Exclusive interview with Jayce Bartok, American Actor, Writer, Director & Producer.

By Jean-Paul Eliard
The 18 Mach 2026

Hi Jayce I am very happy to do this interview. 

Hi Jean-Paul, nice to meet you over email!  And sorry this took me so long!
 
Could you introduce yourself to the visitors of cinema-movietheater.com? 

My name is Jayce Bartok.  I am an actor, writer, director & producer. 
I live in Brooklyn, NY with my wife, Tiffany, my son Jaxon, and my dog, Bear.  Sometimes I get to act on television, and in the meantime, I like to write movie scripts and produce them.
 
What do you like when you read the script? 
I happened to be a big fan of ELSBETH, and literally said to myself, I WANT TO GET ON THAT SHOW.  When I got the audition, I said, I’M GOING TO GET ON THAT SHOW. 
I self-taped here in my apartment, with my wife taping and directing me. Sometimes, it’s so simple. 
You send in a good audition tape, and you get the job. 
AND they tell you the amazing Tony Hale is playing opposite you. 
Then they sent me the script.  “Bunker Down” was hilarious and fun, and of course, I loved my part.   
 
 

And what did you think when you discovered your character Anders Wittman  ( S3 . E6 )? 
I love a good name for a character, and “Anders Wittman” fit right in. 
I have been producing more films recently and dealing with big personalities.  “Anders Wittman” is a high-level PR Agent, and I felt like I understood him. 
The challenges of dealing with power and money and egos takes a certain kind of personality, and I felt like I could bring that to “Andres Wittman” from personal experience.  I also like how long Andres survived in his situation (no spoilers!).
 
Can you tell us how you got your role? 
Well, it was a simple twists of fate!  My manager got me an audition. 
I loved the show so was determined to really nail the part. 
My wife, God bless her, has to put me on tape. 
Right here in the living room with the dog and the Amazon delivery guy ringing the doorbell. 
I read the director’s notes sent to me from Nick Gomez (a wonderful director whose work I knew from indie films like Laws of Gravity, New Jersey Drive, Illtown and shows like Ray Donovan). 
His note was to keep it very understated.  Don’t play the comedy.   

I did my best and 2 days later, I got the part. 
I had to do a fitting the next morning to start work.  It was so simple and easy, but usually you have to audition 100s of times before it goes that smoothly.  

How did you prepare for your role? 
I prepared for Andres Wittman by recalling the countless conversations I’ve been having recently as a film producer. 
All the ‘yes-ing’, coddling and cajoling you need to do. 
I imagined Anders must be a master of that.  Smiling and saying ‘yes’, but privately knowing what it will take to cover for your client. 
Literally, sacrificing your private life for your client – as any good movie producer has to do!  I’m also very much a fan of the “fitting”. 
Clothes make the man.  And right off, they put me in this amazing Armani suit.  Brown was the color which I never wear, earth tones! 
They always smell of a person who is at ease with money. 
I had just cut my haor to look very suave, so the look came together!  Also, Anders is the kind of character that can also call ‘bullshit’ on his client to a certain extent right up to the edge which I think the good PR people do. 
They have a hold over their clients this way which Andres definitely does over “Craig Hollis” played by the amazing Tony Hale!
 
How was the shooting with Tony Hale......... and the director Nick Gomez?
I have been an insane fan of Tony Hale since Arrested Development and Veep.  I mean, I literally screamed when I heard I was working with him. 
He is THE NICEST HUMAN.  So funny, and sweet.  And such a good actor. 
I felt like I had known him for years. 
I think we had good chemistry together, and I wish we could do more projects together.
Nick Gomez is also someone I’ve been a fan of for years. 
I came up in indie films at the time he did and have a feeling I auditioned for some of his early classics like New Jersey Drive or Illtown when I was fresh off of Suburbia.  We had a great time working together. 
Nick is serious, and was really adamant about not playing the comedy or being ‘over-the-top’ which, at first, I was like, “But Elsbeth is a funny show. 
I’m funny?!” 
Then…I realized he is a genius.  SPOLIER ALERT – When I later saw what happens to my character, Andres, (might involve being micro-waved) which is kind of funny and kind of gruesome, I realized follow Nick and playing it serious was the only way to go to make it believable. 
Nick and I ended up hitting it off, and I hope I get to work together again.  He is a wonderful director. 

