Veteran actor J. K.
Simmons detailed his transition from a struggling New York restaurant worker to a prominent Hollywood figure in an interview broadcast on July 5, 2026.
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The Oscar winner discussed his roles in upcoming projects, including the television series "The Westies" and the feature film "Heart of the Beast."
Before achieving cinematic success, Simmons worked as an unorganized waiter at the famous New York eatery Joe Allen.
He noted that his early years in the 1980s involved living in affordable apartments that contained pests while he struggled to find consistent employment.
"You know what? Not very good," said Simmons about his waiter skills.
"I worked hard. I was pleasant, you know.
I tried to be charming. I was not organized.
This would have taken me, like, five trips to set up [this table], yeah. And the butter would already be melting by the time I got it here."
The actor explained his preference for playing diverse characters, such as his new role as an Irish-American mob boss in the MGM+ series "The Westies," which premieres on July 12.
"I just love going back and forth and doing something different from whatever I just got done doing," he said.
"And if there's something I can latch onto other than just pure evil, you know, if I can find the humanity in the guy somewhere, then, yeah, I love playing those kind of guys."
