Mason Cook Talks ABC’s ‘Speechless’ [Exclusive Interview]

Mason Cook plays Ray DiMeo, one part of the kooky but lovable family on ABC’s sitcom, Speechless.

I recently spoke with Cook about his “wise beyond his years” character, on set pranks, and the impact of the show.

Cook got his start in the business simply by trying it out to see if he liked it. “Growing up there [Oklahoma], I didn’t really think of being an actor or think it could possibly be a career for the rest of my life,” Cook recalled.

When his family moved to Los Angeles just to “change it up,” Cook decided to give it a whirl. “I see that this is the acting capital of the world; the main part of the entertainment business is here so I thought, ‘why not try it.'”

His first gig was a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial, and Cook said he “fell in love.”

“Well, if I’m gonna be able to wear my pajamas and eat donuts every day, sign me up. I’m good. I’m set,” Cook mused.

The role of Ray felt like good fit as well. During the audition process, the show’s producers were looking at casting three brothers or two brothers and a sister. Cook read for both Ray and Dylan, but was happy to be cast as Ray.

“Ray was perfect. He was, like, the perfect character for me. He kind of sums up every character that I’ve ever played. He’s like the nerdy character, he kind of has a little problem with girls, he’s socially awkward. He’s a fun character to play,” said Cook.

One of the challenges of playing Ray was his very grown-up persona—”having to play a character that [seems like] he’s the only adult in the family.” He added, “I’ve been told that I’m wise beyond my years, but you’ve got to really act wise beyond your years when you play Ray.”

Those years are up for debate, though. “We haven’t really specified on the show how old he is,” Cook admitted, adding, “We all go to the same school. Dylan is in middle school and I’m in high school, I think. And JJ is in high school. It’s a little mystery we haven’t solved yet.”

Recalling favorite moments, Cook counted Speechless Season 1 Episode 8, “R-A-Y-C–RAY-CATION,” as a highlight. “We got to film at the beach for quite a while. It was beautiful. We saw a few whales. It’s not the worst place you could possibly film a TV show.”

“I loved the storyline of that episode,” continued Cook. “It was a great moment between Ray and JJ at the beach. I always love a good heartfelt moment.”

Those heartfelt moments balanced with comedy and an honest portrayal of the disabled community make Speechless a groundbreaking sitcom. “When there is a disabled character in a show or movie about a disabled character, it’s usually portrayed as sad or slightly depressing, and this show was the polar opposite of that,” he said.

“There are families without disabled family members that don’t feel they can connect with the show as much, because they don’t really think they have as much to relate to. The family is just like any other family on television except for the addition of a family member with cerebral palsy.”

They play a family on TV, but behind the scenes, the cast and crew are very much like a family, too, with Cook as the resident prankster. “I like to scare people, or put little clips on people’s shirts without them noticing, or put tape on them without them noticing and see how long it lasts,” Cook laughed.

He is so known for his pranks that some crew members retaliated. When the new boom operator for this season started calling him Madison instead of Mason, Cook wanted to see how long he could keep it going. “I later found out that it was possibly the camera department […] that had set him up to call me Madison or to make him think that my name is Madison,” revealed Cook.

“Then everyone on set started calling me Madison. It was, like, an inside joke.”

It wasn’t until the crew took it to another level that Cook knew he had been had. “They changed my IMDb and my Wikipedia page to Madison Cook along with the name on my cast chair […] which involved the props department,” he recounted. 

Cook took it all in stride. “I still have that name on my chair. I’ve gotten so used to it,” he conceded. “People still call me Madison. I do not respond to that name. I used to, but I don’t anymore because I don’t want to give them that kind of power,” joked Cook.

Aside from pulling pranks, Cook said he enjoys watching crime and gangster genre films. And as for the TV he watches, he mentioned “a really great show on ABC.”

“It’s a groundbreaking TV show about a family just like any other family on television except for the added bonus of a family member with a disability. That one I highly recommend.”

Speechless airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.

*Featured image credit: Leslie Alejandro

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