Meet Tommie Russell Jr.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommie Russell Jr.

Tommie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up in a small town like Saginaw, Texas you find that idle time is just as vast as the open land that made up most of our town. My parents did their best to keep me involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible. In their efforts to protect me from the formidable troubles that come with ample amounts of free time, I was able to dabble in every sport, talent, and club imaginable.

Over the years, I continuously picked up new hobbies and quit them as soon as I lost interest. During my adolescence, I found myself going down a dangerous path that could have costed me my freedom and inevitably my life. In the fall of 2011, my senior year in high school, I landed the role as the voice of Audrey II in The Little Shop of Horrors. Although I had been in plays before, this was my biggest role yet and required me to give it everything I had. For the first time my actions would not just affect myself but the cast and crew as well, which meant I needed to stay focused and committed to the production. After three months of hard work and discipline I had proven to myself and everyone around me that I was worth more than what I had presented for years prior. Unfortunately, immediately after the close of the show I went right back to my old habits and in some ways fell deeper.

Fast-forward to my second year at Xavier University in New Orleans when I realized how miserable I was barely pursuing a business degree, while disappointed in where all my poor choices in life landed me. After doing some soul searching to find what could bring true joy to my life and something that would mold me into the man God created to be it dawned on me, acting! It was the only activity I willfully reconnected to time and time again, it kept me engaged and constantly challenged, and most importantly it kept me focused and out of trouble. With that enlightenment heavy on my heart I spoke to my parents about it, figured out the logistics and by the Fall of 2013, I was attending classes at Santa Monica College. While at Santa Monica, I did my research for the best transfer school with the major and Chapman University was it.

At the time Chapman was the only school in the nation with a Screen Acting program. With a lot of apprehension on my part but much support from my dad I put all of my eggs in one basket and Chapman was the only university I applied to, over both USC and UCLA. The program only accepted 12 incoming Freshman and one transfer student. I checked the mailbox anxiously for a couple of months after my audition until one day my Postal Servicewoman yelled up to my window “Tommie, I think the package you’ve been looking for is here!” It was in the big envelope, so I knew it was good news. When I opened it and read the acceptance letter I screamed and cried, not just because my hard work paid off, but it was also the feeling I denied myself of back in high school. Going to Chapman was one of the best decisions I made in my life. My first film at Chapman earned a finalist position in the 2016 Sundance Ignite Short Film Challenge.

I earned the lead role in our Main Stage production of Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, which was also the first majority Black casted show the school put up. I was asked to participate in an onstage parody of ‘Stranger Things’ alongside the show’s creators and Alumni Matt and Ross Duffer. Coupled with an amazing education and countless opportunities to meet with industry elite, I graduated feeling more confident than ever in my relentless effort to accomplish my career goals. Since graduating in 2018 the realities of being a struggling actor in LA have been quite eye-opening, yet I have learned some of my greatest lessons during this time. I’m finally settled in a groove that has allowed me to create some of my best work. From the start of this year I landed seven really dope projects, been attending classes at Ivana Chubbuck Studios, and will be attending Killian’s Commercial Workshop in August. By fall I will be submitting a talent package to theatrical, commercial and casting agencies throughout the city in hopes of having representation going into 2020.

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?
We live in LA, so what would my journey be without running into so many potholes you’re certain something just broke off after that last bump! I could run down the list of struggles: not being called in for auditions and let alone receiving a callback, not having a manager or agent, financial struggles, lost jobs, working multiple jobs at once to barely make ends meet, terrible roommates, broken relationships, family being 1,300 miles away, need I continue? I grew up a confused gay Black male in the South, born to a God-fearing retired Navy Commander and a hyper masculine father who dealt with their own issues within and apart from our family. I have always been a fighter when I want something I won’t give up until I accomplish what I set out to do no matter the obstacles. For me, what has made my journey bearable is my unwavering faith that I am pursing what it is God put me on this Earth to do. My life’s struggles are what make me the actor I am today. I would not have been able to tell any of the stories I have or will tell in the future had it not been for every experience I have had in my life be it my most painful to the most joyous of memories. It took me a while to understand that my struggles are my biggest superpower and instead of burying them, I can use them to my advantage. However, I wouldn’t mind any future struggles easing up a bit and letting the successes take the drivers seat for a while!

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m an Actor! I specialize in telling stories magnificently to an audience, a saying my professor used to say every class! I’m extremely proud of a project I did this past April for a directing student and friend at Chapman, Justin Staten. He asked me to play the lead in his Junior AP film titled ‘DANDELION’. The short follows Alfie, a young male discovering his sexuality while dressing in drag for a school performance which raises questions from his peers, mother, and himself. Parented by his bible toting mother, she refuses to look past her religious beliefs to see what her son is struggling with. His best friend rejects him after he attempts to come out to him leaving Alfie with no one.

In the end Alfie realizes that regardless of who is or isn’t in his corner he has to love himself first and accept that God created him perfectly the way he is, regardless of his sexual orientation. The film has been submitted to the Dear White People Film Competition hosted by Justin Simien and Netflix. I believe what sets me apart from other actors is the fact that not one person is alike, therefore my characters will always be uniquely mine. I bring nuances to characters that no one else can, I bring a certain truth to my character that no one else can tell. As is the case for every actor, which is why there are so many beautiful stories out there. I believe my storytelling is worth sharing with the world and it helps that I’m pretty good at it!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The quality I feel has been most beneficial to my success is my relentless drive to never give up. If I set my heart to do something I complete it, no matter the difficulty I will stand the storm to see it through. At times I feel insecure about my talent or that I don’t fit the mold of what Hollywood is looking for, but I have to kick those thoughts to the side. I will make a space for myself in the industry, I won’t wait for permission I will make the opportunity forcing people to recognize my gifts, be so undeniably good at what I do that people will have no choice but to embrace me. When that time comes I want to be an example to my communities that we can be anything we want to be and we can knock down any doors that won’t let us in because of the color of our skin, sexual orientation, gender, etc. I will persevere because the end goal is bigger than myself, and will prayerfully open eyes, hearts, minds and doors for anyone coming after me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tommierussell.com
• Email: tommie.russell47@gmail.com
• Instagram: tommierussell_

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