Today we’d like to introduce you to Domenic Jungling.
Domenic, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I guess I needed to start at the beginning. My birth lol so I’m adopted. My birth father left my birth mother when he found out she was pregnant and she already had another child with another man. My birth sister was already 6 by the time I was conceived so my birth mom couldn’t financially support two kids. I will credit my birth father with one thing. Originally, my birth mother was considering abortion. It was him who told her that she should really look into “other options.” So I guess…thanks Dad? Anyway, her sister was married to my mom’s brother. So my mom found me through her sister-in-law. Long story short, my aunt connected them, my parents came down to Florida, went through the adoption process and once they got me they drove me back up to Pittsburgh. Now that that is out of the way let’s get started.
Arguably, I started my acting career when I was just a kid. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I was always the “class clown” in school and sometimes with the neighborhood kids. I was the weird, awkward kid that acted out and was always making jokes, getting into trouble at school so that I could get attention. I was a very lonely kid. So despite being the loud funny kid in school, I didn’t really have any friends growing up. I was usually alone. So I would comfort myself by playing with my Star Wars action figures. I’d sit alone in my room for hours coming up with different characters, using different voices and different movements to create stories of my own. I didn’t really start officially “acting” until I was in high school. I tried out for the school musical “Into the Woods” and landed the role of Cinderella’s Prince (despite that being my first-ever show). The musical director Dan Franklin told me he saw great potential in me and took me under his wing. From then on, I was hooked on acting. I had been doing it my whole life, always pretending to be someone else, I just didn’t know what it was an actual job! I studied hard. I paid close attention to the work. I started watching movies and shows more closely to watch how the professionals did it. I went to see as many live shows as I could. Once I graduated from Hampton High School, I went on to study theatre at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA and I graduated in 2015.
From there, I did mostly community plays and musicals again, but then I started getting interested in film and television after becoming an extra on Netflix’s “Mindhunter”. I found a local agent and did a few commercials and short films while with them, but still at the time I was primarily focused on being a theater actor. I struggled financially but I was a working actor dammit! Then came COVID. I was working 3 jobs at the time, barely making ends meet, when I lost all my jobs. The shows I was doing closed early and I was forced to move back into my parent’s house. Looking back, it was a blessing and a curse. Sure, I lost everything I had been working so hard for so many years, but I look back now and see it as a much-needed reality check. Did I really want to keep struggling as a stage actor or should I pursue other interests like I had before? But I knew that I couldn’t get out of acting again or I might not come back to it ever. So while at my parent’s house in quarantine, I decided to go all out again, but only this time I was going to focus on film and television acting. And I swore I would do whatever it takes. I made up my mind. I took online film acting classes. I learned how to self-tape correctly thanks to my Pittsburgh agent and the exercises he’d send me. I ordered and read film acting books. I even picked up my old theater acting books and reread those. I reached out to industry professionals and asked for their advice. It was at the end of 2020 that I decided, OK…if I”m going to pursue film acting the way I need to…I have to leave Pittsburgh entirely. I have to be brave and leave home. I thought about New York. I thought about Los Angeles. I even considered moving to Canada! But a lot of professional actors in my circle told me, “you need to go to Atlanta. That’s where everything is happening right now and it’s only going to get bigger”. I did some extra research and found that to be valid. So I said, “Ok…looks like I’m moving to Atlanta!” Even though I knew absolutely no one down here, I knew it was what I needed to do. So I packed up what I could in my car and my grandmother’s van that I borrowed, and my dad and I drove down to move me to Atlanta.
Once I got to Atlanta, I hit the ground running. I started with a few background jobs just to get adjusted to the new city, the film scene here, and network so I could make friends. I also started looking for acting classes around the city so I could keep myself sharp. I was, and still am, laser-focused on my career. Everything I do I ask myself “Will this, whatever I’m about to do or buy, will this further my acting career?” If the answer was “no”, I didn’t do it. Simple as that. I am also very picky about who I associate with. You have to surround yourself with people that share your dreams and will help you further in life. Not just in your career but also in your personal life. People that help you grow. I’m constantly studying and making sure I’m staying sharp.
Since moving here in March 2021, I’ve worked on 3 commercials, 3 television shows (2 of which are network), 7 short films (2 of which I’ve been the lead) and 1 web series. And I’m just getting started.
Alright, 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?
Most of the struggles I found on my acting journey were from myself honestly. I was my harshest critic, my own worst enemy.
I was diagnosed with major depression at the age of seven when I first tried to take my own life. I went through 6 different therapists up until high school, tried several different types of medication and didn’t really learn how to control my anxiety disorder. My self-esteem was always very low too admittedly. I struggled hard with being adopted. I viewed it as I wasn’t good enough to keep. I was bitter. I was angry. I was hurt. I was in pain. And I had no idea how to handle all of it, especially when I was a kid. I always describe it like this. It’s like no matter how much you accomplish in life, it still feels like it’s not good enough. Like it’s still not worthy of recognition or praise. It’s not good enough. I held that mentality all through high school and college. Even to this day, I’m terrible with compliments because I feel like I don’t deserve the praise. I am always constantly battling the idea that no matter what I do, I’m going to disappoint the people I love. Constantly putting a huge pressure on myself to succeed and succeed as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until my early twenties did my mindset really changed. I really did a total 180 when I got into the business.
