Life & Work with Jeremy Tardy of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Tardy.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
A good friend recently described my journey from childhood to where I am today as an odyssey. I think that’s very true. My mother raised four boys pretty much by herself and we didn’t always have much, but she made sure that we always had what we needed. I was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, and at a very young age I knew I wanted to be an actor. So my mother enrolled me in an arts elementary school and from there I learned as much as I could about performing. I started performing professionally in theater when I was 12 and continued to learn. Thankfully I was admitted into The Juilliard School’s Drama division and got deeply immersed in the arts. While I was there my work ethic and discipline was refined and I met world-class talent including one of my favorite actors, Daniel Day-Lewis, who also spoke at my graduation. After graduating from Juilliard, I worked off-Broadway doing a couple shows before moving to Los Angeles where I booked my first TV show which was a couple episodes on The Mindy Project. From there I have been blessed to work on various movies and TV shows over the years. I’ve worked with Academy Award winning directors and producers, I’ve been featured in lots of magazines and publications, and I’ve been honored for my work in the community. I feel proud of the work I’ve done and still very ambitious about the work I want to do in the future.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hell no! For one, there was no direct path for me to become a film or television actor which is why theater was so appealing to me. When I was growing up in Milwaukee there was a perception among many people that the only options to get out of the ‘hood was to play professional sports, become a rapper or sell drugs. I wasn’t interested in any of those options. Although my family always believed in me, I faced a lot of adversity from my peers who didn’t understand why I would want to be an actor. For a long time, I felt like an underdog trying to prove that I was good enough and that I could be successful.

One of the biggest challenges had been learning the business of the industry. When I was in school I was trained to be the best actor I could be, so the focus was on technical rigor that would expand and refine my skills in speech, accents, movement, script analysis, etc. When I got out of school, I had all those skills but didn’t yet know how to hustle. So I had to pound the pavement in NYC. After getting my Equity card and finishing a run off-Broadway, the only job I could get outside of acting in New York City was as a dishwasher and porter in a nightclub in SoHo. It was tough, really tough, but it gave me a different kind of work ethic and it certainly humbled me. It’s really true that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. So when I moved to LA in 2014, I hit the ground running. And I still carry that sense of hustling in my work every day.

My greatest challenge so far has been to build a production pipeline to create quality content without having to pitch to studios or raise a lot of money. In 2020 during the pandemic when productions were shut down, I pivoted to learning about animation because much of it could be done remotely. I’ve done many voice overs over the years, but I began to learn how to animate and invested in the technology that would allow me to produce animated projects as well as live action. I’m not interested in competing for crumbs in an industry that is contracting and has less opportunities. I’m not interested in getting “a piece of the pie”. I want to own the kitchen and make my own “pies”. So I’ve been creating opportunities to work on interesting and compelling stories with people I respect and admire. I still feel like an underdog, but now I’m working to prove to myself that I can continue to accomplish my goals. It is important for me to note that through all of the challenges my mother has always been supportive and I’m also blessed to have a supportive wife.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an artist. I make music. I direct. I produce. I’m mostly known for my work as an actor which I am proud of.

If anything sets me apart from other artists, it’s that I do not seek fame nor do I desire to be in the spotlight all the time. I do my work and I do it well. I certainly want to be recognized for my work, but I’m happy to see my peers get their shine. I stay ready for the times to step into the spotlight, but real life and work happen outside of the spotlight.

I’m currently finishing post-production on an animated short film I’ve been working on since 2021 called “King Henry”. The short film will be premiering at film festivals this year. I have other projects in development that will be announced in the near future, and I will also be producing theater here in LA through a non-profit arts organization called Moja Arts Collective.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
For the last few years, I have been focused on building my legacy. Of course that building continues, but I’ve learned that my legacy will be more than art and entertainment. My legacy is also in the work I do with nonprofit organizations that support the community. I’ve been mentoring youth and working with kids for several years to help guide them on a positive path. I’ve seen how this work has changed lives and transforms the community. One of my proudest moments was being honored by the LA Clippers as a Community Hero during a game against the Lakers. It was definitely a surreal experience. The underdog in me doesn’t feel worthy of the title, but I’m working on it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mojaarts.org
• Instagram: @jeremytardy
• Facebook: @jeremytardy

Image Credits
Roman Udalov