Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to JaDarrel Belser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
JaDarrel, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I was working as a bouncer at a sports bar/club called Yogi’s in Cardiff By The Sea, California. After one particularly, brutal night ( we fought a bus of Native Americans), I went across the street to the nearby beach to have ‘a moment with God’. I was thinking about my life to that point and I kept going back to my desire to be an actor. I had been procrastinating on it and that bothered me. Finally, I had what I call my ‘aggressive epiphany’. I just told myself to ‘just f@#kin’ do it’, I looked up ‘How to get into acting’ the next day and I’ve been at it ever since.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
For the readers not familiar with me, my name is JaDarrel Belser. I hail originally from Montgomery ,Alabama but now I live out here in Los Angeles, California. I am also a U.S. military veteran, having served in the US Navy for 5 years. Due to my job as a hospital corpsman, I served my time mainly with the Marines and that included one year long tour in Iraq during ‘Operation: Enduring Freedom’. I have desired to be an actor virtually my entire life but I didn’t act upon it until age 25. However, I’ve been at it now for about 10 years professionally and I feel I’m just now hitting my stride. I’m largely a comedic actor with experience in both sketch and Improv over many years. As of last year, I’m now the co-owner of a production company called ‘Gatecrashers Incorporated’ with my partner, comedian Tim Mathis. We are currently in the process of producing a ESPN ’30 for 30′ -styled mockumentary on the niche sport of ‘frisbee golf’ called Mega Bowl. Our main brand is comedy but we also have projects in horror, action and even romantic melodrama.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I can’t really narrow it down to just three qualities but I can elaborate on three phrases I use as an actor: “It’s not you”, “Be so good they can’t ignore you” and “Casting directors do not know what they want until YOU show them”.
The first one( “It’s not you”) was a very big lesson from me early on. I was always self conscious when doing parts and I found myself getting in my own way. Then one day, I was doing an improv class at the Second City Hollywood and one of the instructors told me very bluntly “it’s not you”. Meaning that when you are playing a character, you have to be present for that character. Be in the moment. Don’t worry about looking foolish or silly because” it’s not you”.
The next phrase that I borrowed from the great Steve Martin (“Be so good they can’t ignore you”). By that, I took it as meaning you have to have confidence in your ability to feel that what you’re doing is the best thing they’ve ever seen. Even if you don’t get it, you should leave an impression in their mind for future roles. You’d be surprised how often I’ve heard ” I remembered you from that audition’ or ‘ You didn’t get that role but we would love you for this role”.
Lastly. “Casting directors do not know what they want until YOU show them” is another one I borrowed from Wendy McClendon-Covey from ABC’s “The Goldbergs”. Most casting directors will give you a general broad outlook as to what they want from a character, However, they’re more interested in seeing what you bring to the character that they didn’t think about. You’ll be surprised how a little gesture or a certain attitude brought to the role can really take it to another level.
As far as skills go. I personally learn the best when on the job. I tried to do certain acting schools or acting lessons but I usually find they were scams( particularly out here in Los Angeles). First thing I would suggest you do is get some good headshots and sign up to a casting network like LA Casting or Actors Access . A lot of times, they’ll be looking for people to play extras in TV shows and films . If you are starting out, try that route first so you get to see firsthand with the process of filmmaking.. Some people don’t have the patience for it and some people flat out don’t have the talent for it . One thing that I found to be invaluable as an actor out here is skills in improv. You don’t have to be ready for ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ but I found it’s best to be able to think on your feet even at the most basic level. So, I always advise young actors out here to try to do an improv course in one of the accredited schools out here like Second City, Groundlings or UCB. Most casting directors will ask you to improvise on the fly and you have to be able to do it.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
As a neophyte producer, one Challenge I’m finding right now is finding someone to finance your project. My partner and I have submitted a lot of our work to many of the screenwriting contests that they have online. One thing that we found quite interesting is the fact that most people do not want a ‘good old-fashioned comedy’. In fact ,most of the screenwriting contests are trying to steer us into implementing some sort of ‘social message’in our work. as that is chic right now. Well, that’s fine butmy partner and I feel that certain works of art( in particular, comedy) should be just escapist fun. Don’t worry about what’s going on in the ‘real world;. We all get enough of that already. Going to a movie theater ,getting some popcorn and a drink and just sitting back and just having a good time with whatever I’m watching. That is the experience we want to give to other lovers of film and potential filmmakers. One thing we’re trying to do is build a very strong deck for our project including producing your own sizzle ree,l coming up with a PowerPoint for perspective investors with budget breakdowns and a casting list on our own. So when the current WGA strike lifts, we have a project ready for any potential investor to want to put their capital behind. People right now are starving for content and we have something ready. Why not go with it?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gatecrashersinc.com/.
- Instagram: @thebelser
- Facebook: JaDarrel Devondra Belser
- Twitter: @TheBelser
Image Credits
Bill Kelly Shelton Botler James M. Black
