Rising Star Joseph Almani: “Don’t give up just because nothing is happening; There are slow times and then bam you get a phone call from someone you met once three years ago”

Don’t give up just because nothing is happening. There are slow times and then bam a phone call from someone you met once three years ago and they want you to read for something. I once met a producer on a project years ago and thought nothing of our encounter. Three years later he calls me and said he wrote a film for me to star in. I was like how do you even remember me? That film is in pre-production as we speak. Trippy. You just never know.

Actor and stuntman Joseph Almani was born September 14,1984 and raised primarily by his mother and grandmother.

He became an accomplished gymnast and martial artist by 12 years old. With an affinity for highly physical roles and a diverse ethnic background (Arab and Scottish), Joseph quickly found himself working in the stunt world, performing in live stunt shows in Japan and the US. He quickly transitioned into film and worked in various feature films such as Bloodline 2 and Battle Scars working alongside (Zane Holtz and Ryan Eggold) as a stunt performer.

After discovering his love of acting, he has worked on such series as ABC’s “Mixology” and recently starred in the romantic feature, “Law of Attraction.” Joseph is currently filming a comedic series to be released in 2021. He has expanded into writing and producing and has a hugely ambitious project currently in development in Tokyo. “I adore anything fantasy based and I love getting lost in stories,” he says.

Joseph spends his time between Paris, France and the United States where he lives in Studio City, CA with his wife and daughter. He spends his free time hiking, rock-climbing and has an art business making custom maps and globes.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was raised on film. Having a single mother and being a latchkey kid I spent copious amounts of time watching movies. I learned about life and relationships through characters in film and developed a love for storytelling. I would mimic movement and voices, facial expressions, and accents. I couldn’t get enough. I knew what I wanted to do with my life deep down but it would be years before I knew it was an actual job.

Can you share your story of Grit and Success? First, can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

When I moved to LA 10 years ago, I had never been to the mid-west, much less the west coast, so I had no idea what it would be like. Most of my jobs were very practical: construction, property survey, private security. Acting with its hit or miss sort of progress was very unstable and I kept thinking, “Quit dreaming and get back to work.” I struggled with that mentality for years. I called my agents and manager to quit so many times they stopped taking me seriously. I would call and say, “That’s it, I’m done. I just want to live a normal life, make a paycheck and start a family.” They would just say ok, let us know when your back. Haha. They knew me too well. I could never really quit. Instead, I learned to go on solo camping trips and spend time away to center myself in between gigs. Outdoors, I feel the most like myself.

My fiancé and I have been together since the beginning. Ten years now, so having that pressure of being a support system was even harder with someone relying on me to be a stable partner. She has been a rock through all of this and can’t imagine what it’s like to date an actor. I couldn’t do it.

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

My childhood had some pretty rough times and my life is more dramatic than most films I’ve seen, so it prepared me for all hardships. I have a very strong mentality.

I am currently testing for the lead in a thriller film that I am very excited about. The character is essentially me, which I haven’t gotten the chance to play yet.

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?

God, I have made so many mistakes — still do sometimes. I auditioned for a movie with Mel Gibson to play the bad guy. At one point my character gets half his face blown off and I did this contorted thing with my face that brought tears to my eyes and spoke with a strained cadence of speech. When I was finished the audition, the reader told me, that I looked like I was in so much pain she couldn’t focus on the read. Still don’t know if that was good or bad. Diego Luna got that one. He did an amazing job with that role.

I always despised the “rules” of the room. I was so mad about having to “be a certain way in the room” that I rebelled a lot. I don’t really adhere to many “rules” anymore. I just do what I feel is good for the scene or the character. Things got easier for me once I stopped asking for permission.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Take it in stride. At the end of the day, it really is just a job. I get the whole “if I don’t have work I wither” mentality but in slow times of work I still play roles for training. I write a lot and play out those scenes. Loving the storytelling always grounds you. That why we are all here. We love stories. Create your own work as well. You never know where that will take you. And for God sake, have a hobby! Ive been making globes and maps for years now. It’s a great way to center and clear the mind. I always recommend writing or painting to friends that are burnt out. We have to take care of ourselves. Work is not life.

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?

I was in one of my phases of life where I wanted to give up and met one of my favorite actors at the gym. The guy was so kind that we became life long friends. I finally had a mentor of sorts. Someone to ask all those questions no one could answer and he really gave me courage in myself and my instincts. He seemed so perfect in film and on the red carpet and he explained those were versions of himself. The “real him” was broken and had lived a very hard life. I think meeting someone I admired and confirming that we are all just people with stories and pain all the same really helped me accept myself and start some personal development work that only help me in my craft. I got comfortable in my own skin for the first time. I think everyone is looking for that type of validation.

What are “5 things you wish someone told you before you started this career path and why:

1. Do not compare yourself. No one has ever been you and no one ever will! Embracing yourself and all your beautiful imperfections is the first step to inner peace in all aspects of life. Just know that you are needed in film and no one can be you better than you. Sounds cliche but I have found that almost all cliches have immense value. There’s a reason these bits of wisdom are repeated throughout history over and over again.
2. Don’t give up just because nothing is happening. There are slow times and then bam a phone call from someone you met once three years ago and they want you to read for something. I once met a producer on a project years ago and thought nothing of our encounter. Three years later he calls me and said he wrote a film for me to star in. I was like how do you even remember me? That film is in pre-production as we speak. Trippy. You just never know.
3. Find your own catalyst! Don’t be stagnant. Do things that shake you up and challenge you. At the end of the day, every character you play is going through something. If you don’t have a lot of experiences to pull from your job becomes more difficult in my opinion. I had a friend who couldn’t play angry because she kept herself from feeling that particular emotion as much as possible. She had very little experience with it. She needed to release all of that. She took scream therapy where you basically just yell your head off, and things within you open up. It worked wonders on her and not only was she able to crush the material, she started a journey of self-discovery that improved her whole life. I love people like that. It’s courageous.
4. My fourth and fifth pieces of advice are closely related: Love yourself. Discover empathy. If you love yourself and you will discover empathy. Empathy is the most important part of the job to me. Putting myself in other people’s shoes for example. I found that I didn’t really care for myself the way I should and once I focused on that my empathy grew. I started falling in love with the characters I played and my work got better. Gratitude man. Again with the cliches right? Loving yourself is not a cliche, its just healthier than the alternative. My life has not gotten easier by any means, but I am better able to enjoy it because of the work I’ve done with myself.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

I have an instagram: @JoeAlmani. It’s me. My real life and what’s really going on with me. I wear my heart on my sleeve, I always have.