Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for the final episode of “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat,” now available on Prime Video.
Anthony Norman, a 26-year-old father from Nashville, was finally able to update his resume with a particularly odd job from more than a year ago. He previously worked as a valet and then temporary assistant at a family-owned hot sauce company called Rockin’ Grandma’s, where he was the only full-time employee.
Much like the 2023 hit comedy film “Jury Duty” on Prime Video, Norman finds himself the unsuspecting protagonist of “Company Retreat.” In Season 1, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden became almost famous as the unknown star of a fictional trial and an absurd jury. Now, Norman will follow in his footsteps as the breakout star of the fake Rockin’ Grandmas Company retreat in season two.
Hired as a temporary assistant, Norman flies from Tennessee to California to help Rockin’ Grandma’s CEO Doug Womack (Jerry Hawk) take a final rest before retiring and handing over the business to his son, Dougie Womack Jr. (Alex Bonifer). But almost everything goes wrong. Kevin (Ryan Perez), Norman’s human resources manager, makes a proposal that surprises his co-workers, but is rejected and gives up, leaving Norman as the de facto leader. Womack Jr.’s bid to become CEO is derailed when his new hot sauce recipe uses Taco Bell ingredients and embarrasses everyone at a client luncheon.
Later, the shady conglomerate Tricus Group swoops in to take over Rockin’ Grandmas, but Norman and Womack Jr. reveal the company’s layoff plans in the penultimate episode. In a shocking ending, Norman bursts into the conference room to stop Womack from signing the contract with Tryukas. The Rockin’ Grandmas are saved and Norman is hailed as a hero, but the truth about the show is finally revealed. The actors quit their roles, hidden cameras come out, and Norman’s mind is blown. In the final episode, the months of preparation that went into making “Company Retreat” are revealed, and Norman is given a check for $150,000.
Norman can finally talk about his incredible time at Rockin’ Grandmas as the finale of ‘Company Retreat’ streams on Prime Video. He spoke to Variety about not appearing on the show, how an actor almost made a gaffe, and how his mother almost ruined the entire retreat.
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What do your families think about the show now that they know what really happened at the retreat?
My mother was very excited. In fact, she came with me to the premiere, and within the first 10 minutes of the first episode, she was already crying. she is happy about it. And I can tell my father is happy about that, but he’s more of a stubborn person, if you’ll excuse my expression. He was like, “OK, cool.” He doesn’t say “I’m proud of you,” but you can tell he’s happy. A good mix of both tears of joy and laughter. My father and mother can read my facial expressions better than anyone else. So they can see a little bit of what I was thinking at that moment.
You’ve been keeping this show a secret for over a year. When did you tell your parents about it and what was their reaction?
I wanted to play it safe. I love and trust my family, but I kept it to myself. I had to live a normal life. If I had told my parents, they might have passed something on to someone else. My mom was like, “No way! Get out!” We hadn’t seen much of the first season of “Jury Duty,” so we jumped on it first. It also helped explain what I was going through. So we sat down and watched it. I would point out the characters and say, “Here’s a character,” and I would break down all the details and give her some inside information.
Going back to the beginning, what was the application process like? What kind of job were you thinking of applying for?
Due to my schedule with my son, I have a weekly off and weekly schedule, so I’m always looking for small jobs or gigs that allow me to work around my schedule. I applied to a temporary staffing company. I didn’t apply for Rockin’ Grandma’s. I worked for a short period of time, came back, and expected to look for a new job. I now have some ongoing work, but I didn’t really expect to get much out of it.
How many interviews did you have for that?
The first interview I had was at the temp agency where I was hired. I think there were actually two interviews. A month later, I had almost forgotten about it, and they emailed me and said, “We like you and would love to move forward with the interview process.” That’s when I had my first interview with Kevin. Sorry, Ryan (Perez).
Is it difficult to avoid confusing everyone’s real name and character name?
When we first finished, I said to them, “You guys just keep the character names.” But now you have plenty of time to talk to them and update them via social media. I have now written down their names.
What do you think the interviewer saw in you to select you for the job? Did they ask you what TV shows you watch or what your interests are, in case they recognized the actor?
Honestly, I have no idea. Because when I look back at some of the interviews they put out there, I think, “Why did they choose me?” I have some doubts. I think it’s important to be authentic and just be authentic. And I think they got it. So I think that’s one of the things they relied on when they selected me. They certainly asked about my interests and what I do in my daily life, but they never pried into what kind of TV I watch. They never said anything that might jeopardize what they were looking for.
In the first episode, Marjorie gave you the opportunity to leave without dealing with the retreat. Have you ever wished you had accepted her offer?
To be honest, when I got the offer from them, I gave it some consideration just because it was on the table. But no, it’s not. No matter what happened, I knew I was showing up to do a job and I wanted to do the best I could. So I never really wanted to quit.
