Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Bitton.
Hi Joshua, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m an actor. I received my MFA from Rutgers University (Mason Gross School for the Arts) studying under William Esper. After graduation, I went to NY, where I started working and auditioning. I was working a decent amount, mainly in theatre – off Broadway, regionally, with the occasional small role on TV when a good friend of mine – Jamal Marsh- had an audition for the Curtis Hanson film 8 Mile, starring Eminem. The casting director, Mali Finn, had asked actors to bring their own reader (another actor to play the scenes with). After Jamal’s read, the next two actors waiting hadn’t brought someone with them, so I stayed and read with them (at Jamal’s urging, “Stay motherfucker!” With almost a wink in his eye).
After reading with these actors, Mali asked if I’d be willing to read at the callbacks over the weekend. I came back, read with a host of actors, and was given a callback in the room.
Feeling like I won the day, I left to go rehearse a scene with my scene partner for an acting workshop I was in.
Then Mali called and told me they wanted to fly me to Detroit to play Eminem’s role in the screen test for the final few actors they were looking at. As I was reading with the first actor, someone came in and informed us what was happening in the world. That was 9/11. After checking on families and moving through the morass of shock, anger, fear, and confusion, Curtis asked if I’d be willing to rehearse with Marshall. He said, “I don’t know how else to deal with all of this except to work.” So, we did.
After that, they asked if I would stay on and act as Marshall’s acting coach. So, for four and a half months, I was on set every day, prepping and coaching him as best I could.
When I moved to LA, a friend knew about this job and recommended me to someone who was running an acting school – and that was what got me started teaching in LA.
Alright, 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?
Teaching has been relatively smooth. The most difficult challenge is that I still Work as an actor. I’ve been lucky to have students who understand that, and have had patience when I am shooting, and have stayed loyal to what we are trying to do with the school.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As an actor, I’ve appeared on 50 television shows and over a dozen films. I do a lot of stage work – and just last week found out I was nominated for an LADCC award for best actor for a production of Much Ado About Nothing I was in at A Noise Within. I have been lucky to be in 3 HBO mini-series The Pacific, The Night Of and now The Penguin.
I’ve been lucky to play a variety of roles, often highly emotionally charged (so, if I murder someone on an episode of television, there’s a good chance I’ll have a breakdown when confronted about it…lol).
Roles have ranged from marines and mobsters to fathers who have lost their children.
I’m most proud of The Pacific. It’s there that I met some of my best friends and have had the privilege to tell the story of real man. Along all of those other real people who faced such horror
How do you define success?
Hmmm…this is a tough question. Out here in LA, in my industry, it so often is defined by fame and money. And those can be and are definitions of success to some degree. But I think success also is about integrity and artistry. Are you proud of the work you did? If it’s an audition, can you be proud of your work and not worry about the results? For me, success is about whether I can live an artistic life while paying my bills and maintaining friendships and connection with my family. As a teacher, it’s simply: Are my students growing? Are they inspired? Do they support each other? And, of course, watching them go out and get work and build careers for themselves is incredibly gratifying.
Pricing:
- $550 for eight weeks of class
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @JoshuaBitton
