#MENWITHTXTURE featuring LA Actor Jean Elie

The first time I met up-and-coming actor Jean Elie two years ago, I corrected him on the pronunciation of his own name.

“It’s zhon! Aye-lee! It’s important!”

It’s especially important when you’ve got big plans to see your name in lights. Jean moved to Los Angeles with only $1000 and an uncertain housing situation. He got a day job and within 6 months he booked work on the film Project X, a Nike commercial as a stunt double, got his SAG card, and then it was off to the races. In late April, Jean and I sat and chatted about his path to acting, his upbringing, his personal style, and what dating is like for him. The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

TXTURE: Tell us about your most recent project.

Jean: I just wrapped [the direction of] one music video called “Purpose” by an artist called brandontory, and a short film - “Thin Walls” - and I’m about to go to Miami to shoot a music video called “Decoration” also by brandontory. He’s an up and coming artist out of Boston who lives in LA now. He’s doing a lot of big things and I’ve been fortunate enough to cross paths with him. He calls me to do all his visuals, so I’m taking on the role of being a visual director for him.

I just got the first edit of “Thin Walls” which I’m super excited about, I can’t wait to see the final product. Now I’ve got to dive in and get the work done…

TXTURE: So let’s talk about “the work”. A lot of work goes into the path that you’re on as an actor. Talk a little bit about that.

Jean: I’m one of those actors that if I’m not working on someone else’s project, then I’m working on one for myself. And that’s exactly what’s happening with “Thin Walls”. It’s a script that I read online. Every day at around 3 o’ clock, I go online and try to find a script to read, to see what and who is out there, to discover new voices and create a project around their story. Especially if it fits my mold or my brand. Or even if it’s something that I wouldn’t typically get cast for and yet I want to see myself in. I will do it. So I found this beautiful little script online by a writer from Australia named Jerome Gilden. And I read it and I was like, “This is amazing!” so I emailed him and said “Hey, I want to do this project.” And he was so happy that someone had actually read it, he gave me permission to create it. So I got in touch with Korstiaan Vandiver, a director friend of mine who I’ve been wanting to work with for a long time. He recently shot “LU”, a short film with Nate Parker. We met at a film festival [that we both showed work at]. My film was cool, but his film was the exact same story as mine but shot WAY better. I was like “I’ve GOT to work with this guy.” So I found this little gem [“Thin Walls] and I asked Vandiver if he wanted to work with me on this, and he said yes. I was very fortunate to have him on it: we shot the thing and it was all funded by me.

TXTURE: I think what’s really interesting is that your passion [for film-making] was true enough that you reached out to this director because of the fact that you recognized his version of your story was better than yours, and you weren’t ashamed of it or competitive and angry about it.

Jean: Well, you can’t sit there and get mad at that. If you didn’t do something right then [at least] you tried to. You tried, it didn’t work, it’s not your fault. The best thing you can do for yourself as an artist is to TRY. You can’t get mad if you’re not trying. And if you’re not trying then that’s your fault. You’ve got to take responsibility for yourself. If things didn’t work out the first time, then you can try it again and maybe you learn from your mistakes and then push forward. [Vandiver’s version] was a nice little gem, just like my project, elevated to another level, and I was like “I’ve GOT to work with someone like this.” Because he sees what I’m seeing. We should be working again soon. Hopefully he’s, like, my director. Every actor needs their director who’s willing work with them and collaborate.

TXTURE: That’s such a great attitude to have. Let’s bring it around to your upbringing – you’re from Boston, you’ve got Haitian heritage, now you live in Los Angeles and you’re an actor. Is there anything cultural about your upbringing that influenced your path as an actor?

Jean: Yes, I’m from Boston. More specifically, from Brockton. I wouldn’t say that [my upbringing] influenced my path as an actor, but it influenced the hard work that goes behind it. Haitian people are very hard-working people. They were the first black independent country [in the world], and they took that s**t by storm! And that’s exactly what’s going on with my career, I’m taking it by storm. You’re not going to sit there and tell me that I can’t do this or I can’t do that. Who are you to tell me that I can’t do something? I’m going to make it happen by any means necessary. It’s going to happen. I already dreamt it, I saw it, I visualized it, now it’s happening. And everything is in its path that I want to become, which is a well-known actor. It’s in progress. And I’m also representing for the Haitian community. And they’ve been showing me a lot of support in my endeavors.

TXTURE: So what does that phrase “the Haitian community” mean to you, and what kinds of support have they shown you?

