In the finale of Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, the majority of the focus is rightfully put on Anthony Norman, given that he is the person whom the entire show secretly revolves around, but not to be forgotten in the craziness is the rest of the cast. As James Marsden will tell you, it's a stressful experience making what is essentially a televised experiment work – but beyond that, it's also an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other for real.
Speaking with CinemaBlend late last month during a virtual press day for the new season of the reality series (now available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription), actors Rachel Kaly, Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur, and LaNisa Renee Frederick spoke about what it was like when all of the secrets were brought to light, and they made it sound like it was a beautiful relief:
- Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur: It was my first time taking a breath, I was holding my breath for the entire time. And then once it happened, we wept. It was, oh, the tears. Oh, we can breathe. We did it. Oh my gosh.
- LaNisa Renee Frederick: We wept, and then we learned each other's names. Real names. Like what's your name?
The actors on Jury Duty Presents: Corporate Retreat couldn't use their real names while filming the show because some have past work that could have spoiled surprises for Anthony with a simple Google search (for example, Alex Bonifer had a part on the series Kevin Can F— Himself and Emily Pendergast had a recurring role on Veep). They were all deep undercover as employees of a fake hot sauce company, and commitment to the fiction apparently meant them not getting to know each other as real people.
The relationships have changed since the filming of the Jury Duty Presents: Corporate Retreat finale, but the actors did tell us that mementos of their personalities are kept:
- Marc-Sully Saint-Fleur: I'm still 'PJ Green' in her phone, but we hang out.
- LaNisa Renee Frederick: I'm gonna change in one day. Marc-Sully, we got to go change it.
Launching in late April, all eight episodes of the critically acclaimed run are now available to watch on Amazon, including "Employee Review," which dives into the behind-the-scenes experience and how the filmmakers and actors worked to keep "the hero" in the dark about everything going on around him. And if that's not enough to satiate your craving for everything Jury Duty-related, be sure to check Prime Video on Friday April 10, as two specials will be available to watch – including a meeting between Anthony Norman and Season 1's Ronald Gladden and a reunion hosted by James Marsden.
