Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Konopisos-Alvarez.
Hi Jason, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Sugarland, Texas after being adopted by my maternal grandparents – I was born in Virginia Beach, VA when my grandfather worked 29 years in the government but retired to Texas to be by family. From a young age I loved film and telling stories, and I grew up in a very loud, gregarious and funny Greek family. Despite my love for film the idea of ever being an actor just never crossed my mind, it was always something that was for “people out there” – as in people somewhere outside of my world. The first time I ever tried out for something was a musical in my elementary school, I remember being paralyzed by fear while auditioning – I was shocked that I got the lead. I was so proud, then somehow… must have been kid brain (I was in 1st or 2nd grade) I simply forgot I had a play until dinner time… I remember we were at Pizza Inn, which was such a big deal for my family to go have dinner there – we were about to order and I remembered I was suppose to be in a play. We rushed over and my teacher said I had been replaced. I watched from the back in tears. I didn’t audition for another thing until my freshman year of college – which again was not a good experience. Growing up I was painfully insecure and filled with self loathing, but there was always this longing to perform. Yet again, I had a bad experience and internalized it as “fate” or just my inadequacy to chase such a dream. Basically, a student play had auditions and being students themselves they were essentially “playing house” and didn’t know how to get the most out of the auditioning actors – nor did I know that that was also a part of what would be my imminent failure. I showed up and sat in the audience, as instructed, and everyone auditioned in front of everyone else – I got to the stage when called – I stood there absolutely melting… They said “go” and I was like “go what?” They asked if I had the sides and realizing I didn’t have them gave them to me, cold read right there was painful without prep or context. To my young mind I thought that was “just the way it was.” It seemed too painful too daunting and too unatainable to pursue. Fast forward, I finish my studies at university in Existential Phenomenology (yeah haha), which I had no idea how much it was fated to set me up for skills for a career in writing and acting. Further, my professor Dr. Scott Churchill introduced me to a world of indie and arthouse movies that really lit a fire inside of me for a dream of film. Despite this I had no plan nor even a thought of going to NY or LA, it seems that things just appeared…. The first step was a friend who I worked with convincing me to do stand up – and I instantly loved it… It being, making people laugh… I didn’t love so much the world of comics, the politics or the hustle it required to be a comic. It was not a collaborative, inviting nor fun scene – it was very sad, depressing and mean click at the club I started in… So when you are young you get these ideas… You think “this is how it is” and “this is how it will be.” I didn’t really have a mentor and there are a million acting schools but it’s very much a glass slipper kind of situation when finding the right one that really helps you blossom. My first actual job in a film came out of sheer luck, and it helped a lot to show me that a lot of my conceptions were false. MTV had begun doing a series of movies of the week that they shot largely in Houston Texas. I was told about a movie to be shot about MC Hammer life story, I went to audition and the director didn’t have me read or do anything he just said “yeah he will do.” I only had a line but I realized that what was really holding me back was not that I was not a good actor, but that I was a terrible “auditioner.” The next sort of milestone was in 2002 I was asked to be a small role in Scarface’s music video “My Block.” I was a huge Ghetto Boys fan as a kid, and the experience was impactful as Brad (Scarface) was very kind and sort of destroyed this illusion that stars/performers were somehow this “other” entity rather that just people. With those two realizations I started working on my craft doing short films and filming myself – watching every movie I could possibly see.
All the while my grandparents were getting very old and I refused to think of pursuing LA or NY as I felt they needed me more than I needed to pursue my dreams. In 2007 I sort of got my first real taste of Hollywood as I was cast in a small role by Mike Judge in the movie “Idiocracy”. Poetically, this first booking would also teach me a lesson about Hollywood as the film that meant so much to me would be shelved which was devastating. Only then to go on to be a huge success as a cult classic. Around that same time I also got roles in “Harold and Kumar Escape…” and several indies… And I produced my own feature staring Charles Durning. Not a great film but for the little money we did it for, I am still proud of it. It was my own film school. Funny story around the same time, I got two different auditions for indies which I will forever regret passing on… Paranormal Activity and Primer. Mistake! Huge! Not that I would have gotten them but who knows, but then I guess maybe I wouldn’t be as grateful or happy for the life I have now. My first venture to LA was prompted by Mike Judge offering me a role on King of the Hill – which was a dream come true! Shortly after in 2009 I moved to LA full time – and proceeded to NOT WORK for like 10 years. I exaggerate but I hardly worked and I didn’t really audition that much either. A lot of fear, doubt and despair crept in… I had a long time agent who told me that no one wanted to see me and I was too old and ever other cliche you could imagine. I honestly was close to giving up. The first real blessing came when my dear friend Roger Cross introduced me to Peter and Sandie at AVO Talent who in many ways (if not all the ways) saved my career – for that I will be forever grateful to them. Covid was very rough for most in the industry and again I found myself questing if I should make a late life change but then 2023 sort of changed everything. We were heading into yet another strike, we were maybe a week out. When I say I was low, I was really really down, despite that everything changed – life changed in an instant. My agent called and informed me that I had been cast in what would be the role of ‘Shockwave’ in “Transformers One” and then immediately things really opened up with other bookings for James Gunn in “Creature Commandos” and as ‘Ferro’ in “Eyes of Wakanda.” Around the same time I was cast by Alejandro Montoya Marin in “The Unexpecteds” with Matt Walsh, Alejandro de Hoyos, John Kaler, Francisco Ramos, Chelsea Rendon and Gerry Bednob – and not only am I so proud of my role, the film but moreover the family I created through these wonderful filmmakers and actors. I think that is what it sort of comes down to for me, when I was a kid I always wanted to go to summer camp… Films are like summer camp and I just couldn’t love the process more. I feel every film I do I find myself making more and more really beloved friends… I have really embraced this as fuel to help get rid of the low times in the business. Recently, I was really blessed with the opportunity to work on a pilot titled “Maria Goretti” for a new very powerful series called “Rewritten” created and produced by Ira DeWitt. The pilot was directed by Billy Barnes, a documentarian acclaimed for his series “Origins,” who is so talented and moving into narrative storytelling. The experience of the shoot was really beautiful and inspiring. A challenging role and I made a lot of personal deep connections along with telling a story that I think will be impactful and really help people. I wasn’t originally suppose to play the role but things just work out the way that they are meant to. Finally, my most recent joy has been working with Jammal Lemy, and amazingly talented filmmaker, on his film “Elvis is Dead” which was a dream come true to play Elvis Pressley and the most challenging role I have ever played. From the low of the lows to the highs, the journey… the struggle… the pain… you sort of learn that it is part of it all and you learn to not let it hurt you but be a reminder to focus on the good.
