EXCLUSIVE: 'Nashville' Star Joseph David-Jones Talks Romancing Maddie and Exploring Clay's 'Demons'

By
CMT

Maddie is getting some love on Nashville.

In last week’s episode of CMT’s country music drama, viewers were introduced to Clay, a charming bluegrass musician who immediately catches the eye of Rayna’s teenage daughter, Maddie (Lennon Stella), who gets an internship working at the recording studio and reconnects with her father, Deacon (Charles Esten), as a result.

But, as with all things Nashville, nothing is as they seem -- and that also applies to Clay.

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ET caught up via email with actor Joseph David-Jones (DC's Legends of Tomorrow), who plays Clay, to get the scoop on playing the new man in Maddie’s life and what fans can expect moving forward.


ET: How did Nashville come to you? Did you watch the show before landing the part?


Joseph David-Jones:
I actually auditioned for Nashville while shooting on another project located in Boston. I had a couple weeks off from shooting and decided to go back to L.A., while I was there my manager suggested I go in for the role on Nashville. The truth is I had heard about the show -- it actually is one of my mom’s favorite shows -- but I hadn't seen any episodes when I went in for it. Once I booked the role, I binge-watched as much as I could before I had to start shooting.


When you first read the part of Clay, what trait did you immediately connect with?

The music! Clay's character is so deeply in love with music in all different genres and I can really relate to that. I love so many different types of music and draw inspiration from so many sources when I play, and I think that’s what first connected me to him.


When we’re introduced to Clay, he’s an aspiring bluegrass musician who immediately takes a liking to Maddie. How does Clay’s attraction to Maddie evolve moving forward?

As their relationship grows we see Clay open up more and more to Maddie. For the most part, Clay is a loner, so this relationship will really bring out a different side to him.

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How quickly does Clay and Maddie’s romance progress?

Well, I can't give too much away, but there's definitely going to be a lot of ups and downs in this relationship, so the progress of Maddie and Clay is definitely going to be interesting.


Will we see Clay break down that glass wall and get into the recording studio when it comes to his professional singing career? What can you say about his journey in getting that part of his life kick-started?

Like I mentioned before, music is definitely a huge part of Clay’s character and I can't wait for people to get to know him and see him grow in his music as well his relationship with Maddie on the show.


Can we expect a Clay solo or duet, perhaps with Maddie, down the line?

You can definitely expect to see a lot of music performances from Clay this season. songs with a lot more blues and gospel influence to them. His character on the show really adds a diverse spin on Nashville, not just in music but in storylines too, and I can't wait for people to see where it goes.

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What are you most excited for fans to see or learn about your character?

Without giving too much away, I'm excited for people to see Clay's demons. He has a checkered past and it comes up in some interesting ways on the show, so I’m most excited about that.


Nashville
airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CMT.