Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Antoon.
Hi Jason, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Pacific Palisades, CA. Yes, the house we rented on Embury Street is gone. Moved to Sherman Oaks and got the acting bug at Notre Dame High School. Went to the oldest and most prestigious Drama program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh PA. From there, I went to NYC and understudied until I got a Broadway big break in Lincoln Center’s production of “Contact” which won the TONY award for Best Musical and I received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. Steven Spielberg saw me and cast me in my first movie role in “Minority Report” starring Tom Cruise. After multiple TV guest star roles and three Rom-Coms with Hugh Grant, I landed a series regular role in “Claws” on TNT and then as the tech-weirdo Ernie in “NCIS:Hawaii”. I have two self published books out, “The Cursed Frog” and “The Fabulous Fungi Forest”. I go between Oahu and Los Angeles.
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?
When living in NYC I saw success as not having to go back to a waitering job. No matter what acting role I did, as long as I didn’t have to wait tables and be yelled at across the restaurant, “Hey Chief, can I get another fork?” then I was living the dream of being an actor. Starting out, casting directors didn’t know what my ethnicity was and I used it to my advantage sometimes, and because times have changed no one was writing a role for an American-Lebanese man. So I had to win roles with my own creativeness and originality, which also backfired because it was too weird for some roles. I’ve always been creative so on downtimes I wrote books, and screenplays, and played guitar. The roller coaster career of acting has so many ups and downs and twist and turns, you never know where it’s going to take you.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m known as an actor – my first movie was Steven Spielberg 2001’s “Minority Report” starring Tom Cruise. I most recently was a series regular in TNT’s “Claws” playing pill popping Dr. Ken and as eccentric tech-genius Ernie in CBS’s “NCIS: Hawaii.”
I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to do the eyebrow wave. Don’t challenge me to a break dance contest or you will lose to the wave.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’ve recently self published a children’s storybook for ages 3-10 called “The Fabulous Fungi Forest”. It’s a story about a mushroom who learns about self acceptance from an outcast band of weirdo mushrooms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Jasonantoon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonantoon?igsh=MWt5azl2amZjaXh4Mw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Headshot photo by: Michael Stewart @stewdiospace
