Get to know TAS Coach: Jemarcus Kilgore
What Makes You Feel Confident?
Confidence, for me, comes down to two factors.
1. Practice. Through practice I build not only my acting abilities but also a knowledge that helps me feel at ease when needed. Through practice I learn more about myself and also feel ready for what’s ahead of me.
2. My faith. Faith helps me remember what is really important in all that I do. It’s the reassurance that even if things don’t turn out the way that I want them to, then they will still turn out the way they are supposed to be.
How did you first get into acting?
I told my mom I wanted to be a Power Ranger. She explained to me that they were just actors, so I settled on the next best thing 🙂
That is pretty much how it happened. At the time, Power Rangers were on Disney, who held the rights to the series. The Red Ranger was a black man and I thought, “Yo, cool. That guy. I want to be a Power Ranger!” So my mom decided to take my newfound interest in acting and sign me up for plays at church. The director saw something in me that stood out and continued to cast me in church plays. Eventually I began taking formal acting lessons and got my first professional gig at 12 years old; just a little featured extra role playing Tyler Perry’s son in Single Mom’s Club. It was a good experience that helped me see that anything was possible.
At 16 I began doing live community theatre. My first role was Prince Eric in the show, The Little Mermaid, at CYT Atlanta. After reading a book where CYT was mentioned, I decided to google them and found out that they were launching auditions. I showed up with the only Disney song I knew, which was, ‘Proud of Your Boy’ (from the theatrical version of Aladdin). I only knew that song because I sang it to my mom for Mother’s Day. And I got it! I got the main part! That really got the ball rolling for my career.
**Imagine how I felt later on when they told me that they would have cast me either way because they didn’t have enough boys audition. They were ecstatic that I could actually sing and act!
What has been your biggest struggle in the industry?
Two things:
- Dealing with the era of self tapes, and only self tapes. I have never had the gift of auditioning in person for film or TV. I have only auditioned in person for theatre. I have heard stories from my friends of how amazing it is to audition in person for an industry project, and I really want to try it. I feel like I can sell myself better than I can sell any character, and I would really like the opportunity to do just that. It would be cool to have a personal connection with a casting director.
- Learning that, “What is for you is for you”. Not every, ‘No’ means No; it just means not right now. I’ve learned to take every audition with a grain of salt. It’s taught me resilience and persistence.
It’s not easy, especially as my career has grown and the parts that I have started auditioning for have gotten bigger and more well known. Recently I have been auditioning for some IP’s that I am familiar with; projects that, if booked, would take me out of the country to film. It’s like a whole new level of giving it my all, seeing the potential, and still being okay with the fact that that at the end of the day it may not be right for me.
That mental struggle is something that all actors must learn to confront and contend with. Do you have any advice for new actors or maybe those who are feeling that sense of pressure right now?
I feel like once auditioning becomes fun, and you learn to enjoy the process of auditioning, you realize what a Win it is in itself.
It could be that thousands submit for a breakdown, while only hundreds get to audition. Out of that only ten get a callback, two get pinned, and only one person gets the job. So if you think about all of the numbers that are in the audition process, you realize how much of a win it (the audition itself) is.
Accept the small wins, no matter how small they may seem. And know that the booking is just the sweetest bonus that you can get.
Besides acting, do you pursue any other interests in the entertainment industry?
I write for film and TV. I have written two pilots, one feature film, I’m halfway through my second feature film, and I have the breakdowns ready to start on a third. I want to be able to tell my own stories one day, so having these ideas laid out and ready to go, has always been beneficial for me.
Outside of that I also sing. I have an EP that I am ready to record, and I enjoy both writing and performing music. I play seven instruments. Being able to take that avenue (music) whenever I want to, gives me something creative and artistic to fuel me in the days ahead.
Why did you get into coaching?
I never got consistent coaching in my career, and I think that is something I look back on and wish that I had. A lot of the learning that I was blessed to receive was in the latter part of my career. There is so much to learn when it comes to the industry and about our craft, most of which I had to be proactive in learning for myself. I think that the gift of that knowledge is something that you want to pass on.
I want to give back to the next generation of storytellers, whether they are my age, younger, or older. I want to give back and be the gift of knowledge and mentorship that I wish I had when I was just getting started. And as actors, we never stop learning, or growing. Even since I started coaching at TAS I still find myself in learning mode, which inspires me all the more to make it a shared experience with my students.
What is one bit of advice that you always give your students?
Have fun. At it’s core, we get to play make believe for a living and there is nothing more cool than that. As long as you’re having fun the other pressures of the work don’t matter as much.
