Photo by Mysankofa & Lamar Toler. Graphic Artist: Milli-Jane.

Akeem Mair, actor and activist from Pasadena, California, has big dreams and a big personality to match. In his interview with Jejune Magazine, Akeem explains the chance instance that inspired him to become an actor, the dedication he has to his profession, and his own ten year plan. Never one to take an off day, Akeem keeps a list of goals and action points to work on throughout the day. His new film, It’s On You, will also be finished later this year. Being a black man in the film industry has never been easy, but Akeem looks to the greats like Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier to provide representation and inspiration. Additionally, Akeem gets into his charity work as a community leader with the Mysankofi Live experience and his lifelong volunteer work with the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. Read on to learn more about the man himself and his developed sense of community created through his work.

Where are you based?
I am based in Pasadena, Ca., born and raised. From delivery at the Huntington Hospital till now, this is my city and I don’t think I’ll ever leave.

What inspired you to become an actor? When did you know you wanted to be involved in the film industry?
Surprisingly, acting was not my first soulmate. Lol. Michael Douglas made me desire to become a financial banker. I watched this movie called, “The Game,” that had a huge impact on me as a kid. His gorgeous black 2000 BMW 740 i became my favorite car. I started wearing suits to school because of him. I started carrying a calculator with me to visualize myself in the stock exchange office. From his personal maid that lives with him to his big fancy mansion, I wanted to be financed banker, because I knew one day I’ll be living that life. But one day while working at Ralph’s grocery store, a loyal customer changed my destiny. I was a cashier at Ralph’s when a customer I knew quite well was apparently in a sad mood. So I did my best to brighten up her day, using my big positive personality that my customers loved so much. I remember saying, “hi it’s so good to see you again, I hope you found everything ok?” She said quietly, “yes thank you!” I told her, “usually I see you smiling, but whatever you’re going through I know God will pull you out of it!” “ He’ll never give you anything you can’t handle!” After the transaction I said, “have a bless day, I hope to see you again!!” She stood there frozen for a minute and then finally looked at me. I could see the tears in her eyes when she replies, “Are you an actor?” I said, “No. Why do you ask?” She said, “Because you have this big positive energy. You move people by it. You lifted my spirits after I just lost my home in a foreclosure today.” Her words cut deep within me. After my shift, I rushed home and wondered, what would my life look like if I was a successful actor? I thought about how I could help millions of people with my big personality the same way I helped her. It was that night I knew I wanted to become an actor. I searched how to get started in acting and it lead to me to Central Casting. And as they say, the rest is history!

To improve your skills as an actor, you have undergone a lot of acting training. How did the training help you with your acting experience?
Tremendously!! When I was younger, I was one of those naïve actors who thought I don’t need any training, “I’ll just blow them away with my big personality.” The problem is, if you don’t have any worthy acting credits or nice amount of training behind you, it’s really difficult to get seen by any Casting Directors or Talent Agents. Each Talent Agent I met with always kept pointing to my lack of training and suggested certain acting coaches to take. My first ever coach was Mike Pointer, he really changed my life. I was going through a major five year depression in my life, after failing and dropping out of acting a few years back. All he said was: “Forget about the past and start over. This time around we’re going to do it right!” The training really helps with being confident to perform in front of people, knowing what to say, and how to dress at auditions. It prepares you to know what to do if a casting director hands you a brand new script after practicing on the old one, or when you do not have any script at all, and still being able to win the room and book the role.

You are a supporting role in an upcoming film, “It’s On You”, that is still under production. Can you share with us a little bit about what this film is about and your role in it?
This film is about a group of friends who go through different struggles and hardships that affect their mentally and impedes their progression. I play the character name, Dame, who’s a young violent brotha in the Blood gang. He’s trigger happy and not afraid to prove himself, or stick up for his crew. My actions have a tremendous affect on my group but everything I do is because I’m loyal. This is the first I really took command of my character from the way he dresses to the way he speaks and acts.

