Today we’d like to introduce you to Dimitri Dewes Jr.
Hi Dimitri, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts in Rockland County, New York; raised by two parents that fostered my love of film and television. At a very young age, I grew up watching actors like: Will Smith, Laurence Fishburne, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes to name a few. Heavily inspired by Will Smith, I decided to become an actor after seeing Wild Wild West. High school would be my first experience with theatre which I hated. I was only able to put myself out there as a dancer and not an actor. Which resulted in me butchering my first cold reading and believing theatre just wasn’t up my alley because of that.
Years after, I would start doing background work and once that ran its course, I decided to return to the stage. A decision that turned out to be one of the best I ever made. Performing in several productions at Ossining’s Westchester Collaborative Theatre, Queen’s Black Spectrum Theatre and Rockland’s Shades Repertory Theatre; brought me closer to my “soul tribe” and most importantly to myself. Two of my favorite stage roles would be James Hewlett in “The Death of King Shotaway”. A story about the founding of the African Grove Theatre, the first black theatre that was opened in New York City in 1821. A play within a play; James Hewlett portrays Othello, which is my favorite Shakespeare play and I enjoyed the intense drama of that character. The other being at Black Spectrum Theatre in the play “Twas The Night Before Kwanzaa”. I played three characters: a Steve Urkel-like character named Mr. WeeBee, an unapologetically black attorney named Rudolph Sharpton Jackson and Edee who speaks with an African accent.
In the midst, I found my way in front of the camera, two notable roles being Eric Dolphy, a famous jazz musician who passed away in Germany after falling into a diabetic coma. He was admitted to the hospital and was not treated due to the doctors’ believing he overdosed on drugs in Samuel Harp’s “Left Alone”. Jody, a street-smart bad influence in William Winston’s “Morning Glory” who encourages his younger brother’s friend to go all the way with his crush at a party.
What’s kept me sane in between film/stage work is my YouTube channel, where I am known as “misterDjay – MDJ”. A channel that has been my creative canvas and emotional outlet. I have over 60+ dance tribute videos that pay homage to artists and their famous choreography like Michael Jackson, New Edition, The Temptations and more. I also write video essays, the most prominent of which are my album retrospective videos that detail the extensive history behind my favorite artists and their classic albums. I also write poetry and I create short films to accompany them. I also make sure to keep my subscribers up to date with what’s happening in mainstream media in my Quick Take videos along with my co-host and friend, Percy Brown “The Prince of Fresh Air”. My channel is not without the standard reaction and gaming content.
I also have a deep passion for the sport of boxing, I’ve been training since 2017 and I find great peace, structure and discipline from it.
I eventually moved to Los Angeles to further my aspirations and achieve the goals I’ve set for myself.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think anyone that is pursuing a career in entertainment will agree that the path to where they want to be is rarely smooth at first. The struggles for me have been remaining steadfast in the face of criticism about what I should and should not be doing with my life. Coming up and not always having the support and encouragement that I needed. Ultimately my passions led me to environments where love and support was in abundance. Also, the sacrifices that you make in pursuing your passions: the 40-hour work week becomes 10-15 because you need time to do other things, which means less money. It’s part and parcel with the path you choose. Going through the struggles and coming out on the other side stronger makes the rocky roads ahead feel smooth.
In the words of Wesley Snipes, “The strongest swords are put through the worst fires.” I embrace hardship, struggle, and adversity because that’s how I’ll reach the pinnacle of who I’m supposed to become.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So far as an actor, I find that I specialize in characters that I see myself in. Three and four-dimensional characters with enough substance that I can almost hide myself in. Outspoken characters, characters that have an anger that can be traced back to a source that legitimizes their anger. Characters that have an unspoken presence, strength and aura that the other characters and audience take notice of.
I’m known being a Michael Jackson tribute artist; I performed at the Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson Block Party in 2017 on stage with Spike Lee and Rosie Perez. I sang and danced Enjoy Yourself by the Jacksons and Beat It by Michael Jackson in front of thousands of people. It was one of the experiences that I am most proud of being able to take control of the stage and showcase my skills that I’ve been honing since I was five years old. Spike Lee would comment on my Instagram post the next day that I did a great job and that I did my thing. Which meant a lot because he actually worked with Michael Jackson himself.
What sets me apart from others is my end-all-be-all goal; which is to reach people with my work and words on and off-screen or on stage. To make someone else’s life better because I set a positive example for them to follow so that they can eventually do the same. What Michael Jackson, Will Smith and others have been to me, I will be that for others. Other actors don’t have the same background as me; they haven’t faced the same adversity I have so what I will bring to the characters that I play and the people that support my work will be a lot different than what people have seen.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I’ve been using an app called Sanvello for many years; it’s a mental health app that has a lot of help resources in it. You can journal your thoughts, keep track of your mood and what you did or didn’t do that day. It has something called a Hope wall where you can post things that motivate you, and you can always come back and scroll through it.
I also think that The Alchemist is a great book and it accurately parallels the things I’ve been through in life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dimitridewesjr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3JtwsjqUI9p53_mTo3nKoA
- Other: https://www.twitch.tv/misterdjay_mdj