Did you have access to your cell phone during the retreat?
They actually used it as a seminar. Basically they were doing a digital detox. But that being said, I always had access to my phone if I needed it. The computer room also had a landline phone and an iPad, which I could access whenever I wanted to call home or FaceTime someone. I’ve always had it. But you can’t do that by just carrying your phone in your pocket every day.
Did you call someone and tell them about the crazy things that are happening?
Yes, I called home several times to call my mom. Almost every day I seemed to just say to her, “You can’t even imagine what happened today.” Actually, my mother was calling. She said, “Something is wrong. There’s something wrong with what’s going on outside.” One day, she called me on my landline, but I couldn’t answer. She said she was so scared she almost called the police because I sent her the address. When I look back, I think, “Mom, you could have blown it all away.” But that was just the mother she was worried about.
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Have you ever Googled Rockin’ Grandma or searched the characters’ social media while you were friends with them?
No, that wasn’t the case while I was there. Because I really didn’t have time. I guess I could have gone to the computer lab and looked up their social media, but I didn’t. I gave Dougie my phone number if I wanted him to come back. I was happy to do so because I was really enjoying it. I didn’t Google Rockin’ Grandma’s, but when I was sent all the information about the hotel, I definitely called there and asked if the room was in my name. Otherwise, I needed at least a place to lay my head.
Is there anything that didn’t make it onto the show during the retreat?
I’m a huge baseball fan and they knew it and had Wiffle Ball merchandise. In fact, we were able to get everyone to come play Wiffle Ball. This meant a lot to me. Because if I reach out to all my friends here in Nashville, I can probably get two of them to come visit. It was a lot of fun. There were moments where we were playing with Uno and they just kind of captured it. Alex (Bonifer) and Warren (Burke), at the end of the day, after all the seminars, we had a big chess board and we would sit there and talk and play chess. So I wish they had put more in there, just a few moments where we actually sit down and get to know each other.
Did you notice something then that seemed strange and should let you know what’s going on?
There was only one such moment and I couldn’t accept it very well. I don’t think they’re showing it. One day was Warren’s birthday. I don’t know if it was actually his birthday, but one of my jobs was to go to the store and buy them whatever they needed. It was his birthday so I got him a big chocolate cupcake and a candle. Later that same day, I was talking to Doug about cupcakes, and he said, “You know what? “Oh, I bought one of those cupcakes.” And I thought, “There was only one cupcake.” He said it as if I had gotten a lot of it, and at that moment I thought, “I don’t know, maybe it was a misunderstanding.” But when I look back, I’m like, “He failed!”
One of the biggest moments in the finale for me was when Doug stopped him from signing the contract by talking to him “father to father.” We don’t know much about your personal life or whether you have children on the show. Have you talked to the cast about what happens off camera?
absolutely. It’s hard for me not to talk about my son. he is my world They knew everything about my son. He is 3 years old.
So it’s probably going to be a few years before we get him to watch the show?
He was at the premiere, too, but he wasn’t old enough to really understand what was going on. But he thought it was cool. When he first saw me, he said, “Dad, that’s you.”
Have you kept in touch with any of the actors since filming ended?
Yes, everyone. They were very flexible with questions and anything I might need. And on social media, I’m from Nashville and almost all of the members are in Los Angeles, so it’s hard to get together in person, but we definitely keep each other up to date. On the last day of shooting, we immediately threw a dinner party.
You saw us meet Season 1’s Ronald Gladden in the premiere, but did you know who he was? Also, did you have a chance to talk about what the two of you have been through and strengthen your bond?
Right after all the cameras went out, they showed us a picture of Ronald. He looked familiar, so maybe I had just seen him nearby, but I couldn’t figure out where he was from. It was really crazy. Have you ever seen the Spider-Man meme where they point at each other? At the premiere, they didn’t have much time to sit and talk. There was a lot going on. But then we had a few nice conversations on the phone. Before I left town, we had a drink and talked about what my future holds, how he got to where he is now, and some of the steps he has taken.
After “Jury Duty,” Ronald appeared in commercials and signed a contract with Amazon MGM. Do you want to appear on TV more in the future?
I’m not against it. I didn’t grow up dreaming of being an actor or being on TV. But now I have an opportunity and it’s here, so I’m open to everything. I don’t necessarily accept everything that comes my way, but if a good opportunity comes along that I really like and that really resonates with me, I’ll definitely jump on it.
Looking back on everything now, how do you feel about your time at the retreat and attending the show?
Looking back, I am grateful to have been a part of this experience. I’m very proud and happy to be a part of such a positive cause. A lot of the entertainment we take in today isn’t very healthy, but it’s great to be a part of it. It’s funny because I’m the youngest of three, so I was always the kid who was always playing pranks and telling jokes and scaring people. So to be on the other side of that, especially in this way, is a dream come true.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
