Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John Wells. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

John, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

There’s a major misconception, that society and modern culture has put on actors that we all are in pursuit of celebrity. That the work is just a means to an end, and that the end is being a “movie star.” When you’re a professional working actor, you get told all the time by friends, and loved ones outside the industry that “hope you make it one day”, or “hope you get your big break!” That may be well intended, but it greatly cheapens the work that’s being done presently. The work of an actor, the actual craft, is utterly irrelevant to the size of the stage on which is performed. Whether it’s on a small community theater stage in front of 10 people are on a multi million dollar film set, the work of the actor is the same. It’s cerebral. I love acting. I love the magic of being immersed in a story and a moment which we’ve created. It’s not the means to an end, the work itself is the goal. We’re told by the media, the industry, agents, casting directors, audiences, that we should always be pursuing the celebrity that comes with elite actors. Red carpets, your name in lights, award shows, your handprints and cement, but what does any of that have to do with the craft, the Art form? Nothing. It’s all ego. It’s all self-awareness, and self-awareness is the actors greatest nemesis within the art form. It’s self-defeating when it comes to actually doing the work. it took me a long time to realize that, but once I did, I’ve truly been able to love my work, love my craft and thrive within it. I work consistently as an actor. What a gift that is. I’ll work on several movies a year, often playing exciting, fun and interesting characters, allowing me the opportunity to really dig deep and explore and exercise the art form that I fell in love with all those years ago, and actually pay my bills by doing what I love and have trained to do. I’m not an A-list celebrity or a household name, nor do I need to be in order to be successful in my work. This is a tough business. To work consistently at all is an incredibly rare thing in which to be grateful for. If I can continue to work as I am, to work consistently, and to consistently do quality work, I will consider myself enormously fortunate.

John, 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?

I’ve been a professional screen actor for the better part of two decades now.

But even before that I had a profoundly deep love and interest in movies. It was storytelling, it was wonderful escapism. I was an awkward introvert as a child I was always eager to explore these different worlds that I found on the screen.

I’ve had an expansive career, particularly in the realm of independent film. I’ve been fortunate enough to play a vast spectrum of roles in a of genres which is allowing me wonderful opportunities to flex and explore my own versatility. Much of the work that keeps me busy is often in independent film and B- movies, often the action and horror vein. It’s within this genre that I’m probably most established and recognized. I do love the genre work, I find it enormously fun for the escapism. However, my acting methods lends myself to deeper more cerebral content, psychologicals and dramas.
I’ve played monsters, monster hunters, poets, warriors, heroes, villains, Devils, angels, historical figures, and even Jesus Christ. I feel enormously blessed to have lived so many rich and complex lives within a single life. But the role I am most proud of, and will always be most proud of, is father to two incredible and beautiful children.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

There’s a lot of responsibility laid upon an actor, especially a lead actor, when it comes to the quality of a production. When you watch the movie, you’re watching that guy or girl go through their journey, and at the end, whether it’s enjoyed or not, it’s often laid upon that individual. But that’s really a false responsibility. It takes a village to make a movie. The writers, the Director, the cinematographer, the editors, the set dressing, the Wardrobe) department, the make up and hair departments, the Musick score, all of these things impact the quality and effectiveness of a film. The actor, regardless of how many lines or how much screen time he has, it’s just one instrument in a symphony. At the end of the day he should only feel responsibility for what he or she brings to their own performance. The great Christopher Lee famously once said,” all actors, must do bad movies from time to time, but the trick is to never be bad in them.” That was something that really stuck with me. There are things and actor doesn’t have control over. The script itself, the lighting, the shots, the performances of their castmates, the smoothness of the editing of shots. The one thing the actor has absolute control over is what he does with the role he is assigned within the script. That’s the actors one and only real challenge and responsibility.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The reward, for my work is the opportunity to work more. I love being onset I love collaborating with other artists from various and eclectic and eccentric backgrounds. I love the opportunity to explore various characters with various layers and stories woven within them. That introverted, awkward kid is still inside me, so to have The chance to play these wonderful characters, and these amazing adventures in various times, and worlds never ceases to fill me with excitement. And in preparation to step into these rolls, The study of acting is ultimately the study of humanity. What leads a person to behave a certain way or to make the choices that they make. That’s what acting is that it’s very foundation is the exploration of the emotional spectrum and the human condition. It may sound pretentious, but I often think of acting as the ultimate exercise in empathy. I know that I’ve grown substantially as a human being from my years working in the craft. I sincerely believe it’s made me a better person a bigger person. I look at the opportunities I’ve had to go on set in amazing locations, work with fantastic talents from all over the world, to do the thing that I love, grow from it on a philosophical and psychological level, and that is the reward. The work itself is always the reward

Contact Info:

• Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4323217/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
• Instagram: @officialjohnwells
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnscottwells?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Gary Barragan, Michael Su, Michael Mahal, Steve Squall