Do you watch yourself, during the TV broadcast? 
Of course!  I mean, I do LOVE Elsbeth. 
My teenage son was very impressed. 
As we are fans of the show.  It usually takes me like a few months or YEARS to re-visit something and say “OK, you did a good job.” 
But maybe since I was acting with Tony, and he’s SO good, I have to say I really enjoyed it.
 
Elementary and Bull are two series I also really like. How was it like filming with the actors, actresses, and directors on those two shows? 
How can you go wrong with Johnny Lee Miller & Lucy Liu?! 
And I tend to get to play these fun sort of ‘out there’ characters. In Elementary,
I played “Alden Lubock” an eccentric designer of “sex dolls”.
I mean, that can only be kind of whacky!   Bull as well.  I play “Vin Gallico”,
a smarmy sports gaming agent that does battle with Micheal Weatherly’s Bull. 
I think they key to these big network shows and the kinds of guests stars I get to do (sometimes), is making a bold choice and when you show up on set, be fluid to roll with what’s being thrown at you. 
Sometimes, you think they want you to be a big, bold character, but when you get there, it’s about being small, and listening and the subtle looks. 
I kind of love TV, this way.  I also like the process of TV. 
Not a lot of time, but a lot of resources. 
You are under the gun, but with amazing actors so enjoy yourself. 
I mean, it’s kind of an incredible job, right? 

When and why did you choose to become an actor? Is it a film, an actor.........? 
This is a little funny. 
Two reasons I wanted to be an actor – Bugs Bunny and Richard Pryor.  Apparently, I spent a lot of time in front of the TV watching the exploits of Bugs Bunny.  I especially like when he impersonates the composer ‘Leopold’ who puts a pretentious opera singer through his paces, or when he is the hairdresser for an orange haired monster. 
Something about his comedy and poise that I wanted to emulate. 

And Richard Pryor in films like The Toy, Bustin’ Loose, and Silver Streak. 
He was so funny, but so human. 
You could feel like he was so real and when he was emotional, it came from a place deep down inside. 
Of course, as I got into my teens, James Dean, Robert Redford, Jimmy Stewart….the titans.  But it all started with Bugs and Pryor for me.  

What is your next challenge / project? 
I just finished production on a film I am so excited about!  It’s called Vivien & The Florist, and I wrote, produced and act in it. 
It’s about the actress, Vivien Leigh, star of Gone With The Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire who won two Oscars, was married to Laurence Olivier, and battled mental health issues her whole life. 
The film is based on a shoebox of love letters Vivien had written to a local florist while she was in Philadelphia performing in a Chekov play directed by John Gielgud.
Vivien would get ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) which is the only treatment she found would help her mental illness. 
And every time she got ECT, Laurence Olivier would send her flowers. 
The character of The Florist is based on a real florist, Joseph Dellapenna ‘Penn’ who delivered flowers to Vivien.  So the film is a love story of sorts between Vivien & Penn and also a film about coping with mental illness and trying to find a place of calm in the storm. 
The film stars Carla Gugino as ‘Vivien’, Matthew Modine as ‘Penn’, David Hyde Pierce as ‘John Gielgud, and Jack Davenport as ‘Laurence Olivier. 
And don’t forget Charlie McDermott and Eoin Macken!  Oh, and me!  I play Vivien’s American doctor – Dr. Troy - that, at first, doesn’t want to prescribe ECT for her as it was starting to be considered barbaric by this time in 1966; but Vivien charms me into doing it, a testament to her understanding of her own psychological needs.
I’m hoping it will be in theaters later in the year.
 
Do you have anything else you'd like to add? 
Yes, thank you so much for reaching out, Jean-Paul.  It is wonderful to be able to talk about working in the arts, and we need more art right now!  And yes, I consider TV art!  Thanks, and look forward to talking more about the next projects in the future.
 
Thank you very much for your interview Jayce, I wish you the best. 
 

More information about  Jayce on www.jaycebartok.com, on Facebook,
on Instagram, on X, on Linkedin and on IMDb.