I had an audition a couple of weeks ago where I got to practice this very thing; having fun in the audition process. I had a blast taping it and I fell in love with acting all over again.
If every audition we do, or every class that we take, or every piece that we write is fun to do, then it is worth doing. Even if we are not winning Oscars, or starring next to Denzel Washington, we should focus on having fun doing it, just like they are having fun doing it.
What is your proudest coaching moment?
Recently I got an email from a parent that my student would be out of class for a few weeks due to a booking. Best feeling ever! It is so cool to work alongside your students, to watch them grow, to know their dreams, and be there as those dreams start coming true. Another similar moment was taping a student’s audition for a major network and hearing from his mom 3 days later that he booked it! Those moments are almost as satisfying as booking a project for yourself.
I also want to share a proud moment that I have as an actor. This is one of my favorite stories to tell and it takes us back to the earlier discussion of performing The Little Mermaid for CYT. I will never forget that it was after the last show, a Sunday matinee, when a tiny girl came running up to me. She said, “It’s Prince Eric! Hi!”. And I was taken aback, mainly because I wouldn’t expect a little white girl to accept my character that easily (since the Eric that she was familiar with was the Disney version). That alone almost had me in tears. I was like, “Hi sweetheart, how are you?” to which she replied, “I’m good now”. After I asked what she meant she replied, “I was sad when we got here, but when you started singing it made me happy”.
In that moment, I realized that my gifts and talents were not given to me FOR me. Rather, I use them now to tell stories to help people get away from what they are going through or find a moment of escape. To give back those gifts to people who need them the most.
My dream role has always been to play the older version of T’challa’s son in MCU. I think one of the coolest things about stepping into the role of a superhero is your potential to inspire millions of people; kids, adults, anyone who loves these characters and look to them to be better people.
What do you hope that your coaching legacy will be?
I hope I get to leave a little bit of LIght in the world. We are in dark times in the entire world. I think that people go to the movies to escape, even for just a couple of hours. I love the idea that I can be a part of something that brings people joy- even if I am the bad guy! If people feel good because I lose at the end, and they’re like, “Yeah! He got what he deserved! Yay” Cool. Because I got to contribute to that feeling of joy that good overcomes bad. We all need to be reminded from time to time about the message of hope, and I want to be a part of projects that help people remember it.
A lot of actors say that they would never want to be famous. I won’t say that fame is my goal, but if I were (famous), I wouldn’t mind it. I always think about the opportunity to make someone’s day when they see me at the airport or out on the street. But ultimately, I try to be a person who brings light to people no matter what.
Finally, do you have any acting resources that you love?
Yes! I love Actor’s Access. When I first got started, I spent hours on actor’s access and think it’s a valuable resource that actors should utilize.
I really enjoy movies. I think we underestimate how much we can learn from just sitting down and watching a good movie. My family hates watching movies with me now because I will sit there and call out what’s about to happen. And my girlfriend is starting to, as well. I both hate and love the fact that I can see what’s coming, just from watching so many other movies. Over time, you build up a sixth sense.
I love being able to dissect the filmmaking elements and seeing how those play into the overall big picture, on top of the actor’s choices. Right now I am going through the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time, and I am loving it. (Shoutout to Andy Serkis! He is crazy talented.) The fact that you can see the acting under the CGI. The average watcher doesn’t understand that when you are performing motion-capture, your performance has to be turned up to like, 12, because if the (tracking) dots don’t move on your face, then the expression is not going to get picked up in post. These actors are standing around in goofy looking suits, looking at nothing, and giving these believable performances based on imagination alone. It’s incredible. To me that’s the purest form of acting.
Lastly, I love Self Management for Actors, by Bonnie Gillespie. As actors we love the creative side but we have to learn the business side as well. I think this book has been really helpful in teaching me those aspects of the industry which I did not know before.
Jemarcus Kilgore Bio:
Jemarcus is an actor who’s been acting in the TV/Film and Theatre Industries for the past 12 years. He’s worked on several projects and including hit shows Black Lightning on The CW and BMF on STARZ. He’s beyond excited to bring his years of skills and knowledge to TAS and to help mold minds that are eager to learn more about acting.
Would you like to work with Coach Jemarcus?
Coach Jemarcus is currently teaching On Camera Foundations, Improv Foundations, Taped Audition, and Scirpt & Set Study.
Coach Jemarcus is also a vocal coach offering private singing lessons!
To sign up for a private lesson with Coach Jemarcus, click HERE.
You can also give our Front Desk a call at 770-904-6646.
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