Interview with actor Josh Pais: from Einstein's 'calculus' to the new TV series You Hurt My Feelings

Josh Pais will star in the film Checkout and the upcoming TV series You Hurt My Feelings. He is now in theaters in the U.S. with the film Spoiler Alert.

His father, Abraham Pais was a theoretical physicist who worked for eleven years with scientist Albert Einstein.    Abraham   worked on elementary particle theory with a primary interest in quantum field theory and  SU(6) symmetry breaking.

Josh Pais has starred in films such as Joker, TV series such as Ray Donovan, Maniac, Mrs. Fletcher, Law and Order, and The Sopranos.

You will be in the movie Checkout. Can you tell us the plot?

We shot Checkout in Ukraine prior to the Russian invasion. 

In this dark comedy I play an American who has been enlisted by the Israeli spy organization, Mossad. As the story opens up we discover that my character, Dov, has been stationed in a hotel for months. His spy cover is that he is a frustrated writer trying to finish a novel. He gets a devastating call from his Mossad boss telling him that he has been retired. The next morning a legendary terrorist checks into the hotel. Dov goes into action attempting to bond and then put an end to this terrorist. But is this guy really a terrorist or is Dov desperate to give his life meaning? As this bizarre relationship unfolds the fate of Dov and the (possible) terrorist are pushed beyond what either of them could imagine. 

You Hurt My Feelings is instead a comedy. In what genre are you most comfortable twisting?

I see everything I do as a comedy. Even the most serious dramas. I often explore the ways in which a character does not see the impact of their behavior. Within this unawareness comedy lives.

You are in the film Spoiler Alert, based on a book. What was the experience like?

I have worked many times with the talented director, Michael Showalter. He asked me to  do a cameo in the opening scene of the movie. I love the humanity and story telling of this film, and wanted to support this beautiful and important story. Plus it was great working with Jim Parsons.

Your father wrote the successful book "Subtle is the Lord," as he worked with Albert Einstein. What memories do you have of that time? 

Einstein was not alive when I was born, but the many stories my father told me about working together with Einstein for 11 years made him a figure in my life. My father told me about the last time he saw Einstein. Einstein was nearing the end of his life and my father visited him at his home. Einstein was in bed doing calculations when my father entered the room. They talked for a while, then said goodbye. My father stood up and walked to the door. He looked back at Einstein to see him intently focussed on his next calculation. I think there is a beauty and poetry in that incident.

Did scientific rationalism influence your life?

As odd as this sounds, I see a certain science in acting. It is the study of human behavior.

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