When will it be released for everyone to watch it?
Still waiting for it to be announced but it’s definitely this year.

Besides being in the film industry, you were also involved in TV series, stage performances, and parody. How are they different from acting in films?
Stage is all about projecting your voice. I leaned that the hard way, when you deliver a powerful performance only to have the audience say we can’t hear you! But in films you don’t need to project that loud because you have a microphone attached to you and the camera can pick up your voice as well. On stage it’s big hand gestures and movements. In film it’s about small movements, and lots of facial expressions. TV series are a fast pace style. There are multiple cameras, and it’s about keeping up with the rhythm of the script. Being a Guest Star on a tv show is about making the recurring characters look good. It’s not about you, it’s about getting through the scene. You shouldn’t play your role to be bigger than the main cast. Your job is to help the scene. Every tv actor’s dream is to be a serious regular, that means you’ll appear in many episodes.

Where do you see yourself in the entertainment industry in the next 10 years, and what other projects would you want to try out next?
In the next 10 years I see myself doing exactly what Denzel Washington has done with his career, win an Oscar, become A lister, a blockbuster, household name superstar actor. My main goals have always been the same in this industry, I want to get to the top. It’s never been about the money! I just see myself doing big projects that’ll always hit the theaters. It’s going to take lots of hard work, but I am up for the challenge.

With so many acting experiences under your belt, how do you prepare yourself creatively to get into character? How has your experience been like taking on these roles?
In preparing for a character, I would literally lock myself in my room. I’ll read the back story of the character if there is one first. Second, I would read the entire script to get a sense of the character, how the dialogue and how other characters respond to him. Then I’ll visualize who I see this person as with the lines that were given to me. I’ll memorize the lines until they become second nature. This will get you out of your head, so that, you can truly be the character. If your too busy trying to remember your lines, you are completely out of character. This is where creative juices begin to shine. Now it’s about how this character talks, walks, thinks, sits, etc.

Can you talk about your journey as a colored man in the entertainment industry? Have you ever experienced any hardship in terms of race?
Yes being African American I have experienced hardships in the industry. I noticed a lot of the roles that I see in breakdowns portrays me as a thug, rather than, a hardworking father. And once you get type cast as the thug, it’s very hard to break that stigma. I’ve witnessed people judging me like I am a delinquent instead of getting to know me. I’ve seen on television how hard it is for people of color, who are amazing actors, have trouble winning the Oscars or other prominent awards. Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington really paved the way for me, to make it as an artist where people are no longer looking at their skin but their talent. However, I’ve always loved the odds stacked against me, and will represent my people well. I love the journey I am on, and I will continue you to grow and inspire.

How important is representation in the acting industry? Did representation - or lack of - impact your growth as an artist?
Very important!! Without representation, the industry don’t take you seriously. They see you as “green”, meaning a newbie, and it’s very hard to book the huge jobs without it. I am very blessed to have Sarah Angeli from Commercial Talent Agency as my commercial agent. And Mariko Ballentine from Mincs Talent as my theatrical agent. They submit me for the big auditions that I can’t see on LA Casting, Casting Frontier, and Actors Access. They also make sure that I stay away from any projects that will jeopardize my career. Especially projects that say, “in perpetuity.” Some are great to take on, but most come from small companies. So if you book unknown coffee company that pays you $300, but later you book Starbucks which pays you $3000, they would see you booked the other company who permanently can advertise you. This would be a conflict of interest situation, and you’ll lose the job. The agents also make sure your headshots are up to date and the right headshots to use in your submissions. My agents are always giving me advice in the industry so their incredibly valuable and precious to me.

Speaking about representation, Jejune learned that you are a community leader to the Mysankofi Live experience. Can you tell our readers a bit more about what Mysankofi Live experience is and what does your role do in it?
Mysankofa Is the concept of community building through cultural and economic unity. It is the invocation of positive security by means of the Ohene Ne Ohemaa structure and traditional values. My role as Ohene (Chief or Leader) in the community, is to organize, educate, and empower pride in the responsibility of accountability in youth and adults with cultural, family, and community values and become a voice collectively.