In the four years I was in business, I learned how to think positive. How to battle the negative thoughts in my head with more positivity. I learned the art of positive self-talk. I learned how to read the right books about leadership and self-development. How to associate with the right people. I found people that truly cared about me and wanted me to succeed. Business even changed my mindset about adoption. I was at a conference and heard a speaker up on the stage, someone who was very very successful, and she told everyone that she was adopted. And how she was bitter and angry and hurt from it. Until she realized that she was thinking about it all wrong. Being adopted is about being “given up”. It’s about being “chosen”. We were meant to live for a reason. We have a purpose that we are supposed to fulfill in this life. And after I heard that, I remember bursting into tears. It was what I needed to hear all along. I didn’t feel helpless anymore. I didn’t feel worthless. I felt like I finally had something to live for. At first, I thought it was my business. And I was successful and learned what I needed to. I came to realize later that it was acting and performing that was my gift to share with the world. I was meant to share my story with others through the art of acting.
Another huge struggle for me was I got frustrated and disillusioned with the theater community. I know it’s not the case everywhere and it certainly wasn’t my entire experience; some of the best experiences of my life were from my first years as an actor. But there were a lot of times I felt like I was surrounded by people who were two-faced and cruel. I saw people at their worst and I did not want to become like them in order to succeed. I saw people lie about audition dates so that people wouldn’t show up. I heard people tell others the wrong information so that they would be unprepared for auditions. I heard every type of rumor you can imagine. So I decided to take a break. For the next 5 years, I was a banker. A server. A bartender. A driver for a self-driving car company. A door to door salesman. I even owned my own business. I tried so many different things but nothing seemed to be working out. I’d either get fired or I’d quit. Nothing else I did really fulfilled me. I truly missed performing. It’s like there was once a raging fire in me when I was on stage or performing in some way that all of a sudden started to go out. But that spark never really went away. I decided that if I go back into acting, I’m going to pursue film and television and; above all, I was going all in. I will either do it or I die trying. (I’m an actor, I’m dramatic I know. But I really did make that promise to myself).
The struggles continued even when I came to Atlanta. Within two months of me living here, I was in an accident that totaled my car, which set me back financially hard. After that, I could barely afford my rent and had to take out a loan just to get out of my apartment complex. I thought I caught a break when some friends of mine offered their spare bedroom to me until I could find a more permanent home. They were a sweet married gay couple I met on set when I first moved here. I was there for about three months and then all of a sudden, when I was back home in Pittsburgh visiting my family for Christmas, they coldly kicked me out without warning. They knew I didn’t have anywhere to go and they simply didn’t care. I came home from the airport and luckily only had to sleep in my car for one night in the Maggiano’s parking lot. I had a few friends whom I met in an acting class in Woodstock that said I could crash on their couch for the weekend. After that weekend, I ended up staying at a random woman’s house (she was a friend of a friend. My friend Triny reached out to her for me to help me out) who had a spare room that I could crash at temporarily. By the grace of God and after much networking, my friend Matthew reached out and said he had a room at his apartment open up if I was interested. So I got what I could and moved in with him this past February. Luckily my living situation has been pretty stable since then. I just happened to trust the wrong people in the beginning.
Struggles are all a part of the journey. Every great story you hear has disappointment and heartbreak. The amount of celebrity histories I’ve read where they slept in their car or had some sort of personal calamity is greater than I can count. So I look back on these struggles and I feel blessed about them. Because I was given those struggles in order to help myself grow and be ready for the next part of the journey. They were the lessons I needed to learn in order to get to the next stage of life. And for that, I am grateful. Learn to forgive, but never forget.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So far, I’ve been fortunate to have had a pretty wild and diverse acting experience. I’ve done a little bit of everything, from comedy to drama to realism to total fiction. I have been a joke-cracking Greaser, a loving first-time father. An abusive husband, A sweet and kind boyfriend/love interest. A zany clown. A non-verbal autistic teenager. I’ve even been a Western cowboy bounty hunter. Most of my work in Atlanta has primarily been in dramatic character acting so far. I will admit I do have comedic chops since I’ve always been the “class clown” and I do happen to do a lot of voices and impressions (think Robin Williams). So I always end up throwing in some humor to my roles. It helps accentuate the drama. I try to make myself as well-rounded as possible really.
What I’m most proud of with my performances is that I give unique choices that incorporate my larger than life personality. I love making very non-obvious choices with my characters because I don’t want to be like everyone else. I want to stand out and make something memorable. If it’s the same as what everyone is used to seeing, there’s nothing to remember. Sometimes the choices are home runs and sometimes, they fall flat on their face. I enjoy taking the risks and making bold choices. You never know until you just say screw it and do it!
I think I stand out mostly because I’ve been told I have a very “classy” look with a unique-sounding voice. I’m very much an old soul so I think it fits. Most of the shows I feel I fit best include Mad Men, The Sopranos and Peaky Blinders. My voice is higher pitched than your typical leading man (I tell people all the time I sound like a muppet) and I think it helps me stand out from the crowd. It’s all about being your unique self and embracing what makes you unique. Whether you like those characteristics about you or not. Because they ARE you!
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I believe that the industry is ever-changing. For example, I don’t see self-taping going anywhere. In fact, I think it’s going to be the norm from now on. It’s easier and it’s more cost-effective for production companies.
I also foresee Atlanta becoming the main hub for movies and television productions. I feel like Hollywood is going to move out of LA and into Atlanta. Or Atlanta will become the sister city to LA in terms of clout. A lot of companies and creatives, from actors to writers to directors, etc., are moving out of California due to the ever-rising cost of living and with COVID. And I really feel like a lot of them have their sights set on Atlanta. LA will always have Hollywood but something tells me Atlanta, even as big as it is now, is only going to grow in size, talent and recognition.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/domjungling/
