Actor, artist, and creativity coach for kids Jonté LeGras connects with author and Emmy-honored casting director Bonnie Gillespie to chat about saying NO to some opportunities to work, the power of access in an artist’s life, and an elevated vision for the new Hollywood.
Here is the chat from our live session!
What are your key takeaways from Jonté’s interview from the SMFA Summit? Share below in the comments! 🙂
Jonté is an award-winning actor and acting coach with 20 years of experience. He was recently seen working opposite Uzo Aduba and Niles Fitch in the film Miss Virginia. His credits include A Million Little Things, Grey’s Anatomy, and Scandal (episode directed by Debbie Allen). He won the Best Actor Award for his performance in the short film The Rat. He had the distinct pleasure of being hand-picked by Ava DuVernay to coach and guide the youngest star in Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time and he continues to coach top-tier clients currently working as series regulars and in recurring roles on TV. He has been featured as a guest on the podcasts Wesam’s World hosted by actor Wesam Keesh and Re-presentationn hosted by actors Mary Ellen Moreno and Robert Paterno. He loves connecting with ambitious creatives, going on coffee meet-ups, and playing on his weekly baseball team.
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I loved the interview – slow everything sown – morning practice and getting out in nature that is so important to me too. AND setting a no line early – I think you belittle yourself when you say you’ll do anything – it’s so good to decide ahead of time what you might do and not do if someone asks.
Thank you for your kind response. The morning practice routine and any time getting out into nature is healing. I love it, ha! I’m looking forward to watching your interview. I feel like I’ve heard so much about you in this community! Enjoy your weekend!
Yes Jonte enjoy your weekend as well – it was nice meeting.
I love how he encourages actors to have standards that will shift the industry. Deciding which projects are ideal for a chosen path and sticking to that instead of allowing people to take advantage of an actor’s image for free.
It is such a passion of mine. I have wonderful producer friends that I’ll sit down with and although they agree, they also know they can get actors to work for free, so they continue to produce projects for cheaper budgets and not pay their actors. I’ve asked have they tried not paying the crew and they’ve answered, yes, but the crew just won’t work. I think we as actors need to have that same mindset. Thanks for watching!! I love your takeaway!