Will Jones
Image Credit: Matt Kallish
While much of the entertainment industry chases breakout stars, Jay Huguley has spent decades building something more enduring.
For more than two decades, the actor has assembled a veritable body of work that stretches across some of television and film’s most acclaimed projects, from “The Walking Dead,” “True Detective,” and “Lioness” to “Treme” and the Academy Award-winning 12 Years a Slave. While audiences may not always know his name immediately, they almost certainly recognize his face, a distinction that has become one of his greatest professional assets.
“It was not intentional but the more years that go by, I realize that I’ve gotten to play a lot of very different kinds of men and I don’t know if that could have happened if I was a more recognizable actor,” Huguley says. “That has really served me.”
That versatility has become the defining characteristic of a career built on transformation rather than celebrity. Throughout his filmography, Huguley has inhabited lawmen, military officers, politicians, criminals, and historical figures with equal conviction. Over the years, he has portrayed four real-life figures alone, including Sheriff H.P. Voorhies, whose intervention helped secure Solomon Northup’s freedom in 12 Years a Slave; William Henry Moody, the prosecutor in the infamous Lizzie Borden trial in Lizzie; televangelist Jimmy Swaggart in The Eyes of Tammy Faye; and industrial titan Charles Schwab in The Panic, which chronicles the financial turmoil of the early twentieth century.
Asked what directors and casting professionals consistently see in him, Huguley’s answer reveals a perspective earned through experience.
“When you’re young you think a lot about how you are seen. You want to seem cool or interesting. Now I don’t care (much!) and I just want to be seen as the character and…a decent person.”
That mindset has allowed him to disappear into roles rather than compete for attention. Ironically, it has become one of the qualities that makes him memorable.
His understated approach wasn’t always appreciated by everyone. Recalling an early television role as a murderous drug dealer on Walker, Texas Ranger, Huguley points to a critique that came from an especially honest source.
“In the 90s my mother saw me play a murderous drug dealer on Walker Texas Ranger and said (in her deep southern accent ), ‘All those years in braces, would it have killed you to show those teeth?!'”
Looking back, he sees some truth in the observation.
“She was right, though. The killer should have smiled more.”
Before acting became his focus, Huguley spent years modeling internationally, an experience that provided practical lessons that still shape his professional approach today.
“The basics. Be on time. Be good to work with. Be prepared. Be a good collaborator. Just because there is an entire table of snacks, it doesn’t mean you have to eat them all.”
Those principles have served him well across productions of every scale, from independent films to major studio projects. Despite the differences in budget and visibility, Huguley sees the work itself as remarkably consistent.
“Definitely not. Everyone has the same goals, regardless of the budget.”
That perspective carried into his recent work on Taylor Sheridan’s hit espionage drama “Lioness,” where Huguley found himself immersed in military research before sharing scenes with some of Hollywood’s most celebrated performers.
“Such great homework. I think I spent a whole day googling helicopters. A lot of hours FaceTiming with a friend who was in the marines and let me run dialogue with him. And then my shoot days were spent with Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana being directed by Taylor Sheridan, so it was a dream. I love that show.”
Even after years of success, Huguley’s enthusiasm for the craft remains unchanged.
“The circus tent of it all. The troop atmosphere. Every job is new. New location, different crew. I love that part more every year.”
In fact, when asked whether this current chapter of his career feels different professionally or creatively, his answer is immediate.
“No, I’m the same nerd who gets really excited about work, who loves films, plays, great television. As the world gets tougher, I love it more.”
That enthusiasm extends to the road as well. Like many working actors today, Huguley spends significant time filming outside Los Angeles. Yet unlike many Angelenos, his affection for the city remains unwavering.
“Shrimp and grits for breakfast in New Orleans. Southern Fried Chicken in Atlanta. Smoked brisket in Dallas. It’s often about food for me.”
Beyond the food, Huguley says his connection to Los Angeles runs much deeper.
“But, the truth is I love Los Angeles more than most people I know. I have a very clear memory of sitting in between my big brothers when I was eight, watching ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ and seeing Lee Majors navigate through palm trees and canyons and beach coves and thinking, I want to live there. I want to live in Los Angeles, wear a red tracksuit and be bionic.”
That childhood fascination with storytelling continues to fuel his ambitions. Looking ahead, Huguley sees a future filled with the kinds of roles currently occupied by actors he admires.
“There are a few actors who are older than me that I see everything they do and think…‘those parts…someday.’ Richard Jenkins, David Strathairn, Cirain Hinds. I hope to be playing the wizened, cranky old judge in some legal drama when I’m 102. ‘Counselor! Where the HELL is my gavel?’”
Fortunately for audiences, there is plenty arriving before his centenarian judge phase.
Among his latest projects is Ally Clark, where he worked alongside Viola Davis under the direction of acclaimed filmmaker Philip Noyce.
“I’ve been in love with Philip Noyce films since DEAD CALM and Viola Davis is one of my favorite actors. I always tell anyone who will listen—if you see nothing else—Go see ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.’ That performance is magic.”
He’s equally enthusiastic about a slate of upcoming projects that continues his tradition of appearing in some of television and film’s most anticipated productions.
“I’m really psyched about ‘All The Sinners Bleed’ for Netflix. It’s adapted from a great crime novel by S.A. Cosby, about a serial killer in Virginia. It’s terrifying, but it also looks at faith and race and violence in ways that are so smart. I’m also in the new ‘Cape Fear’ with Javier Bardem and Amy Adams, and this WILD independent film called ‘Come With Me,’ directed by Aaron Harvey that was shot last year in Gulfport Mississippi. Weirdly for all of these roles I was specifically asked to not use my bionics.”
For an actor who once dreamed of becoming the Six Million Dollar Man, that may be the only disappointment.
The rest of his career appears to be unfolding exactly as it should.