We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Perry Zulu Jr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Perry, appreciate you joining us today. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?
Yea….so director James Gunn was filming The Suicide Squad, and I was hired by casting to do some tactical/military special ability work. And it was such a fun experience; lots of action and gunfire. You know James Gunn is one the greats in our industry, and just to watch him work everyday, and take directions and corrections from him was motivating for me as an actor. Anyways, we got to the reshoots, and that’s when he picked me out of the group and gave me a very featured 5-seconds moment. Lol…I know to some that is nothing, but i am so grateful for that moment to James Gunn, for putting me on that big screen for 5 seconds. When you watch the movie you’ll see a soldier on guard trying to get out of the rain lol. So I’m looking forward to work with him again someday, as a cast member on something big he’s doing, that’s my prayer. Because I understand his work ethic, and style of directing, and I know I’ll be able to fit right in with his vision for whatever he’s working on. That’s one of the coolest bosses so far I’ve worked with.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Sure…to summarize it all, my journey as a professional actor started 10yrs ago. An independent filmmaker asked me to be an extra in his film. When I got there, he upgraded me to a speaking role, because one of the actors didn’t show up. The rest is history from there. I’ve always been an actor, but only on stage, and so that began my transition to acting for the camera. I started taking classes, got an agent, and have been pursuing my dream ever since, and developing some thick-skin as they say lol. It’s a very tough business you know, but I’m sticking around this barber shop until I get a hair cut for sure. Shout out to another role model I admire – Mr Denzel Washington; I borrowed that quote Chief, and I’m not letting go of it lol!
Now to what sets me apart from other actors is simple… “Me”. There is no other “me”, and so all I can do is focus on being a better version of “me”, and keep developing and working on me, so when the right opportunity presents itself, I am ready to present the best me to the table. I’m not ashamed of any part of me, so I say take me as I am for real, or don’t. My swagger, my African heritage, my faith in God, my personality, my morals, my values and principles all comes with me everywhere I go. So let’s work as an original not a copy, you feel me! Lol
What I’m most proud of now has changed for me, because in the past when I’m asked that question, I’ld always list all what I’ve accomplished, but as I’ve matured a bit, and continue to be a student of life, I’ll say what I’m most proud of is that I accepted the love of Christ Jesus in my life. And I’ve learned to carry His love everywhere with me, and involve Him in everything I do. Because the world we live in now is full of hate, and I think we all can use some love. So why not start with the greatest love of all. I would hope we choose love, especially God’s love first, as we learn to love each other better.
As for the brand I’m building; is to play roles of hope, roles that represents my heritage and culture universally in its entirety and truth, roles that encourages us to stand up for the right things, for the betterment of the human race, and to tell stories that promotes the beauty of humanity, while also encouraging the principles that unites us. Oh…with a lot of action-adventure, saving the day-superhero stuff lol. Got to have fun while saving the world you know! Haha
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
To me it’s simple, creative freedom. Society today are promoting an idea of ridiculing an artist or a creative mind, if an artist says something, produces something, or stand for something that society doesn’t agree with. An artist will never be able to satisfy everyone preferences, that’s just the way the world is. We all can’t like the same food, same beliefs, ideologies, concepts, etc. So it all boils down to each person’s preference. We are all free to choose, and if something is not for you, then it’s just not for you. Skip it, and move on. However , freedom shouldn’t be abused either, not by an artist or anyone in general. Again it all comes back to more love in the world, and less hate. Hopefully society can try to be more kind to artists, and artists shouldn’t abuse their creative freedom as well. We need need each other.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Yes…. The goal for me is not to get to stardom status to just enjoy the fame, success, etc, but rather what am I going to use the platform of influence for? I believe to whom much is given much is really required… a hundred percent. A lot of our so called influencer don’t really understand what that really means. It’s all about the dollar bills for most, but for me, I want to use my platform of influence for good, help people, stand in the gap for the less fortunate, raise awareness for a greater cause, draw others to the light away from darkness, and hopefully give hope and inspiration to our youth. I’m not there yet, but I will someday. That’s the driving force or goal behind my creative journey. That’s why I refuse to quit when all hope seems lost. And I never will. So help me God!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/zulu_bloodline
- Facebook: Facebook.com/PerryZuluJr
- Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/perryzulu
- Twitter: twitter.com/@perryzulu
- Youtube: YouTube.com/@zikp11