Rising Star Jordan Nichole Wall On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Elana Cohen
Don’t be shy. I am not my character when she does something embarrassing. I once had to say, “How is having my ass in the air a compliment?” for an audition.
As a part of my series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jordan Nichole Wall.
Jordan Nichole Wall is best known for her quirky comedic role in Smile Squad’s “What it’s Like to Have Down Syndrome”, which garnered 22M views. Born with Down syndrome and heart defects, she has survived open-heart surgery, leukemia, chemotherapy, spinal fusion surgery, and a car accident that killed her grandparents. Despite these challenges, Jordan doesn’t let anything stop her from achieving her dreams. As an actress, she has had co-starring roles in Netflix’s The Politician with Ben Platt and Zoey Deutch and ABC’s Stumptown with Cobie Smulders and Jake Johnson, as well as a lead role in the upcoming short film Super Power, which will be hitting the festival circuit soon. The Dhar Mann Studios short, Girl Shamed for Liking Princesses, in which Jordan played the lead, has 17M views on YouTube. Jordan has done commercials for brands including Starbucks, Google TV, Instagram, Comcast, and Fab Fit Fun to name a few. She is a Global Messenger for Special Olympics and a Down Syndrome Association Los Angeles board member. When not working, Jordan enjoys singing and dancing as well as swimming with the USA Masters team, Long Beach Grunions.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born with Down syndrome and heart defects. I had open-heart surgery when I was one. I had leukemia and chemotherapy when I was 2. Then I was in a car accident that killed my grandparents and left me in a body cast. I was a happy kid even though I had bad luck.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
My mom signed me up for a drama class through Down Syndrome Association Los Angeles when I was 10. I wasn’t interested in acting back then. She just wanted me to have friends who also have special needs. I learned to act and met my agent at that drama class that I still go to every week.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your entertainment career?
Ben Platt was my celebrity crush from when I first saw “Pitch Perfect”. Years later, I got to be in a scene with him on “The Politician”. He was really nice. I asked him if he had a girlfriend. He said he worked all the time and was too busy for a girlfriend. I found out later that he is gay. I don’t know if he didn’t want to disappoint me because he could tell I liked him or if he didn’t want to explain what being gay means.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
My two cousins, my boyfriend, and I auditioned together to be contestants on Disney Quizney. We did great with our self-tape auditions, Zoom auditions, Disney trivia quizzes, and in-person interviews. The last thing we did was play the Family Feud like game. When it was my turn, I knew the answer to the question, but the other guy pushed the button first. He got the answer right, and then I got mad because I really wanted to win. I yelled, “I wasn’t ready!” Then we didn’t get on the show. I learned to have good sportsmanship and not to get mad when I don’t win.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I am going to be in a short film with my boyfriend and my two friends for Easter Seals Disability Film Challenge in April. It will be the first project where I am already good friends with the whole cast even before the shoot! I am so excited we will forever have this film together. I think our all special- needs cast will help with awareness and inclusion.
Most young people your age don’t have to balance work and school. Can you tell us how you manage to balance your schoolwork, auditions, and time on set?
I am 18+ and out of school already, but I still want to learn. I work with my tutor twice a week, and I do homework (reading, writing, and math) in between seeing her. I do homework a little bit at a time wherever and whenever I can. I like to learn.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My mom does everything for me. When I wasn’t working very much, she suggested social media so I can keep acting even when I don’t book acting jobs. Making videos for social media has been great acting practice.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s jump to the main part of our interview. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Don’t be shy. I am not my character when she does something embarrassing. I once had to say, “How is having my ass in the air a compliment?” for an audition.
- Not to be sad when I don’t get a part I really wanted. There will be lots more opportunities. I don’t book most of the projects I audition for. That’s just normal now. I used to keep waiting to hear back after an audition, especially for a Disney series or a Target commercial. Now I don’t even remember which projects I auditioned for last week.
- Not to expect too much. When I signed a one-year contract for a recurring role on “The Politician”, I thought I was going to be a series regular. It was directed by Ryan Murphy after he made two actresses with Down syndrome famous. Jaimie Brewer was on “American Horror Stories” and Lauren Potter was on “Glee”. When I went to the fitting for “The Politician”, they had about 20 outfits for me. They pinned about five of them for alterations for future episodes. I ended up only having a 30-second part in the Pilot. I understood later that they were just trying not to give away the plot by pretending I might have ended up being Ben Platt’s character’s running mate.
- Shows get canceled even after they are renewed. I played one of the main character’s love interests in “Stumptown” at the end of Season 1. I was expecting to return the next season to continue the onscreen romance. ABC renewed the show for Season 2, but later canceled it because of COVID.
- Ask questions at auditions. When I didn’t understand casting’s corrections at an audition, I used to just do it a second time the same way I did it the first time. Now I know to ask for clarification so I can do a better job. I used to rush through auditions and try to finish as fast as I could. Now I am a lot more comfortable, and I talk to people in the audition room.
You are a person of enormous influence. How do you think you can use social media as a platform to be a positive influence to your fans, and for society at large?
I just post about some of the fun and funny things I do. I don’t think of it as a platform, and I don’t try to influence anyone. I just want to make people smile.
If you had the ability to choose to work on any TV show or film, or work alongside any co-star, or with any director, what or who would that be, and why? You never know who might see this article, especially if we tag them. :-)
Disney Descendants movies are my favorites! I would also love to be in a superhero movie even if I don’t get to be the superhero.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Instagram and TikTok: @jordannicholewall
Facebook: jordannicholewall2
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