How has the mission of the Mysankofa Live experience helped young African Americans and other ethnic groups? If our readers are interested in joining, how can they go about participating?
It has given hope, inspiration, and a real sense of inclusion to the community at large in the form of cultural confidence and empowerment through positive imagery. It allows children and adults, across ethnic groups, to believe in themselves knowing that they are a part of something bigger and something dignified, showing they are valuable.

Jejune admired that you actively volunteer with First African Methodist Episcopal Church. Could you tell us about their work and your role in it? How did you get involved in this?
My grandma got me involved in it. She’s been a member of the Los Angeles First African Methodist Episcopal Church way before I was even thought of. As a young teenager I would help her with delivering the groceries to the list of names given to each member on the food giveaway committee. In the beginning, I am helping packing, unloading the trucks, and organizing the products in the rooms. There would be huge lines of people outside that I pass out groceries to. For those who are unable to come In persons, I would ride with my grandma to deliver the groceries to them. I’ve been helping out ever since, and I love it! Anyway to give back to my community, I’m all for it.

It was reported that there was a total of 6.5 million low-income households living in the United States in 2019. It has even affected them more during this pandemic to the point they could face homelessness or food scarcity. What do you believe we can do to address this pressing issue?
First, is providing the jobs back. And thank goodness that’s what’s happening now. The more jobs, the more the homelessness and food scarcity comes down. I know a lot of people are against vaccinations, and it’s understandable. But the reason we were able to open everything back up is because people are getting vaccinated. I think the government should work on providing safer doses so that everyone can trust it. Let’s get rid of Covid - 19 first. Third, keep the stimulus checks coming every two weeks or monthly. Countries like France and Cañada kept the checks coming. Our country provided three since April 13 2020, when the first one was deposited. That can’t happen when people have lost their jobs, and Covid has kept people in doors for most of 2020 and beginning of 2021. I understand the government’s concern about the debt, but we are allowing the low income families to lose their homes. It’s not like the president of the United States or the Senators are losing their homes. If they were, it wouldn’t be a issue. And the fourth is providing weekly, monthly, or bi weekly food drives across the country. My church is just one of many, but if every church and government city halls could work together in creating a bigger food drive, we would have less people starving. Again it does take money, but we’ll just have to create a great way for people to donate if they can.

How have you been staying positive during the lockdown?
You have to stay positive or the negatively will eat you alive. I prepared myself for the lockdown. Bought my own studio equipment, improved my Wifi connectivity, had a daily journal of my goals and activities, learned how to use Zoom and Skype for auditions and classes, and learned how to use Wetransfer for my self-tapes because you couldn’t do in person auditions at the time. Did it suck not going to mall or restaurants or work, yes!! But the lockdown also slowed my life down a lot and had me focus on myself. It gave me time to think, like a mini vacation about where I am at in my life, and what I wanted to accomplish. It taught me how to adapt when faced with life changing events, and how to keep going despite what’s happening around you.

What is your motto in life?”
Everyday counts! It’s not about the big moments, but the small moments that leads to the big ones. Everything is important! I see people take days off like it’s not a big deal. I got a list of goals everyday, so that, I can do something. One more thing, stop worrying about the money! Focus on the opportunity, and the money will come!

To learn more about Akeem, please follow him via the below platforms:

Instagram: @akeemmair
Twitter: @akeemmair
Facebook: Akeem Mair
LinkedIn
YouTube
Pinterest
IMDb: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm5866599/
Casting Networks: https://app.castingnetworks.com/talent/public-profile/3945800c-9159-11ea-9bfa-0291f623b406
Backstage: https://www.backstage.com/u/Akeemmair/
Actors Access: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/Akeemmair
Casting Frontier: https://talent.castingfrontier.com/akeem-mair

No Days Off with Akeem Mair