We were lucky to catch up with Lamondo Hill II recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Lamondo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I never knew being an actor was a possibility for me until I met my first coach and mentor. Even then I had taken classes with him for three years and then the pandemic hit. Work slowed and pretty much became none existent for me, this lead me into a deep depression. I had always believed I could be an actor but the route in which I would reach fame and stardom was one of ignorance, not seeing the full it picture or having a strong enough why. It wasn’t until my wife surprised me with a trip to the movie theater on my birthday to see the movie Tenet (Nolan is one of my favorite directors). There was something in that moment, seeing John David Washington lead the film clicked with me and I told myself I can do that too and I will. I realized there had been a lot of time I had been wasting on the wrong things and not taken advantage of all my talents. My wife also told me that day that she too was locked into my vision of becoming successful which was all the fuel I needed to push myself harder. To fail at my mission would not only be letting myself down but more importantly letting her down and I knew I couldn’t live my life with this cloud over my head. Since that day I have written two shorts, starred and filmed them to completion. Landed roles in two major feature films (Golden & New Years Absolution) Directed by Nick Leisure, filmed a pilot, five commercials and written my first feature film script.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Lamondo Hill II, I am a father, husband, actor and writer in the film industry. I was born and raised in Richmond CA, graduated from John F Kennedy high school, went on to attend Sac State, which is how I landed in Sacramento. I never thought acting was a possibility for me due to my upbringing. There were no roles models, mentorship or encouragement of any kind I experienced growing up to be in this industry. My life changed forever at the Real Manhood 101 conferences hosted by Dwight Taylor in 2017. This is where I met the man who set me on this path and enabled me to see the world in a whole new light, that man is Sterling Norman Anderson.
Becoming an Actor changed my perspective on life in a way I could not imagine. This business is definitely not for the faint of heart or for people who want to get rich quick. The countless hours of studying the craft, was something I thought would eventually end. I imagined I would get to a point where I was so good I didn’t need to continue classes and I could just be an actor but man was I wrong. Becoming a great actor is consistently working on yourself and discovering the most authentic expression of ones self, as I understand it. I recall a story in my early acting classes when I thought I needed to be good at lying, because I believed this would net the best result. Create this character and play it in a way that was not reminiscent of me but of this imaginary person in my head and all I had to do was make sure the audience believed it. This is trap and something you should never do, in fact coming from the heart as my coach would say and being true to yourself is the best way to captivate an audience and tell the story. Each character I play is an expression of me in a different light. I like to see it as what if my circumstances has driven me into this lifestyle or situation? How would my personality have been cultivated? I lean heavily into that with my research and create that version of myself whatever it may be.
This leads me into thinking about my individuality and what I bring to clients who hire me for their projects. I have been told I am very talented and posses a ton of range, instead of letting off the gas I use this as fuel to be even better. I work hard day in and day out to improve myself and I do not think this can be said for many people. I recently worked on a feature film project where I made it a point to arrive before all of my costars, leave after them, help with additional things on set. This isn’t to brag but to show my work ethic and my dedication. If I give my word to someone I hold myself accountable to see the task gets done without excuses to the best of my ability. I believe being a person who practices what they preach and goes beyond what is asked of them is why I will be successful and working with a individual such as myself is a great asset.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The mission I believed god has placed in front of me is one to share my gift with the world and inspire people to be the best expressions of themselves through my stories. Music, films and television have always helped me escape from the world temporarily when I needed to run away from life or felt overwhelmed. There is something so powerful about a great story and before my time is done I will share as many as I can with the world.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I have learned in life you have to take it as it comes. Sure it is necessary to make plans, sets goals and have drive but at the end of it all you can only control what you can control and the rest will take care of itself. I learned this lesson during my depression by reading the bible, studying stoicism and reading David Goggin’s book “Can’t Hurt Me”. It took time but eventually when I learned to let go, be present and do my best each day my life changed for the better forever.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamondohill/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LamondoRHillii
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lamondo-hill-ii-84b7a624b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5zK3VFCVMTz0W3Lc9vsXg
Image Credits
James Thorton III
Trey Crim
John Tompson