We were lucky to catch up with RJ recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi RJ, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The realization came to me in thanks to the persistence of others outweighing my own reluctance. My parents always pushed us to explore our passions, get involved, and be bold. I was a little Filipino kid living in a rural town an hour from Detroit. I was on the basketball team, of course. Also track and field for a little bit. Also the swim team for a hot second. I thank Mrs. Debbie Brown of Oxford High School for her constant encouragement to join the improv team, which led to the choir and drama club. It’s funny, before any basketball game, I’d get hella nervous. Then running out onto the court for shoot around, I’d get stagefright. I’d be preoccupied with the people watching, not letting down my teammates, and not making a single mistake unless I wanted to get berated by Coach at halftime. But when I’d be pantomiming a rainstorm of frogs during an improv show or standing on stage in front of hundreds of people (shout-out to OHS’ performing arts facilities, top notch), even when directly facing the audience, I felt completely comfortable. Oh, and getting your first laugh from an audience? Forget it. What else could there be?

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?

I am an actor, photographer, writer, improviser, and gardener. I got into what I’m into with a suitcase and a dream (shout-out to the Red Car Trolley and Uncle Walt). I moved to California over ten years ago now, and upon reflection, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished thus far. I think 21-year-old RJ would think ole-creaky-knees RJ is pretty cool. I don’t have any family members nor did I have any previous “industry connections” prior to diving in, just me wits n’, admittedly, me naivety. I just want to tell stories.

Something I’d definitely be stoked to connect with people about are ideas and projects that tell stories about precolonial Filipino culture and Philippine mythology. I am pleased to see that the movement to demystify and reconnect with precolonial and indigenous Filipino culture is growing and I am so interested in exploring those stories and in the process learning more about and connecting further with it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There’s a lot. Here’s a few:

Making people laugh.

Allowing people to feel like they can feel.

As the artist, being able to process emotions otherwise potentially difficult to through the embodiment of a character.

Helping people understand something about themselves that they may not have realized before or weren’t able to previously describe. In other words, providing a visual metaphor, from grounded to fantastical.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

It’s the story of my ancestors. It’s the story of my bloodline that persevered through the harshness of Earth and the human potential for cruelty and violence. It’s the story of my parents, who immigrated to another land where people didn’t look like them, spoke like them, or ate like them, and perhaps thought they were weird or threatening for not being like them. It’s the story of how they built something from nothing, how they literally helped build our home, board-by-board, and how they worked nights and scarified days so that my siblings and I could live comfortably. It’s those stories, those examples, and the instilling of those morals that shape my resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rjthecunning.com
• Instagram: @RJtheCunning
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RJNavarraBalde
• Other: Bluesky: @RJtheCunning

Image Credits

Kemp Photography

Dhar Mann Studios