We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jano Rassoul a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jano , thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I wish I would’ve kept up with it more. I begun acting when I was 9. My first role was in a Portuguese sitcom called A Familia Mata. This had jump started my career. I got opportunities in the industry in Portugal but right after I moved to Cape Town SA.

This put a titanic break on an everything and as I grew up, I was terrified of jumping back in. Don’t get me wrong I grateful for who I am now. But when I look back I regret not practicing my craft, I regret not having the courage to pursue acting and creating.

Jano , 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?

Well where to start, my name is Jano Rassoul. I’m an actor based in the glorious city of New York. I began acting when I was 9 years old, my first role was in a Portuguese sitcom called A Familia Mata. But I think I always knew I wanted to be an actor.

I was born in Portugal to an Angolan Mother and a Kurdish/German father. They raised me speaking German and Portuguese. When we eventually started moving, I ended up learning English and I also dabble in some Spanish and Japanese. My life has always been kind of messy. At the age of 10 my father’s work took us to South Africa where we spent 2 years then we had a pit stop in Switzerland for about a year and half. It was difficult to not have stability for so long. Finally we spent some time in Dubai and eventually back to Portugal.

If I had to describe the experience in one word, I would say: Bizzare. I got to meet so many different people, experience so many different cultures. I believe this is what makes me unique as an artist. The ability to adapt, to work on pieces so extraordinarily different from each other. It blessed me with a range and versatility in my art and my projects.

This also influenced my training. I began my training in Guildhall, I initially just trained Summer courses there. When I went to apply though, I was rejected, In a way I think that was destiny. I got into the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute the same year I was rejected by RADA and Guildhall. Here I did the 2 year conservatory which I graduated from last year.

Since then I’ve worked on a variety of pieces. Lately, I’ve worked on 2 short films, Teatro and belle. Both will be submitted to festivals later this year. I’m also working on another short film called Final turn. I love telling stories, I know a lot of actors say this but it’s life or death for me. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.

Our stories are what make us unique in a world where everyone always wants to strive for the same. We are a culmination of our parent’s stories and their parents stories. As artists I think it is our duty to tell those stories through our art.

Thank you for reading!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Robert Pattinson story in the industry is one that influences my goals heavily. To give some context, the twilight franchise gave him the ability to pursue and project he wants and have the means to support himself with out having to do those projects that I like to call “cash cows”. My ultimate goal is to one day have the same freedom to collaborate on projects that I want with out having to worry about surviving. To tell the stories I feel passionate about.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think a lot of artists can relate to this. The best part for me is when somebody can relate or when my art inspires. It makes me ecstatic, there’s no better feeling, to make somebody remember where they came from and who they are. Or if somebody is motivated to create themselves because I was able to ignite a fire under their ass.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: jjay_o7

Image Credits

Myself