‘The Unicorn’ Star Ruby Jay Spills on Working With ‘Amazing’ Walton Goggins in CBS Sitcom (Exclusive)

The Unicorn is headlined by Walton Goggins, but the Sons of Anarchy star’s comedic performance is not the only bright spot in the new CBS sitcom. One of his character’s daughters is played by Ruby Jay, a young actress and singer with a bright future ahead. Before the series starts, Jay spoke with PopCulture.com about working with an esteemed actor like Goggins and teased the upcoming season of Hulu’s Holly Hobbie.

The new series stars Goggins as Wade, a widower whose wife died a year ago. His friends egg him on to get back in the dating scene, and he slowly discovers he is the perfect date — a “unicorn.” His daughters, Grace and Natalie, are played by Jay and Mackenzie Moss, respectively. Goggins might be best known for his serious film and television roles, but Wade proves he can play for laughs.

“He is amazing,” Jay told PopCulture.com. “I’m trying to think of other amazing words, but honestly, he’s so good at what he does, and you can tell that he loves it as much as it seems. He even loves it more than what he shows.”

According to Jay, Goggins “is so good about making sure that everybody in the cast is happy with what they’re saying, and understanding how their character is actually feeling in that moment, and going through each part of the scene, and kind of dissecting it with them.”

Jay also hopes to follow in Goggins footsteps by starring in different genres. She told PopCulture.com she wants to “try and do as much drama and comedies as I can.”

“I love both, but I have yet to do a strictly dramatic series or movie. So, I’m really looking forward to the opportunity,” she said.

The Unicorn also gives Jay the chance to work with other experienced stars, like Ballers stars Rob Corddry and Omar Benson Miller, and Casual‘s Michaela Watkins, who play Wade’s friends. They are all just as funny off-screen as they in front of the camera, and the entire cast gelled together quickly.

“What you guys see on screen is funny, but then when you see it in person, right there, and they change it every single take. Every single take is a different read, and all of their lines are different,” Jay explained. “So, it’s like every single time they talk, it’s a completely different scene, and it is hilarious every single time. I wish they could show every single take.”

Jay felt an “instant bond” with Moss, which comes through immediately in the pilot.

Outside of The Unicorn, Jay has the title role in Hulu’s Holly Hobbie series. Although she could not say much about the upcoming second season, she teased that it takes on more “mature” issues and scenarios.

Between the two shows, Jay still is not busy enough as she is also tackling a music career. Jay has thousands of followers on YouTube, thanks at first to her covers. More recently, she turned to releasing her own songs and is hoping to release an EP some day. One of her recent songs is “Young Love.”

“I wrote the song ‘Young Love,’ and it’s not necessarily about anyone. It’s more about the idea of it,” Jay explained. “I went to a public school at that point in time, and so I was watching all these things happen, and I wanted to write a song about it. So, I did, and I was like, I should release this. I should post this. This should be something that I show the world.”

Considering how much Jay has already accomplished at such a young age, she offered other young actors and singers hoping to find success in Hollywood.

“The main thing that I always say is don’t give up,” Jay said. “You could get a hundred nos, and to finally get that one yes, you have to work through those hundred nos. So, the main thing about the industry is you have to be persistent. You have to be consistent and really love what you do, because if you don’t really love what you’re doing, it shows, and people don’t want to watch that.”

The Unicorn airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

Photo credit: Dawn Kingston