Jason Ritter as Julian Markston and Skye P. Marshall as Olympia Lawrence on ‘Matlock.’ Sonja Flemming/CBS
While discussing her effortless onscreen chemistry with Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall revealed that she didn’t actually know her love interest before Matlock.
“During the chemistry read with myself and the actors reading for Julian, to be honest I did not know who Jason Ritter was before that. I have not shared that with anybody,” Marshall, 43, exclusively told Us Weekly about her now-onscreen husband. “I grew up with his father and I adored John Ritter. When I popped up on the Zoom, I definitely knew Jason’s face but I did not know that that was him until after the fact.”
Marshall was able to develop a natural connection with Ritter, 44, as her scene partner, adding, “I just saw a guy who was there to do the work and have some fun. I intentionally was throwing curve balls and he went with it in such a seamless way.”
Matlock, which premiered on CBS in September 2024, immediately got Us invested in Olympia and Julian’s love story. They started the show as exes trying to coparent amid their divorce while Olympia secretly moved on with another attorney at their firm: Elijah (Eme Ikwuakor). Before Olympia could tell Julian, her romance with Elijah ended and she has since reconnected with her estranged husband.
“Where you see Olympia, I do a lot of physicality in between the lines. Jason was really great at meeting me in those moments — outside of the dialogue — where he is such an incredible, active listener,” Marshall explained to Us. “While he’s listening to me and watching me, he only makes choices based on the pace, the tone and the energy that I was giving and the projection. He would meet me there and he’s fantastic at being not just an incredible performer but one of the best active listeners in a scene that I have worked with — next to Kathy Bates.”
Skye P. Marshall as Olympia Lawrence and Jason Ritter as Julian Markston on ‘Matlock.’ Brooke Palmer/CBS
Marshall recalled seeing Ritter grasp Julian in a way others hadn’t.
“He didn’t play Julian like the rich man who had a rich father and a beautiful wife. He played from a place that was very true and real for him — and that was somebody who was desperately trying to stand on his own,” she noted. “He wanted to create his own legacy and be different. I saw when in our chemistry read one of the lines that I say to him was, ‘You’re right, nepotism wasn’t a factor in my hiring.’”
She continued: “The way Jason took that bullet and then pushed his emotions down, it felt very real for me as someone that was on the receiving end. That’s why when we got off the Zoom, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is Jason Ritter.’ Then I felt like an idiot but I’m so glad that I had that moment and that chemistry with him without having any premeditated bias for him.”
While Marshall and Ritter developed a seamless bond, their characters have more obstacles to face. Olympia and Julian’s reunion was short-lived (so far!) after he owned up to having an affair before their first split. That — coupled with the reveal that the other woman was a close friend — caused Olympia to shut down a future with Julian for now.
Skye P. Marshall as Olympia Lawrence and Jason Ritter as Julian Markston Sonja Flemming/CBS
“Olympia is doing her best to create some kind of balance between work life and professional life with Julian. She’s learning how to build boundaries and how to process her pain while also showing up for other people’s pain. She is not great at compartmentalizing,” the actress admitted. “Now she starts pulling Matty into her drama, which is not the original Olympia that we are very familiar with and you will see that that will create some discomfort with all three of us.”
Despite their ups and downs, Marshall has been “rooting” for Olympia and Julian to make it, saying, “I believe in family and I think they have such an adorable family. Julian coming to Olympia to reveal his secrets is proof that he wants to be better than his father. I’m hoping that one day they can start a new chapter.”
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Marshall also pointed to the overwhelming positive fan response so far. “I have not seen one person online say they don’t want Olympia and Julian to work out,” she told Us. “That’s really sweet but it’s also very petrifying.”
There is also Elijah, who isn’t completely out of Olympia’s life — or heart.
“Honestly, I did not know what was going to happen between Olympia and Elijah. I hope we get to see more of him as well. But the idea of these two relationships isn’t where we ping pong back and forth. Olympia and Elijah had a goal that once the divorce was finalized, they were going to move forward,” Marshall explained. “Then a wrench was thrown in that plan and it completely took Olympia offline with that relationship with Elijah. But I am interested to see what could have happened there.”
Matlock airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET and new episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.