JDate hosted anΒ exclusive comedy showcase featuring a few of our favorite jewish comedians such asΒ Nicole Aimee Schreiber,Β Taylor Williamson, and Brent Weinbach. The stand up was killer,Β especially theΒ stories about J-Dates and “J-Babies.” The #LetsKibitz comedy showcase hosted by the newly refreshed JDate was a huge success.
Keegan dished on his number one turn off: when a girl says “I just want to have your babies.” But what about a J-Baby, Keegs?
It turns out Keegan is not only an actor, but a photographer as well. Wanna hear more? We’ve got you covered.
Keegan, who are some of your favorite comedians?
Dave Chappelle. And yeahΒ I mean AmyΒ Schumer is amazing. I could go through everybodyβs favorites I think. Jim Carrey as well.
Who are you most excited to see perform tonight?
All of these people are amazing. Iβm excited to see everybody. I just love comedy – one of my best friends is like a super comedian:Β Brett Dier. He’s On Jane The Virgin. Heβs my best friend in the world. So I love comedy and I love laughing. Literally you could be anybody, and you could be like “Iβm a comedian” and I would be like “sick Iβm here. I’m excited.”
What is a perfect date night for you?
Ironically I said in the other room it’s to see anΒ amazing play, and discuss it over an amazingΒ dinner at my favorite place and sip champagne on the beach and all these things. I mean honestly once you really really like someone the best date could be like, just sitting at home and eating and watching Netflix. But I think I love the romantic dates especially based in the arts. Actually a really great date would be to go to the improv.
Do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day?
I am single – so I don’t know. Usually that day I feel like if youβre withΒ somebody Valentine’s Day is every day, right? IΒ donβt know. Hopefully Iβll have somebody by then. So I donβt have any plans no. Thatβs a big no!
How is it working with the cast and crew on Pretty Little Liars?
It’s amazing. Weβve been working together now for 5 years going on 6 years and everybody works really well together. We have a lot of fun. Itβs a really great show and this season is just gonna be crazy. I mean weβve literally made a completely newΒ show by fast forwarding 5 years and seeingΒ whereΒ the characters have gone. BecauseΒ I mean how long could we playΒ high school students for anymore? Realistically, you know? So Iβm like oh thank god! I can finally be closer to my age.
What’s been your favorite part of creating the character of Toby?
I think the best part is the writers laid down an amazing blueprintΒ (I. Marlene King,Β Oliver Goldstick,Β Joseph Dougherty)Β from the foundation of Sara Shepard’s amazing books. And then they went on and made their own world. Originally my character was supposed to be dead in the sixthΒ episode of the firstΒ season, so its been amazing that Iβve been able to play you know not just this “black cat” of Rosewood. I get to play this bad guy whoΒ everyone thought was a murderer, and then he wasΒ like the perfect boyfriend, and then he was the betrayer, and then the moral compass, and nowΒ heβs a cop. SoΒ Iβve been able to play every kind ofΒ realmΒ as an actor which has been really rewarding and fun. Sharing that with the fans has been fun and thatβs probably my favorite part is the fact that Iβve been able to really connect well with people all over the world through social media and through the show. That’s been the best most rewarding part!
How did you startΒ acting?
My father was an actor and I used to watch him kind of go through the character development – he was a stage actor. I was reallyΒ interested in Shakespeare and you know, followed it and moved through it. I got my bachelors degree, aΒ BFA in fine arts, and just continued from there and got really into it. But I originally started out in life at nine or ten years old obsessed with photography. So long before I became an actor I was really into photography and that aspect of cinematography and composition. ThoseΒ factors artistically melded with acting in a really responsible way because itβs really opened up a lot of creative doors for me.
Speaking of photography, tell us about yourΒ photobook!
TheΒ photobookΒ was just an amazing opportunity. I got to work with St.Β Martin’s Press, which I continue to do for an entire library of books over my lifetime. But my first book was really special to me, because it was a book that I had been working on since I was 10 years old – long before social media was present. Long beforeΒ we had this means of instant communication, there were photo albums that I would keep and write my ideas, poetry, musings, captions and snapshots, and I would share them in a very archaic way of likeΒ βHey look at this!” And that was my means of connecting personally with people so that’s howΒ it came to be — this collection through the years of meeting people and seeing things and identifying existentially with the world and life and love and our perception of beauty and that kind of mutated into this wonderful photobook, which includes behind the scenes photos of the productions I have worked on, personal photos and things like that, so its been really great. Really fun!
How do you think social media plays into being an actor. How do you use social media?
I find it important to promote projects, to bring awareness to certain situations, for example the methane leak that’s happening right now in Porter Ranch. 80,000 metric tons of toxic gas are dumping into our air in California and SoCal Gas is responsible and really not doing anything about it and I think that’s important. And even Leonardo DiCaprio he very much cares about the environment. He uses social media only for environmental reasons and I think that’s amazing. I useΒ it for environmental reasons and for selfies with my cat, so I enjoy both aspects of connecting with people and bringing awareness. And especially for something like JDate, it’s amazing! My mom’s Jewish and I was raised very interestingly and I find it really really exciting to live in a time where you can do and have something you can trust like JDate out there that has your back and you can meet people, meet people that are culturally rooted in strong valuesΒ and morals.