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?
No, I would say it has not been a smooth road there have been times that were very smooth but sometimes I feel like it’s extra hard in this industry because when the smooth times come they are unbelievable and it sometimes makes the harder times you’ve been harder to deal with you know when you don’t really have an N to the industry it’s a hard industry to break into When you hear people that say that nepotism didn’t get them anywhere. I don’t think they realize how hard it is even to just get simple meetings when I first came to LA. I remember ahead of I had hustled and I had gotten a meeting with a big Agency and I got to the meeting. I drove all the way to LA for this meeting and I was sitting in the lobby and I could see the receptionist calling me and she was like just checking if you were here because we have to reschedule and I was like yeah I’m right. I’m like 20 feet away from You And then she rescheduled for the next week and I stayed in town and I spent a bunch of money and again I get to the office and they reschedule and I at that point I knew that they were just blowing me off, but it like sort of wicked sense of humor. Part of me. I just kept coming to see how many times they would do it and they did it like three more times until they finally just stopped returning my phone call and I always thought like why even schedule me in the first place and you know there’s egos and there’s you know Perceptions and everybody’s kind of got their own motivations and that can be tough to deal with Also no matter how good you are doesn’t mean you’re gonna get the role and also to really break out in the industry. You have to be lucky enough to get that role that shows your talent till it’s full degree unless you make it for yourself which is a whole other difficult thing so in general, it hasn’t been easy, but what you learn is that the struggle is sort of like very much part of it and you know not to be cliché, but the artist you know pain artist suffering is necessary to degree to really appreciate I think. I will say that surrounding yourself with like minded loving creatives will make all the difference on so many levels – i am so blessed to make friends that help me survive and most of all my wife Tara who is my collaborator, an amazing artist and person – the best person I know without four legs and fur.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
wow, that’s such a complex question. I’d say if you want to generalize I’m a storyteller if you want hyphenate I would say I’m a comedian, actor, voice actor writer, Director Producer… I just love connecting telling stories maybe making people feel evoking emotion sometimes educating that sounds pretentious, but I feel like what people don’t talk is about emotional intelligence and I feel like in a lot of ways movies and TVs educate or at least they should educate us as a society on emotional intelligence… As far as what I like to do in film comedy drama everything in between I just love stories and I love telling them and I love telling them with people that are like-minded
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Wow, another great question. I would say do a lot of self introspection and find out what you’re doing this for because it’s not an easy thing I mean some people it might be easy because you might just be like Brad Pitt or maybe you’re related to Steven Spielberg so it might be a little bit easier if you’re amazingly beautiful or But even the most talented I mean right now probably there’s amazing amazing actors that are just sitting in their apartment like wishing that they could get auditions so just cause you’re the most talent it doesn’t mean anything and you should remember that because if you’re not getting the auditions, it doesn’t mean you’re not talented It’s just an industry that’s you know like like what they say about diamonds in the rough I mean, you don’t see diamonds that often and laying on the surface like people have to dig for them and in this industry, you have to dig down and find your your most you know profound talent and then somehow you need to get in in front of people And hope that they have the taste to appreciate that Talent I mean, how many artists or appreciated until after they were long gone because people just didn’t have a taste the pallet for it yet or they didn’t get in front of the right person to get them out there if you love doing this if you really really love acting just do it you know do theater do student films do anything don’t get complacent. Don’t just sit there waiting For you know somebody to discover you and I drugstore cause it just doesn’t happen like that you really have to be out there creating work but gets work. Don’t get focused on the money cause it’s not about money very very few actors will ever be big money makers focus on what makes you happy and if that’s connecting with people and telling stories great
Pricing:
- The Unexpecteds film by Alejandro Montoya Marin out on VOD now!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1539884/?ref_=tt_ov_dr
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason_konopisos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konopisos
- Twitter: https://x.com/jasonkonopisos
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelupodcast
Image Credits
Cover Shot – @mdanielsphoto
