E4’s cult hit comedy PhoneShop is back for a third season this Thursday at 10pm. We caught up with Javone Prince who plays PhoneShop’s Jerwayne. We chat about Jerwayne and Ashley’s bromance, what to expect in the new season and whether maturity is on the horizon for the shows characters.
Can you tell us anything about what we can expect in season 3?
Javone: More funny stuff, a few of us (Jerwayne) telling lies and trying to get himself out of lies he has got himself in to, and essentially everyone in the Phoneshop trying to help him get out the lies. Yeah, New Mann becomes a big boy. New man kills it, he kills it.
Are there any more shots of his award winning smile?
Javone: Of course! He should do a tooth brush commercial with that smile! Colgate should sponsor him!
The relationships between the characters in the show seem really natural, like you’re all genuinely good friends, is that something you’ve had to work at or did some of you know each other before you worked on Phoneshop?
Javone: I went to drama school with Andrew who plays Ashley, which means I’ve known him for coming up to 13 years, don’t ask how old we are! We’ve been working together for 12. Then Me, Andrew and Martin were brought in for Phoneshop and we just got on really well.
Does this help with the on screen relationships on the show?
Javone: I think so you know, because you have that trust, so it would be like “alright cool lets play”. We can respect each other and be in tune.
Do you slip in your own inside jokes sometimes?
Javone: We do! We have our own jokes, but we try not to put too many in because its not for us. But in season three we have a nice little in joke that we put in that we’ve had for three years. I’m so happy we were able to put it in, it’s in every episode! So hopefully any true Phoneshop fan will pick up on it!
Will we see a deeper Bromance between Jerwayne and Ashley this season?
Javone: Yeah, the bromance gets stronger, it is tested! It is tested! They over come it though!
Will we see them mature in any way? Or still their usual wannabe gangster selves?
Javone: They are still idiots, they’re still wannabe gansters, yeah they are just idiots! More realtionships, more trying to get women, more trying to find ways to make money!
Do you think they would ever find better jobs? Or do they love their job, and each other too much?
Javone: I think they are happy where they are. Until they know they are too old to work there, until they are like “yeah we need to get a better job” I mean Jerwayne still lives at his moms house!
You already have had Kayvan Novak, Adam Deacon and Martin Trenaman will there be any other comedy legends turning up in the future?
Javone: I can’t tell you! I really can’t spoil it man! I feel really sorry, but I don’t want to spoil it and I’m not too sure what I’m allowed to say!
Will Jezz be having any more crazy schemes this season?
Javone: I can’t tell you! I can’t say! I really don’t want to spoil anything. I can say we do have an amazing guest!
Who or what inspires your character as Jerwayne?
Javone: Jerwayne is meant to be like Jay – Z, the jigga man the proper fella , the business man, with it with it, have the money have the women, but I don’t think he has the brain power to do it . . . and he still lives with his mom! He wants to be that big, but nahh he ain’t gonna make it. He keeps kidding himself. He will probably work this crappy job, with a wife and kids maybe even a few kids!
Hopefully with Janine?
Javone: Of course that love will never die!
Just how much of the show is actually improvised?
Javone: Okay, it is improvised quite a bit, but over the season Phil will write quite a bit, he will normally write skeleton scripts and say this is what he would like to happen. He is so generous with his material and work, he is like “if its not funny, how can we make it funnier? So we improvise around it, he will rewrite around what we have improvised, and then we will improvise around it again . Even on the day we have all learnt it the script, we will all change it improvise it and try and make it better.
Do you get thrown when cast members add something in unexpectedly or has it become second nature?
Javone: I think because we have known eachother for so long, yeah Martin Trenaman is SO funny, that sometime he will throw stuff in, you will have to bite your tongue, bite your cheek, pinch yourself, just to get that shot because it is brilliant! I’m a corpse, I corpse a lot, if someone says something funny I WILL laugh. So yeah Martin Trenaman makes me chuckle and giggle a lot.
The show has become a bit of a cult hit. Did you expect it to get as far as series 3 when it first got commissioned?
Javone: No. No way! Once we did the pilot I didn’t think we would even get a series. I was so shocked when we got the first series. The response from the fans has been so ridiculous it has been amazing . . . and then we got series 2! The love we get on Twitter and Facebook is amazing, everywhere we walk around people are quoting us! We have some brilliant one-liners. People can say stuff, and we can say it back to them and we just have that banter. I get called New Man a lot, people would be like “HEY NEW MAN” and I’d be like, erm I’m Jerwayne, but okay, I’ll take that; but its really nice!
How has your life changed since being in the show?
Javone: The show has been brilliant. It has given me a bigger profile as an actor, I have been acting for 11 years, and doing theatre for 6 and since Phoneshop I’ve had a boost in my profile. I can get better jobs and have loads of meetings, which is good! The love that you you get from people is incredible! People like it, its funny and they can relate to it!
What’s the worst job you ever had?
Javone: The worst job I ever had was the shoe shop Barratts! Women don’t wear socks, if they try on shoes and didn’t want it, I’d have to deal with that. And the stock room STINKS! I think I had to work in Barratts for about two months and I couldn’t stand the smell, which made me think “yeah I need a better job”. I love women, but they don’t wear socks and their feet stink! Especially on a Sunday nursing a hangover, I couldn’t handle that smell!
Did you use that experience to help with playing Jerwayne?
Javone: The work place familiarity where you are like “this is my place, my kingdom’” the way you interact with customers when you really can’t be bothered and the general bad habits is what I incorporated in to Jerwayne.
So I have to ask, if man say I’m a ting, then I’m a ting?
Javone: If you say you’re a ting, you’re a ting!
So, does anyone on the set actually like the films of Jude Law?
Javone: NO ONE LIKES JUDE LAW! NO MAN! NO ONE! Erm, I think maybe New Man is a secret fan of Jude Law, he wouldn’t say anything, he wouldn’t air that because he knows the grilling he would get! Nahhh we like Jude Law! Jude Law is Great!
That’s a bold statement!
Javone: HAHAHA I don’t actually love him, but you know I’ve got to be nice.
I guess you don’t know if you will end up in anything with Jude Law!
Javone: Exactly! Imagine it, Jude Law is the lead, and he is dissing you on the film set, and you have like four lines! So yeah we Loovveee Jude Law.
And finally, why do you think people should check out Phoneshop this series?
Javone: genuinely because I think it is funnier than the other two ( I do love the other two though) BUT the journey that each character goes on is brilliant! The stories on fantastic. The one-liners are brilliant. It’s really slick! The fans are going to love it!
I’ve been asked by the Fortitude team to ask you if we can be in the fourth series?
Javone: Of course man! Dude yes! Of course you can, I’m saying yes, if we get a next series, YES!
We will campaign for the next series!
Javone: Okay cool! You have my word! Find me on twitter, hold me to this, it’s fine!
Catch Phoneshop on E4 this Thursday at 10pm www.e4.com/phoneshop/
Keep your eyes peeled for another Phoneshop surprise on Fortitude Magazine!