We recently had the chance to connect with Jon Passow and have shared our conversation below.
Jon, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What is a normal day like for you right now?
What I love about being a classically trained actor living in London is that everyday brings something new and none of it is ever normal. I generally have my daily routines of going to the gym, practicing guitar, keeping my acting skills sharp by running lines or learning a new skillset, and working on the two plays I’m writing. But outside of those must do daily items, things can drastically fluctuate with auditions, networking events, supporting my friends by seeing their projects, attending workshops, or getting flown out somewhere to film.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jon Passow, a US born actor and voice over artist living in London, England. After 25 years in the business, working on over 50 movies/tv shows/commercials/and theatre productions, I decided to fill in some gaps I felt I had in my training and restart things as it were. So I moved to London in 2024 and received my Masters in Acting from the prestigious East 15 Drama University in 2025. Now fresh out of Uni, I’m currently looking for an agent, writing two theatrical plays, working on my photography, and loving my new home in London.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child and into adulthood, I had a belief that I was broken. The world around me, people, society, school, none of it made sense. I was an outsider, the metaphorical square peg being shoved into a round hole. Eventually, after a lot of hard work on understanding who I am, what my strengths and weaknesses were and working on BOTH of them, I came to realize that I just operate differently than the vast majority of people. I’m not better or worse than anyone, just different. The modern day to day world isn’t designed for different though, it’s designed for uniformity. Once I understood this I was able to really accept who I am as a person and let go of the belief that I’m broken. It hasn’t been an easy thing to do but it has made all the difference to me.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been many times where I did give up. So many times that I failed and let that stop me, but I always learned from the experience and grew. Over the decades, I realized that no matter how many times I get knocked down, I will get back up on my feet and overcome the challenge. I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I will never give up on certain things because those are the things that truly matter to me. Even at the lowest of the lows I still ask myself “How do I make this work?” which switches me from victim to ownership mindset and moves me into action.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Ohhh there are so many lies in the entertainment industry and it’s hard to narrow it down to the biggest one. Perhaps it would be that fame equals success. Only you can determine what it means to be a success. There are many actors out there that had one big job and never were able to get hired again but they are famous so people consider them successful. For me, have a long career where I’m consistently employed, consistently creating, and consistently doing the work that challenges me to be better than I was the day before is what I define as being a “success”, not fame. I’m not against fame and it can have some life changing benefits but I feel that it being the determining factor in if you are considered successful is a lie. And a big lie that does a disservice to what it actually takes to make it in this industry.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I feel very lucky to say that I am doing what I was born to do. At a very young age I realized that my true passion was to create. I’ve danced around the idea, had moments where I was in step and moments where I fell out of step with it, but it’s always been there. Now that I have embraced that truth I can fully say with confidence that I am 100% doing what I was born to do. While its never an easy path it has been the most satisfying and rewarding path I have ever come to know. I even had the high honor of recently stepping onto Shakespeare’s Globe Stage in London and performing King Henry IV – Part 1. So satisfying!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jonpassow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jon_passow
- Other: https://app.spotlight.com/7331-7833-4411
Image Credits
Ivan Weiss, Andrew H Williams, and Jon Passow.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
