Rising Star JR Adduci On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

An Interview With Elana Cohen

“You’re more than just an actor”

Once I became a father, this one sunk in for me. I used to equate my personal happiness with just success with acting, but success in career doesn’t necessarily mean success in life unless you actively pursue joy in all aspects of your being. I am so grateful to be the father and husband and brother, son, friend that I get to be.

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing J.R. ADDUCI.

J.R. Adduci has numerous acting credits under his belt and is about to embark on an incredible journey with four projects being released this year. He will be seen with an all-star cast that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Lakeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish, and Owen Wilson in Disney’s Haunted Mansion, which hits theaters July 28th. Based off the popular Disneyland ride, J.R. will play “William Gracey,” the original owner of the mansion, with his own eerie tale to explore. He will simultaneously work alongside Tituss Burgess and Paula Pell in the Disney+ movie “The Slumber Party,” which premieres July 27th on Disney Channel, and July 28th on Disney+.

Later this year, J.R. will be seen in the Amazon holiday feature Red One with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Chris Evans and Lucy Liu, and the indie art house film The Space In Between where audiences will find him as the only actor on screen, trapped and possibly dying in a space rover.

J.R. was born on a naval base in Illinois, and moved to Charlotte, NC with his mother at the age of two. Inspired by the life and career of Al Pacino while simultaneously trying to stay out of trouble in school, he started taking theater in tenth grade. With the positive encouragement of his drama teacher, he auditioned for the Children’s Theater of Charlotte and quickly landed his first paying gig as an actor. He later moved to further pursue acting by attending the American Musical Dramatic Academy in NYC, and training for years with the late great Gene Frankel.

After focusing primarily on his first love, theater, J.R. started landing guest starring roles on hit television shows like “Stranger Things,” “Outer Banks,” “Greenleaf” and “The Walking Dead” before segueing to major films like The Suicide Squad and Copshop.

When not on screen or working on his craft, J.R. dabbles in hip hop lyricism with the United Statements, a group of MC’s formed while in acting school in NYC.

J.R. currently resides in Atlanta with his wife, daughter and two year old rescue dog, Bella Fitzgerald.

• We spoke with J.R. Adduci before the SAG strike. *

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Thanks so much for taking the time to connect! Happy to be here. I grew up an only child raised by my mother in various cities, but I consider Charlotte, North Carolina home as far as my childhood goes.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

Being a latch key kid, I grew up loving movies and television and would often mimic scenes I liked and actors I admired, but it wasn’t until I took a theater elective in high school for an easy “A” that I got bit by the acting bug and figured out that it’s what I needed to pursue in my life. I guess it took that one great teacher who gave me positive affirmations and for me that was Mrs Glenda Kale.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Not so much a singular story but a specific time in my life. When I look back at my career I often think about a really special time when I was focused mainly on theater and I was fortunate enough to work in the theater fairly consistently. I would strike one show and begin rehearsing the next with almost no break in between for a few years. I was able to play some amazing roles like Stanley Kowalski, RP McMurphy, and Petruchio among so many others. That was definitely a magical time for me.

It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting?

I once had an audition for a procedural drama when I first started auditioning in NYC. I spent days doing what I could to embody the character and walked in the room fully dressed and completely in character as a less than desirable criminally inclined individual… in the middle of my audition I reached across the camera and grabbed the reader by the shoulders and began to viciously scream in his face… poor guy. I didn’t get that one.

Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I learned to take a beat, maintain an element of control and professionalism, and also never physically touch or threaten anyone haha. Kind of a no brainer in hindsight.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I just signed on to a feature film called “Withdrawal” about a couple who struggles to get clean from opioid addiction, and I play a character instrumental in one of the lead’s journey into and out of the throws of addiction. It’s a very special film based on some life experiences from the director and writer Arron Strand. I’m stoked for that one.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

I could speak on this for days, but if I were to distill it down to its center, I would say that it’s very important to look deep inside and ask yourself if this life is something you want versus something you need. To truly need to be an actor or artist is the thing that continually lifts me up and carries me through tough times. Also, as cliche as it may sound… it’s the journey not the destination. If one can find joy within the process of it all then you can hopefully sustain a level of happiness. Every acting job ends at some point. We all are constantly looking for the next projects to tackle. If we are happy within the journey and take pride in the small things along the way, it makes things a lot more fun and fulfilling. I would also say be as specific as possible in your prep work and in the work itself. Good, consistent work rises.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

I believe diversity in film and television is long overdue. Incredibly talented individuals are getting more work and more opportunities to tell their specific stories and truths. And, our youth needs to see themselves represented in projects out there, so that they can feel closer to it and also believe that all is possible for them. We have this amazing opportunity now to do away with old stereotypes, racist tropes, and really speak from authenticity as writers and directors and actors get to be proud of representing parts of their culture on the stage and screen. I believe when we share truths through entertainment we break down walls and barriers through education and understanding. It’s a strong start in the right direction.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

“It’s a marathon not a sprint.”

When i got out of acting conservatory I gave myself a five year mark to quote un quote “make it”. I’m still working on it 😂.

“Chase the love not the pain when playing a character.”

It took me a long time chasing the circumstances that were tragic and painful in some of the characters I’ve played. And certain highly emotional scenes didn’t reach the top potency for my personal standards, but one day it clicked. My character only hurts so much because he LOVES so hard. And when I focused on the things he loved and started stripping them away, I reached a place where the pain was accessible and palpable.

“It’s not about you”

It took a while for me to understand this one as well. Once I dedicated myself to a project and I did everything I could to be a vessel for a story that had a right to be told and for a character that had a right to exist, that’s when I started having fun discovering things in a collaborative way and turned in a higher level of honest work.

“You will never have it figured out”

Every time I level up in this career path, I discover a new level to aspire to. Every show, job, character, and actor is different and unique. We grow as humans and while we can develop a process to begin work on a job, we almost always learn and find new ways to explore and excavate new truths. I wish I could be in an acting class all the time lol.

“You’re more than just an actor”

Once I became a father, this one sunk in for me. I used to equate my personal happiness with just success with acting, but success in career doesn’t necessarily mean success in life unless you actively pursue joy in all aspects of your being. I am so grateful to be the father and husband and brother, son, friend that I get to be.

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

A wise person knows their limitations. We have to be physically, mentally, and spiritually fit in order to do what this job requires at a high level. So as far as burn out goes… self care and finding stillness are paramount. Whatever that looks like to you.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love for there to be two hundred of me so I could do two hundred philanthropic things simultaneously 😂 but first one that comes to mind is I might try and take a bunch of ghost town malls in major cities and turn them into homeless shelters and kitchens with programs to help get people the care and assistance they need to stand on there own eventually.

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?

So many people to mention but number one on that list would be my mother. She never told me that I couldn’t do something, and she always instilled in me the belief that if you can envision it and make a plan and work a plan, then it would be possible to achieve.

Can you share a story about that?

My mother is a life coach now, and growing up she had a bunch of Anthony Robbins cassettes. I grew up in a house where self help was the main event; continuing education and progression in goals and life. This is how I was raised. I was my mother’s first client I believe haha.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Live being true to the single purpose of the present moment.” Tsumoto is the author. From the samurai book Hagakure. To me that’s the simplest way to find happiness and understanding in life. Couple that with living in service of others and you are off to the races to be a content, full individual. I also strive to do that with my craft. Play true to the single purpose of the present moment.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

These questions are so great and it’s so hard to say just one! Right now I’d say I’d love to have lunch with Jim Jarmusch I think he is a titan of a film director and I love his body of work. I would love to buy him lunch for a chance to chat and maybe get him to remember me for a role in something he had going on down the line.

How can our readers follow you online? @JRAdduci on IG is the main social media platform I use these days.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success

Thank you so much! It was fun!