Check Out Jocelyn Laracuente’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jocelyn Laracuente.

Hi Jocelyn, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a storyteller. Have been for my whole life, but I didn’t really realize I was until a friend forced me to audition for the middle school musical, once the smell of the fog machine hit, I knew I really wanted to keep performing, telling stories and giving audiences an emotional experience. I tried to deny it in college, went to school for education and then ended up flipping to a BA in Theatre, concentration in directing at Wittenberg University in 2015. I believe education is important and I also believe that there are a number of places that you can get the education you need, outside of traditional school. When I graduated college I got married to my then fiance now current husband, Nelson Laracuente and we lived for a few years in Ohio, getting roles in some local theatre shows before making the decision in 2020 to move out to Los Angeles. I know, a great time to move to a big city. But hey, rental discounts were actually pretty good! Once here I made it a point to chase the things that I want to do, especially if they are scary without a logical reason. You could call it “self prescribed exposure therapy”. In chasing the things I wanted to do and the things that I was scared to do, I ended up working as an actor, a writer, director and producing film productions. That’s just the film side though. My passion for live performance has moved past scripted theatre and into some different live performance opportunities. I now perform stand up comedy, have an improv troupe called Hornswaggle that has been going for over 3 years, and am also singing and playing guitar. There are many people who might be confused by just how many different avenues I’m exploring, but I’m finally at a place where I can confidently say, I’ve found the areas I love and want to explore. They are all just pieces of a storytelling puzzle. I’m excited to see what the future will hold and what the final picture looks like.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has definitely not been a smooth journey. Moving cross country to LA was very difficult. I didn’t really have any connections out here. My family doesn’t have any feet in the business side of things and I didn’t go to film school to be able to rely on second hand network connections, so I took classes. I found friends and had to figure out how to maintain those connections. I had to learn the hard way that the most enthusiastic people are not always the most reliable. Every time it felt like I was moving forward, like getting an agent, or script reading for the Austin Film Festival, something else seemed to fall to pieces. I was left treading water, directionless on what steps to take next. There were so many times that my career has felt out of my control. People say “everything is luck” and I think at this point, I don’t believe that. I take the time to make sure I connect with those around me, and as long as I don’t expect it to pan out immediately, in general, my friends have come back as supports over and over again. Many times in unexpected ways. I have had to do side jobs along the way too. I’m currently a personal assistant and in the past I’ve also been a bubbleologist, working with kids to teach them about bubbles while doing cool tricks. At the end of the day, I try and learn what I can, run towards what I fear and explore the lessons that sit there. That’s exactly what I need to be doing when things get hard, dig deep.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I wear a lot of hats. Specifically I call myself a storyteller. My goal is to make whoever is the audience for what I’m doing, go through an emotional experience, whether its live performance or film, I want to make sure that the emotional message is clearly conveyed. In my short-form improv team I greatly enjoy finding ways to make the most insane events fit into a story. I’m what team members might call the rationalizer. In film I also tend to ground out a group. On film sets, I’d say its relatively similar. As an actor I translate the director’s vision into my character’s world and figure out how to get everything to make sense. As a producer, I have to match personalities with artistic vision, to make sure everyone can work to their fullest potential, along with making sure that artistic differences are met with respect to both parties and an open dialogue to find a solution. In stand up comedy, I find my job is to lead the audience one way, and plant little surprises along the way that defy your expectations. Music is a long term love, but one that I’m still developing. I’m still figuring out how exactly I fit into that world, and what makes me unique. Overall though, I’d say the biggest through line is curiosity and a need to connect. If I approach any problem with curiosity and with the goal to make connections, I will find a way to do so, and the project will be better for it.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
People might not know this, just from looking at me from the outside, but I am actually a very anxious person. This exposure therapy style approach to career came about because I chickened out of being an acting focus at school because I was too scared to memorize monologues. I let my anxiety over potential failure get to me. Making sure I’m tackling the things that scare me doesn’t exactly make that fear go away, I just know that I can deal with it better now. It’s like I’m taking anxiety self defense classes. When the anxiety spikes, I have the practice and discipline to be able to still walk forward.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejocelynlaracuente/

Image Credits
Jocelyn with Camera Slate. Image taken by Bobbie Locke.
Photo with Batterie cast. Taken by Ailim Films.

Purpke background. Taken by Alics Noel.

Ripped sweater picture. Screen shot from Brain Dead Music video.