J.K. Simmons says he loves playing “real characters” as he promotes MGM+ mob drama The Westies

J.K. Simmons, the Oscar-winning actor best known for his role in Whiplash, discussed his acting philosophy and his newest project in an extended interview with CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith published July 5. Simmons, who has built a career on high-impact character portrayals, said he continues to gravitate toward parts that let him play something grounded in human complexity rather than a one-note persona.

In the interview, Simmons framed his work as a form of craft focused on distinct, recognizable characters. He described being drawn to roles that allow him to find “humanity” even in characters who are widely described as dangerous or morally bleak. That lens, he said, helps him move between familiar intensity and something less predictable within a performance.

Simmons also used the conversation to talk about his new role in The Westies, a series described by CBS News as centering on Irish-American mobsters who ruled New York’s West Side in the 1980s. In that program, Simmons plays a boss characterized as tough and smart, and the interview highlights the contrast between the actor’s long history of playing tough figures and the personal enjoyment he says he gets from repeatedly shifting his approach to different kinds of characters.

The CBS News report also situates Simmons’ latest screen work within a broader arc of his career, including decades of playing prominent supporting roles and recurring “those kind of guys” across film and television. Simmons, speaking in the interview, reflected on how he has often been cast as characters older than his actual age, including in parts that also touched family life and everyday routines in addition to professional or criminal settings.

As part of the extended conversation, Simmons looked back on earlier career obstacles, when he was still trying to break through as an actor. The CBS News write-up of the interview says he recalled difficult early days and the impact of an unexpected kindness from another actor friend when he needed help most.

In the same CBS segment, Simmons discussed his life beyond the set as well, including how his family timeline intersected with public perceptions. He pointed to the way he stayed a married father of two while continuing to build his acting work, describing how his real-life responsibilities sometimes contrasted with character expectations that audiences and productions brought to him.

The interview arrives as The Westies prepares to launch on MGM+, which CBS News describes as the platform carrying the series “out next week.” With Simmons at the center, the publicity push also underscores how the actor’s identity as a character performer remains central to his current mainstream visibility, even as he returns to a new story set in a specific time and place of New York under mob influence.

CBS News’ extended interview does not include additional details about episode count, release date beyond “next week,” or production credits. Those elements, along with any additional casting and plot specifics, are not spelled out in the materials referenced for this report, so the focus remains on Simmons’ statements about his approach and the series premise described by CBS News.