Meet J.A. Levi

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful J.A. Levi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with J.A. below.

J.A. , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I was an insecure kid. And to tell you the truth, I’d say I was insecure about myself up until I was around 23 years old. I’m 25 now, about to turn 26 in September. But, you know, throughout my life there were always people here and there telling me and reminding me to embrace who I was, where I came from, and what I brought to the table. Then there were always artists and actors who I’d watch on TV and say “Damn, I want to be like them one day.” I heard and saw these things enough to the point when one day I just said, “You know what, fuck it. I am who I am. Nobody’s perfect. And if anyone is offended or tries to downplay me, fuck them too.” So yeah, I’d say being around and watching confident people are what helped me develop my own confidence.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am an actor and artist, though acting is more of the career path I am focused on (I prefer to make music as a hobby). I feel a special joy every time I’m on set. No matter how big or small the production, how long the duration of shooting, or what role I am portraying, I am ALWAYS happy to be there. I truly do feel like acting is my calling. To be able to live someone else’s life fascinates me. Working with people who all want to tell the same story as you motivates me. My end goal isn’t at all to be rich and famous. No thank you, I hope to motivate, inspire, and in the best case scenario, save someone’s life with my contribution to a project. And if I can make a living by doing just that, believe me, I’d consider myself set for life. Even when I am going through a rough patch myself, I turn to acting as a form of escapism. Even if the character is going through worse, it is a temporary peace not having to be yourself for a moment. But yeah, currently I have been auditioning, writing, and preparing to direct my second film before the year ends. This business is 99% rejection and 1% success, but hey, as long as I’m living I’ll keep taking my chances.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

– Being observant. I found that just observing others’ actions and reactions serves as an extremely helpful tool when creating/finding a character.
– Patience. Nobody likes this one, and I don’t blame them. Shit, I don’t like being patient either. But, in my experiences both in my career pursuit and personal life, I’ve found that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes we get too impatient that we quit or turn back RIGHT when we’re about to receive our blessing/s.
– I find this one to be the most important quality that has impacted my life… just being a genuine human being. We all have issues going in our lives. We are all going through something, The very least we can do is be kind towards one another. Yeah, it sounds corny, but you reap what you sow. It all comes back to you in a positive way, believe me.
For anyone who is just starting on their journey, whether it be acting, being a doctor, etc., just take it a day at a time. Live in the moment and don’t worry too much about the future. Treat others like human beings. And most importantly never give up.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

Of course! I want people to see/read this and be able to relate, you know? I’m no different than any other person working towards a goal/dream. I graduated film school back in January. I took a three month mental break to declutter and decompress my mind (I’m so glad I did it). Since then I have been struggling to get an entry level job in the film industry. And as we all know, you need experience. So, I am helping out on sets whenever I can, looking for a temporary full time job to at least keep up with bills and provide for my daughter, and still auditioning for gigs. Did I mention my car just got towed the other day? Yeah, the motherfuckers charged $610 to get it back like I just shit money. But hey, I try to see the humor in things. You have to laugh sometimes, you know!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @johnalexlevi
• Twitter: @johnalexlevi
• Other: Spotify: J.A. Levi
  Most Recent Project: One Man Garage Band Mixtape Vol. 1

Image Credits

Christopher Lee Umaña, Eric Figueroa, Chris Kioudjian, Jude K.D., Eric St. Martin