Today we’d like to introduce you to Jayce Alexander.
Jayce, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was seven years old, my mom had a photographer take photos of me so she could submit me to an agency. I didn’t know that at the time. The photographer thought I was adorable and had a great personality, so she referred me to one of the agencies here in Atlanta. My mom also submitted me to another agency as well. The agency the photographer submitted me to offered to sign me, and the other declined. I was coming into this with zero acting experience, but hey, I thought it’d be cool. The agency only kept me for seven months and dropped me from their roster. I was devastated and decided to quit and take a break. At age ten, my mom suggested I’d give it another shot because she saw so much potential in me that I didn’t see at the time. She submitted me to the same agency that declined me three years ago, and they accepted me. I started auditioning and began getting callbacks within a few months of being on their roster. Slowly over time, I began to gain self-confidence and experience from some of my acting coaches in Atlanta. Within a year, I booked ODD SQUAD, and that was the best moment of my life next to beating Super Mario Bros!! My character in the new season is Agent Omar.
Omar is always happy and energetic like myself, so I was extremely happy I booked his character. He gets to travel the world in a cool van that many of the Odd Squad fans are going to be stoked about. He loves adventure and hanging out with his team. The funny thing about the show is we teach kids as young as five math skills, and I would fumble over some of the math problems practicing my script. So embarrassing and pretty funny. Don’t worry kids I got this in the bag. Omar will deliver 6+2, ha-ha. This will be one of the best and coolest seasons ever. I’ve been acting for two years, and I’m so glad my agency, manager, publicists, and coach, have faith in me. They want me to make it, but most importantly, I want to make it!! Like my agent says, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
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?
No, it’s had its rough spots. As a kid, you always want to make everyone happy, so you’re always looking for gratification. In this industry, you have to have tough skin, kind of like alligators, but more attractive, ha-ha. I’ve been rejected so many times I’ve lost count. Too tall, too short, acting isn’t good enough, too much hair, not enough hair, heck it could be anything. My mom has always told me to audition and forget it. As long as I give my best, then that’s all that matters. When I filmed for Odd Squad, I missed my fifth-grade graduation. I attended my school since Kindergarten, so I was looking forward to saying goodbye to my best buds. Luckily, my set teacher was so nice and had the crew throw me mini graduation on set. It was awesome. Being in this business, I give up my summers, friends parties, my weekends, and most importantly, time with my family for auditions, classes, or bookings, but I know one day it’ll pay off. I think the most significant all-time sacrifice was when my mom had to quit her job to travel with me to pursue my dream in Canada. She’s a single mom, so I felt guilty. She’s pretty awesome, and I’m thankful for that even though I can be whiny sometimes. I’m a tween, what can I say?
Please tell us about your work.
I’m a kid actor. I love doing comedy and improv. I’m incredibly proud that I’ve gotten this far, and I want people to know that there are some awesome kid actors in Atlanta, Georgia.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I appreciate the moment. You think it’s all me, but if it weren’t for my support system, my moment would have never happened. The spotlight only mentions my name, so it’s up to me to appreciate everything people have done and sacrificed to help my dream come true.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pbskids.org/oddsquad/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jaycealexander/ https://www.instagram.com/oddsquadofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OddSquadPBS/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/OddSquadPBS
Image Credit:
PBS KIDS
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