
we were talking, when he was pitching the show to me,
which I was gladly like, hell yeah, I'm in no
matter what he said, Okay, well all those I said,
these scripts are phenomenal. He said, well, all the missing

(07:33):
periods and the commas and the run on whatever is.
If that's what we're shooting, you're never gonna get rewrites.
And I was like, what do you mean. He was like,
that's what we'll shoot whatever's on that page. And I
was like, all right, you're gonna be called.

Speaker 1 (07:45):
You got to be confident in your material to say that,
don't you.

Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah. Yeah, And you know, I talked to him one day.
He had me out the ranch recently. I was I
was learning how to ride a horse to cut cattle.
There was a cutting cattle competition. I was learning how
to do it, and he had me out to the
ranch and and I asked him, I said, how do
you how do you do that? How do you write
all of this? You know? And he said, I locked
myself once every day for I forget the amount of time,

(08:11):
one to three hours. I think it was just one
hour run. And I said, are you right? And he's like,
but I can write in that hour. I can write
forty five pages because I already wrote it all up here.
He said, I write it all. And having talked to
John Krasinski, who you know writes all his stuff, all
the quiet places and stuff, they both said the same
thing that they write the whole thing in their head

(08:34):
over and over and over and over and over and
over before they actually go pen to paper or keys
hands the keys with her, that they have it all
on their head before so that when they do write,
it just pours out of them.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
That's amazing. Guy interesting one of them. Because I'm a
big fan of land Man, and I'm thinking this guy's
about so many shows going he can't be across at all,
and obviously he must bring people in to do bits.
And but you're telling me that's not how it works.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
It's not at all lamb Man too. I think he
writes every word of Lambman.

Speaker 1 (09:03):
That's amazing. So as an act, when Sheridan comes, you go,
I got to get on the Sheridan train or you
you judge?

Speaker 2 (09:11):
Yeah, no, I I no, really, I you know this
is actually a great, great story. Taylor had callbacks for
this film he did with Angelina and Joey. I forget
the name of it was. She was a fire person
in the woods, right she monitored forest fires and I

(09:32):
and they said they were having callbacks and there my
managers like, Taylor wants you to see you in LA
and I never met Taylor before and I was like,
My rule was always, I don't I'm not going to
fly myself. I'm not going to go on my own
dime for a callback that I don't have a job on.
If they want to see me, they'll fly me out.
And so I said no, and then I slept on
it and I woke up the next morning I said, hey, man,

(09:54):
I want to go, and I flew myself out. I
met Taylor, read for the role, worked with him like
hour work session together, didn't end up getting the role,
and here we are. It was two or three years later.
My manager called and said, hey, Taylor wants to get
on the phone with you and talk pitch you this
this new show he's doing. Line is he wants he's
very interested in you for the role. And I said, Jerry, yeah, great,

(10:15):
of course. And I get on the phone with him
and uh and I said, hey man, I don't know
if you remember, I said, but I I came and
I read for you for that that Angelia. And he's like,
of course I remember, and that's exactly why you're doing
this right now. He was like. The casting director said,
all right, here's our list for Westfield. Michael Kelly's like,
stop next role. He's like, that's how that's how you
got the role.

Speaker 1 (10:34):
How cool a story is that you seem. I read
a piece about you and I said, you're on your
bock and you're a career and you're working really hard
as an hectar and you couldn't make it. And it was,
you know, it was the usual thing. It was a
great sort of it was the usual thing. You seem
now to be. This is like as good as it gets.
You're in everything, doing everything, and it's it's like the
it's it's it's all cream on the kike.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
Yeah. I feel very very grateful. Man. I'm you know,
it took it took me seven years, is to of
and not just like, oh I'm an actor, I'm going
for like I pounded the payment. I sent letters every day,
I handwritten notes to casting directors agents. I worked really
doing off off off off Broadway, and I did anything

(11:15):
and everything I get my hands on. And finally someone
gave me a little bit of money. Then they give
a little more money, and I tried to never go backwards.
And you know, I'm grateful that. You know, on one hand,
I'm grateful it took me seven years to start making
a living because it made me appreciated all the more
when I finally did make a living.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
So that is true. It's my one of my favorite questions,
and that is that you've got to go through the
tough times to appreciate the good times. And that's real. Yeah, yeah, fantastic. Well,
go well with it all. You got Penguin and the
Penguin Somebody Ridge yesterday. You've been casting. It hasn't been
shot yet, but you're in that as well.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
No, we did that. We did that and that came out.
It's on HBO. I don't know if you guys get
that there, but HBO had that. That was that was fine.
That was a good It was a good fun. I
got to play something completely different than I've ever played,
an Italian gangster in that wild world and Colin Farrell.
It was just it was incredible, man, really really fun. Y'all.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
Well fantastic. We're looking forward to Jack Ryan ghost Story.
Good to meet and talk with you, and let's hope
we can do this again soon.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
Right on, man, thank you very much for having me.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
Nice to talk to you. Michael Kelly out of New
York this morning. That, as I say, is on Prime
video by the end of the week, Jack Ryan Ghost War.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.