Daily Inspiration: Meet Joey Gholam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Gholam.

Hi Joey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am an actor. I was born in California, but I was raised in Lebanon. Before moving back to California, I was living back in Lebanon. I was there for 14 years and I was raised there by my mom and two brothers. When I was there, I truly fell in love with acting. In school, I was always the class clown. I also used to always say I wanna be an actor someday. But, it truly hit me fast forward back to 2014 when I was in a theater class. That theater class was by far my favorite class, I’d always get up in front of the class and act and I would enjoy it. Fast forward a year later, I went to my first audition. I mean, of course, I did not get the part. However, that audition made me make the best decision of my life and that was choosing to become an actor.

Years later, I decided to take the biggest of risk of my life and move back to California alone to pursue acting, leaving my family behind in Lebanon and now I’m doing that. Before doing that, I had always dreamed of actually pursuing acting in California and the fact that I’m doing that now truly amazes me. When I first got to California, things were definitely tough. Covid had just broke out and everything shut down. So, instead of chasing my dreams, I sat at home for a year. It was definitely a tough time. When things started to open up, I started getting more chances and being a part of some projects. Things were working out, it definitely felt good because I was finally doing what I came here to do. With every project, I learned as an actor. Each one helped me learn more about my craft.

From back then until now, I feel like I have come a long way and I’m proud of where I am at right now. I feel like the journey has been amazing and I am so grateful for every part of it and all the people I met along the way.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, there has been a lot of ups and downs. There has been many obstacles I had to deal with, it’s kind of like every movie. Every actor playing a character has a clear objective but has to deal with obstacles. The biggest obstacle I had to deal with was in my first year back in Cali. My first or second week back, everything shut down due to covid and I wasn’t able to pursue my dreams for a year. I just spent the whole year at home until things actually started to open back up. I was even taking acting classes, but they all were online for the first two semesters. That was tough to deal with because taking an acting class online is different. Covid was definitely one of my obstacles since it stopped me from doing what I wanted to do. Another obstacle I faced was losing my grandmother a couple of months later, my grandmother and I were so close. I would always stay with her and help her whenever I was there, her passing away definitely was tough and what made it harder was me not being able to see her since she was back in Lebanon and I was here in Cali.

Dealing with rejection has also been an obstacle, but the more I audition, the more I get used to rejection. There’s definitely a lot of “No’s”, but that should never stop any actor. It should only be used as motivation because you might book the next job.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an actor, currently just starting out. I’ve done a few short films and I also was a part of 2 movies last year where I had a supporting role. For those two movies, I am extremely grateful because they are my first 2 feature films. One’s called F-Listers and the other one is called Ruthless. In the first one, it’s a comedy and the second one is more of a drama. I like how I got to do both a comedy and a drama in the same year. I had great experiences on both sets and as an actor, I’m always learning.

I’m also most proud of how far I’ve come in three years ever since moving back to California, I got to meet so many people who have helped me and inspired me on the way. I got to be a part of some amazing projects and the journey has been amazing. I even got to be on set with Margot Robbie for five days who is one of my favorite actresses and I got to talk to her on set, that was truly an amazing experience for me. I manifested that one day I was gonna meet her and I did when I was on set with her as a background actor. On that movie set, it felt so amazing that I was so close to my dreams. So, that’s something I’m also proud of.

What sets me apart from others is my drive and will to succeed. Currently, I don’t have a car, so getting places gets tough especially since I live in Orange County. But that never stops me. Sometimes I wake up super early and catch a 3-hour bus from Orange County to LA to make it on set or to auditions on time. And, other times I Uber all the way. Soon I will have a car, but for now I gotta do what I gotta do because my career is most important and everything I’m doing will pay off very soon. I’m also very hardworking and I’m a risk taker. I’m also a guy that never complains, for everything I do in life and every job that I book as an actor I’m always grateful because every job will lead to the next and the next. I like to enjoy the journey.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I think my favorite childhood memory has to be with my family back home in Lebanon, being surrounded by my family. I miss the times I’d be with my mom and siblings and we would have some gatherings with the whole family, especially during the holidays. There was a lot of fun times I had with my family back home, I miss that so much.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joeygholam.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/joeygholam
• Facebook: facebook.com/kingjg98
• Twitter: twitter.com/joeygholam

Image Credits
Hamzah Saman Thyronne Milaud Joy Parris