Shaw Jones on "Wounded", Leadership, and the Power of Staying Present

Interview by Ezzah Rafique | July 23, 2025, Last Updated October 1, 2025

Photo Courtesy: Shaw Jones

You’ve played agents, convicts, dads, and aliens but Robert in Wounded feels like your most raw, stripped-back role to date. What made you say, “Yeah, this is the one I need to do live, no cuts, no retakes”?

Jones: I've always been intrigued [by] a character that is broken or is, at heart, a good person but has done bad things. I've had a lot of instances in my life that have been difficult, and I find that it has prepared me to dig into a character or go levels deeper than other people. And so, I feel like I can find a lot of similarities in roles where others might be afraid to go or can't go.

HAZZE is all about the human behind the highlight reel. What personal truths did you tap into while building Robert, someone living with addiction, grief, and a messy past?

Jones: I think having to face my own shortcomings was how I prepared for Robert. I’m not immune to the idea of addiction. That's one way I've been able to identify with him and was able to passionately play a part, because I've lived it. 

From the set of Star Trek to the stage at SoHo Playhouse, what’s the biggest shift in how you approach performance when it’s Off-Broadway and in your face every night?

Jones: I think that I have to rely heavily on trust in myself and honest confidence. Because if you're doing a TV show, it's three-minute bursts for your shots or scenes. It's quick. But stepping on stage is a completely different beast because you have to truly trust yourself and your instincts.

"Wounded" started as a one-act play and evolved into a full-length production that won the SoHo Playhouse Fringe Encore Series Award. What was it like watching this story grow from the ground up?

Jones: It was a lesson in just doing what's in front of you and not worrying about the outcome. Don't worry about the results. Just focus and work hard, because with all the things that happened with it, it just kept growing. I mean, it won two awards at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and won an ultimate award to then go to New York. And then, after doing it in New York, it won again to come back to New York. But I never looked at it for results. I just continued to put all the work into the character, and good things came from it. It just kept surprising us. It just kept growing and winning. Each time we were like, “Oh my God.” It was so exciting because we didn't plan on it. We didn't go into it thinking, “I'm going to win a Tony on this one.” I just went into it and said, “I need to be present and in the moment in each moment of this play.”

You’ve had guest spots on NCIS, Criminal Minds, Snowfall, The Upshaws, and more—but Wounded puts you front and center. How does that spotlight feel different when it’s not just a scene but it’s your story?

Jones: I was taught that the lead actor isn't the one with the most lines. He [plays] a major role, but he's the lead actor because he needs to lead the set. He needs to be a leader on set. So, I find that when I'm the lead, I've got a little bit bigger burden in the sense that I have to do my role, but I also have to create an environment that is healthy and positive and with a strong work ethic.

 

There’s a line in "Wounded" that stuck with us — 'We all got ghosts, some just scream louder.'

How did you learn to sit in the silence of a character who’s haunted?

Jones: In life, we all have things that we need to get out of us or talk about. And unfortunately, we don't talk about them. There [are] a lot of things we want to say in life, and we hold [them] back because we're scared, or we're scared we're going to be judged, or we don't want to open the dam. But I think I was able to actually sit with those feelings and just have them alive and brewing inside me. I was able to let them come out from the dark attic they were in and sort of open the door and come out, but not leave the house. And then I was able to push him back in. But I had to have them come out to be able to be seen.

HAZZE always asks the vibe check. What was the energy like backstage at SoHo? Any rituals, superstitions, or moments that grounded you before stepping into Robert’s shoes each night?

 

Jones: I did a few things. I came in on the second act so I didn't need to be there until an hour in. But I always enjoyed sitting backstage and listening to the first act, because I was engaged in the story, and it helped me to realize that my character was alive. I liked being in the theater, in the experience. So, every show I was there. I was never in my dressing room. It sort of prepped me to get ready and warmed up to go on stage. I would close my eyes and thank the people [who] made me who I am. I thanked my mom and dad, who've passed. I would be thankful [for] all the great things I have in my life, and the things I've been through that I was ashamed of. I would think about it all, and I would be grateful for all of it, good or bad, because it got me to that point and had prepared me to undertake such a dark, layered role.

You’ve won Best Actor twice for Blue and got Rolling Stone praise for Proximity, but where does "Wounded" rank in your personal highlight reel and why?

Jones: Those awards are great, and I'm deeply appreciative, and I don't take anything for granted. But I think the reward I got from Wounded was the nightly face-to-face award I would get in speaking to the audience afterwards. I could immediately see how I’d affected people emotionally, which was always so satisfying for me.

So what’s next? From dark comedy to sci-fi to heartfelt indie films, what’s one story the world hasn’t seen you in yet, but you’re dying to tell?

Jones: I'm dying to tell the story of a fish out of water. A kid that’s put into a hard world of boxing that he doesn't come from, and how—through his coach and fights—it helps get him back on track and give[s] him [the] tools to be able to make it through the journey of life.

About Wounded

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