Today we’d like to introduce you to Joslyn Y. Hall.
Joslyn Y., let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am born and raised in Charlotte, NC. Charlotte has always been the perfect place to settle down, raise a family, have a great 9am-5pm. It’s rapidly growing but I’ve ALWAYS had an itch that Charlotte just could not scratch. Acting has been my passion since I was a little girl. I would always put on little skits and do puppet theater for my family. I loved to sing and dance as well. At that time, I didn’t understand the concept of actually being able to live out your dreams. I loved being creative like that as a child but didn’t know it could be my life. My junior year of high school is when things really changed for me. My theater class really ignited something that had always been burning inside of me. I enjoyed putting on plays for the school and putting on skits in class and just being able to let those creative juices flow. This is when I knew I wanted to pursue a serious career in acting. Thanks, Ms. Sam! She’s only the best high school theater teacher in NC! ha! From then on out it was full steam ahead.
I went on to build my resume the best way I knew how at the time. I did many of church plays, indie plays, lots of indie short films and not to mention I did all of this for FREE! Yes, I did! I truly loved it so much I never even fathomed the idea of getting paid for a gig. Until my first one! I put forth every effort to perfect my craft by taking acting classes and constantly staying on stage or in front of the camera. I also wanted to expand my skillset and do things behind the camera/sceneswhich led to me assisting with castings and play productions. Once I had a few things on my resume I knew it was time to go to the next level. Professional representation. I found my current agency and they welcomed me with open arms. They took my opportunities to the next level which led to me winning awards for outstanding performances in multiple acting showcases. This allowed me to be able to leave the country and participate in acting showcases overseas. One of the best parts of this journey is being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor. My hard work led to one of the most amazing opportunities I have had to date.
I booked my first big SAG role. The Emmy Award-winning TV show “Atlanta”. Nothing but a dream come true. After a while, I knew I had outgrown Charlotte. The opportunity and the work just weren’t there and it was time to take my talents to the big Peach State, Georgia! Making this move has been one of the scariest things I have done in my life but it has also been one of the most rewarding things I have done.The timing couldn’t have been more perfect as I hit the ground running. There was and is so much opportunity for growth and I knew there was no way I could lose down here. I recently had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at the Carolina Film Festival where I was able to share my story and give advice to other aspiring actors and actresses. Definitely an amazing experience. Right now, I can confidently say I am a working actress, staying in classes and most importantly I am growing. I have so far to go on this journey but I love and appreciate how far I have come!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
An easy path? No way! When I say this has been a journey, that includes the good the bad and the ugly. People don’t always get to see that side of things. They see the glory and the wins that you have but have NO CLUE what you went through and how hard you had to work and fight for that win. As an actor in this entertainment industry, you really do have to learn how to have tough skin. I had always heard that but never truly understood what that meant until I had to start growing my own tough skin. You are going to hear a lot of No’s. It’s inevitable, it’s going to happen but the important thing is that you can’t let that stop you. I have had plenty of very humbling experiences within this business, trust me.
But I count them all as wins and necessary for my overall growth. As an actor, you are putting yourself out there for so much criticism and judgment. You have to learn how to not take things personally and keep it moving. My advice for young women starting this journey would be to take the time to learn who you are along the way. That’s just as important as the classes and the training and the auditions. A very profound quote I love from Tyler Perry is “Unfortunately if you do not know who you are before your dream comes true, it’s almost impossible to figure out who you are while inside of it. Take the time to get to know yourself while you’re waiting” I’m just going to let that sit there.
What should we know about Joslyn Y. Hall? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am an actress that works a full-time corporate job to support myself until I don’t have to anymore. I do ME the best. I am just your around the way girl who has a dream and is actively pursuing it. Yes acting is my passion, it’s my dream but I have a bigger purpose than just that. I want to be an example for young girls, young brown girls. I want to show them that you can do absolutely anything you put your mind to. I want to inspire and encourage by sharing my story. My trials, my shortcomings, my wins, my growth. Often times I feel there are people in this business for all of the wrong reasons. There is no longevity in that. You have to find a bigger purpose and see it through.
For good reason, society often focuses more on the problems rather than the opportunities that exist, because the problems need to be solved. However, we’d probably also benefit from looking for and recognizing the opportunities that women are better positioned to capitalize on. Have you discovered such opportunities?
Absolutely! Doors are opening for women, particularly, women of color within this industry. I feel one of the important things that we can do and need to continue doing is creating our own content. I have seen so many women who are writers, knocking doors down and telling those stories that people are afraid to tell or talk about. We need to see more women in those leading roles especially women of color in those roles that you don’t typically see us in. We can do it too! THAT is how we create and continue to create opportunities for ourselves.
Contact Info:
- Email: Jyhall04@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jossthaboss/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joslyn.hall.1
- Other: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm9275689/about
Image Credit:
Lemans Cinema
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