Jean: It’s to recognize that we can do it too. You don’t see a lot of Haitian people represented in film that are of Haitian descent. We have, what, Jimmy Jean Louis? That’s it. He was in “Heroes”, he was in “Joy”. There are a lot of Haitian stories that I would love to be see and that I would love to bring to light. Like, this Haitian mob story about Zoe Pound, a brotherhood in Miami that began [with the rise of the bullying of Haitian immigrants in Miami]. It would make a great crossover story that I would love to work on or create. Or a story about how Haiti came to be independent. I believe somebody’s working on that,… hopefully it comes out great.

TXTURE: So why acting?

Jean: I think it’s freedom. Simple as that. It’s freeing. In life, you’re constantly being polite or doing what you think you need to do to be polite. In acting, there’s no rules. You gotta be free and real. There’s no covering and there’s no hiding behind anything. The camera’s in your face and the camera’s gonna know if you’re bullshitting. So you have to be completely honest and truthful with yourself about how you feel in certain situations. And that’s what other actors respect. I didn’t know how freeing it was until I moved out here [to Los Angeles] and I was in a class at Playhouse West. One of the student-teachers did a scene and he walked in, and he was so himself: unapologetically himself. And I looked at him and I said “I want that. That’s what I want. I want to be that free in my work.” After that, I was in class every day. In “Thin Walls” [his recently wrapped short film] there were some moments where I got to be emotionally free and it brought that whole piece together for me. I can’t wait to show it, I literally can’t wait!

TXTURE: You’re currently the voice of “Biggie Large” on “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, and the second season is about to start. How did you get this gig?

Jean: I got “loved in”! I’ve always worked on different voices just to entertain my family, my little sister, especially my nieces. I met this kid in acting class and we took to one another. Come to find out, this kid is a descendent of the people who created “Alvin & the Chipmunks”. One day he asked me to send in a tape, so I sent it in. He called me a couple days later saying “Hey, you’ve got a role, I need you to come to my parent’s house to record this.” I went to Santa Barbara and the house was ridiculous! I had no idea this dude lived like this. He’s very humble and modest. So I recorded it and I had the best time of my life. And I kept telling him “Thank you, thank you!” He kept saying it was no big deal but I had to explain to him: I watched this show as a child. No big deal? This is a f*****g big deal! And I’m working on it! So I got loved in. And all that started with me just doing the work in class. Going to class and always putting my best foot forward. I didn’t know who was watching, but obviously someone was watching.

TXTURE: It has become extremely important for actors to keep a constant and consistent presence on social media. You are consistently active on all of the platforms that you’re on. How do you manage that?

Jean: I don’t know. (laughs) I don’t know. Because it’s literally a job that you don’t get paid for. It’s a job. You gotta know what time to punch in, you gotta know what time to punch out, you gotta know who to hit up, you gotta talk to people, you gotta know what hashtags to use, you gotta know what’s current, you gotta be in the know of what’s happening in social media, you gotta know what’s happening in the news, you gotta know what content to put out and if it’s working, who to work with and what’s the best time to work… you gotta know all this information. Then there’s going to other people’s pages and liking and commenting and finding people that have like-minded [content] to come back to your page and like it. It’s a job! That I don’t care for! But it’s an evil that I have to participate in. I just want to work! I just want to do good work on a good film or a nice TV show.

TXTURE: We feel you on that one! Let’s decompress and move on to style, then. Give us a phrase that would describe your personal style.

Jean: Laidback and chill. I’m a laidback kind of guy. I don’t try to be too flashy because I don’t like to call too much attention to myself. Even though I’m extroverted, I am introverted at times. I don’t really realize it until the light shines on me and lots of people are paying attention to me. So my style is like, I have something to say, but I want to say what I say and move away. If I was to put a pin on my type of style, it’s Idris Elba’s style.

TXTURE: We can get with that.

Jean: My style is Idris Elba.

Caption: “Behind the scenes of “Thin Walls” L: SFX makeup artist Golden Shyne, Jean Elie in the background. R: Jean Elie before the start of the scene. Both photos by Jose Gallo

TXTURE: So then what’s your favorite clothing store?

Jean: Topman. They have everything I need. Or Urban Outfitters. H&M every once in a while but not too often. I like to change it up and I like the rugged look. If someone were to look at me, I’d want them to think, “Yeah he’s been through some s**t. But also a character and he also likes to clown around.” That’s what I like.

TXTURE: Do you have a hair regimen?

Jean: YES. Once a month I trim it. I pick it out, wash it a few times, trim it on a 2 or a 3 with the clippers, ball taper the sides, and then I’m in the mirror for 5 or 6 hours and twist my hair. No product used whatsoever.

TXTURE: You can really identify with the natural black woman’s upkeep and care.

Jean: Yes. It’s tough. It’s a happy mistake that my hair ended up like this. One time, I had a little fro. I just started twisting it [one day] and someone said “That’s a nice hairdo!” And I was like, “You think so?” So I was like, alright, let’s take it a step further. People started coming up to me like “How do you do that?” They thought I was using that foam-brush. I think that thing is stupid. People didn’t think I had that much to time care about my hair.

TXTURE: You really do care!

Jean: I do.

TXTURE: How would you describe your relationship to your hair?

Jean: It’s a marriage. It loves me and I love it. We’ve had hard times but we make it through it. We know that we love each other in the end. Love prevails overall and me and my hair, we love each other. We spend 5 painstaking hours together, forearms hurting, fingers hurting, no product because it breaks and destroys my hair. When I go to a professional they want to use this gel or that gel, and I don’t want to use any gel. They try to tell it it’s not gonna stay, but yes it will. It stays just fine.

TXTURE: So you do it all yourself?

Jean: No, for trims I have a barber named Chris at Exclusive Cuts over in North Hollywood, the best barber I’ve ever known since I moved to LA.

TXTURE: What are you listening to these days?

Jean: I listen to a lot of underground rappers. New rappers. I like them because they talk about the come up, and I’m on the come up. brandontory, Bryson Tiller, Ed Sheeran, King Z3us who has a song [“Commas”] that I need for a movie. I have to have it. And he’s doing vocals. I love that because when I was a kid, I used to think that I was going to be a singer. So I love anyone who sings and raps. I like listening to Frank Ocean sometimes when I’m feeling emo. Audra Day, I like her. Adele’s amazing, even though she’s super depressing. Future I love when I want to get crazy. Drake, of course. Meek Mills fell off, but I like him too because he represented for all the dark-skinned dudes like myself. My boy Darius from Boston, he’s dope. He has a song called Mount Olympus – AMAZING song.

TXTURE: Dating. Do you even have the time? What’s it like for you?

Jean: I think women are amazing. When you find the right one, everything is wonderful. Sunshine, butterflies, everything works out, you’ll never have a problem. Everything is understood between you and your significant other. I just recently got out of [a relationship] that was amazing but there was just this one thing that we couldn’t get past so we had to call it quits. And I’m at an age where it’s like, if it’s not going to be for real, if it’s not going to get to the next level, then I don’t want to continue it. You know? Because there’s so much going on in my life as far as work is concerned and that’s my main focus and if it doesn’t fall into that, then I don’t want to deal with it. I don’t have the time to deal with it. I’ve met some great women. Nice women. Some women are crazy out here but they’re also amazing. Now, the really dope women, a lot of them don’t want to be bothered. So then you’ve got to work hard to get into their lives, but then, do you want to invest that time that will take away from your own work? Because a relationship is work. It’s a job. It’s not “I” anymore, it’s “we”. So I don’t want to disrupt her thing, and I don’t want me trying to pursue her to disrupt my thing. So if it’s gonna work it’s gonna kind of fall into place on its own. And I think that a lot of people try to force the relationship. If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. I respect it when women are doing their thing, just respect mine. No one’s is greater than the other. Right now, I’m not dating. I actually don’t know what dating is. When I see you, I see you. And when I see you, it’s great. And I like that. If I can enjoy your company and spend time with you go kart racing, or at the shooting range, or at the beach, or just Netflix and chillin’ (actually watching the movie), I can do that. DUDES: if you’re reading this, if you don’t put the moves on them, it makes them want you more. I swear. I’m telling you now, they’ll call you first. I’m not playing a game, I’m just not in a place where I want to have sex with so many women because sex complicates everything. I’d rather just be friends with you and be able to hang out and talk to you. Sex just complicates things. Right now the goal is to book a series. Anything that comes in the way of me booking a series, I don’t want it. I’ve got family counting on me back home.

***

You can view the trailer for Jean’s short film “Thin Walls” on his website, www.jeanelie.com. Follow him on Twitter & Instagram @JeanElie_, and Snapchat jeanelie05.

All photographs © 2016 by Alexia Lewis except where otherwise noted.

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