We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jack Kenway Cheng a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jack Kenway, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I started learning and honing my craft when I was 13 years old. My journey started at the actor’s youth academy in Arcadia with my teacher Yvette who taught me how to perform with gravitas and care. I was young, and didn’t understand as much as I could’ve, but it was integral in my journey today. It was at the academy that I met talented actors that I learned from and honed my crafts with, I’ll always be appreciative of their support and expertise.
Next I ventured to John Markland studios where my peers like Eiza Gonzalez and Remi Malek have honed their crafts from as well. The journey with John took me to method and scene studying which are integral to the performing arts.
Next, I studied at Graham Shiels studios with talented teachers who are in the industry. It was there that I met a lot of actors that I respect and am still in touch with today.
But next my most important act in this journey was at AMDA LA (American musical and dramatic academy) This is where I went to college while majoring in acting for camera. I had a blast the years I was there, met friends, my girlfriend, and extremely talented actors and filmmakers who were either my peers or my professors.
But of course, to this day the learning isn’t over. I will continue learning and honing my crafts every single.
Jack Kenway, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is Jack and I’m originally from Chengdu China. My journey in the states began when I was 9 in San Diego. I am an actor who’s trying his best to make a living in LA. My newest project is called “The Wild Fours” which is now on Amazon prime. I do film, TV, commercials, and occasionally theater as well. I absolutely love the arts and want this to be the thing that I do for the rest of my life! I seek to escape as a character and really dig deep into crafting deep and compelling characters that people can grasp onto and relate to.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
One thing that always surprised me is how many actors today don’t attend acting classes regularly. just like every other profession, without constant training and experience we could get rusty very easily. I wish since the very beginning of my journey I never took any breaks from lessons and auditions. It is also so extremely important to keep great communicating with your agent and manager always. Check in with them every couple of days and establish boundaries and how you guys wanna approach working together.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I think Society could do better to understand that any cast and crew in projects are also working and it’s their way of living. People in the industry often get scrutinized for things that aren’t their fault or isn’t even related to them. Actors who get hate because of their character or because of recasts, etc. It would also be great if we could spare more patience as well. We need time for great projects and work.
Contact Info:
