Phillip Jordan

The Bright Sessions first premiered in November 2015. To celebrate a decade since the show came out, we’ll be revisiting each season with livestream discussions and Q&As with members of the cast and crew. Specific dates are yet to be determined, but the rough schedule is as follows:

April - Season 1

May - Season 2

June - Season 3

July - Season 4

August - Season 5

September - Season 6

October - Season 7

Listen along to each season in your own time and join us for the livestreams. Each month there will also be a special surprise - new merch, blooper reels, and more! Subscribe now to Atypical’s YouTube channel!

initially, there was hardly any process to speak of! every cast member in the original run of TBS (seasons 1-4) were people I met in acting class or friends of friends. here's the breakdown -

Julia Morizawa - met in an acting class at BGB Studio Briggon Snow - BGB Anna Lore - met in improv 101 at UCB Charlie Ian - BGB Andrew Nowak - BGB Alex Gallner - friend of Briggon's Ian McQuown - friend of Anna's Alex Marshall-Brown - friend of Anna's and Ian's Phillip Jordan - BGB Alanna Fox - BGB Reyn Beeler - part of the ars paradoxica cast! aka friend of Mischa's

as you can see, that weekly class at BGB Studio in North Hollywood was the place for TBS casting lol - there were so many great actors that moved through that Sunday night class, but all of us were in class with each other at one point or another, and having that experience of acting together really helped I think.

when I started the show, I knew I wanted to act in it and I wanted to write a role for Anna, my best friend. but I actually didn't know Julia or Briggon that well - I just admired their acting and took a swing in asking them. that worked so well that then it was like....okay, well BGB is my actor pool now (I remember vividly the moment that Charlie was doing a scene in class and Julia and I looked at each other and had a silent conversation of "oh THERE'S our Damien").

I struggle with how much being online is useful or good anymore, if it ever was. I want my art to speak for itself and, increasingly, I’m allowing that to be the extent of my presence online. I think it’s important to take action in the real world in whatever way I can and, on here, I think my role is to provide a place for feelings. I’m going to keep doing that. I’m going to keep doing it in my queer body that has a uterus, because that’s all I can do. I’m going to keep loving my community and making space for other voices as much as I can.

Atypical’s shows are made by queer people, by women, by trans artists, by Black artists, by neurodivergent artists, by disabled artists. I don’t really have the luxury of funding other artists’ works at the moment, so I try to show my support to communities I’m not a part of in other ways—through listening to their work, through mentorship, through calling out the shows I think are great.

Entertainment Spotlight: Philip Jordan

Actor Phillip Jordan voices Frank on ​The Bright Sessions​. He played Van on the 3rd season of ​Jane the Virgin​, and has made guest appearances on numerous TV shows including ​9-1-1​, ​Life In Pieces​, M​ asters of Sex​, ​Parks & Recreation​ and the reboot of ​The Gilmore Girls​. He also starred in the webseries ​Toymakers​, which was featured on ​Funny or Die's​ "Best of the Web." He has appeared in multiple national commercials and print & digital campaigns for brands such as Toyota, Verizon, Principal Financial, U.S. Cellular, Miller Lite & vitaminwater. He's currently working on the digital horror series, ​Geisting​. Phillip is also a vegan who loves technology and natural healing. We got the chance to ask Philip some questions about The Bright Sessions, what he geeks out about, and more. Check it out:

You wake up tomorrow as Frank Sawyer. What do you do first?

That’s an interesting question. Given the state of the world today, I don't think I could handle Frank's level of empathic ability! Fundamentally, if I were to wake up tomorrow as Frank Sawyer the first thing I would do is to find out why I can't leave the house. Then I would order take-out and watch ​Contagion​.

What type of scripts and characters are you drawn to?

I love both comedy and drama. For comedies, I'm drawn to characters who are dysfunctional yet funny like Bonnie Plunkett portrayed by Allison Janey on ​Mom​. Also, Allison Janney is a genius. For drama, I love a wide range of characters. Similar to the role of Frank, I love characters that are written with a rich history and have depth. One of my favourite's being Annalise Keating, masterfully potrayed by Viola Davis on ​How To Get Away With Murder​.

What’s the funniest photo that you have on your phone?

I like to play around with the filters on Snapchat. And sometimes I'll go through my photos and find random pictures that I took. This, by far, is one of the funniest photos I recently found on my phone.

How much room for improvisation is there while recording Bright Sessions episodes? Any favorite improvised moments from the relistens?

The way Lauren wrote Frank 's character, there was no need for improvisation. I love improv, but like any other tool, you have to know when and when not to use it. Lauren's words didn't need any extra tools.

What do you geek out about?

I geek out about Vegan food (my favourite food trucks are Lettuce Feast, The Donuttery & Maneating Plant, which I have almost every Sunday at The Vegan Exchange) & most things technology (IoT devices, phones, fitness tech, EV tech, etc.)

Can you share your favorite piece of fan art?

This is so hard! It's like being told to pick your favourite child. So here are a few I picked for very different reasons:

This one by doodlydear captures the pure rawness of Frank's pain and guilt. It is a great representation of the unseen baggage that he carries and the heaviness of it.

This particular piece by thefigureinthecorner, I am obsessed with the color palette! Also, there is something about the way the eyes are drawn the convey both sadness and hope simultaneously. Moreover, anyone who envisions Frank in a pastel turtleneck is a keeper!

Lastly, is this piece by violetpensive. There is something Hanna Barbara about this artwork, but futuristic. My first thoughts when I saw it was how it reminded me of Scooby Doo & Mystery, Inc. It gave me a sense of nostalgia.

Thanks for taking the time, Philip! Give Frank a relisten right here: