Rising Star Model & Actor Bo Yokely On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

You do not need to ask permission to do what you love to do. Opportunity comes when you least expect it. It is always better to stay ready than to need to get ready. Physically, and mentally staying engaged is key. You are ENOUGH. Don't pretend…just be. That is more interesting.

As a part of our series about rising music stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Bo Yokely.

Model and actor, Bo Yokely, is currently in the production process for four feature films and two television series. Bo made his big break in the industry with his role as “Chris” in the Netflix original film Nappily Ever After (2018). He has been taking the screen by storm with his roles as a hard-working farmer “Cole Tooley” in Christmas at the Grey Horse Inn (2021), Music manager “Ryan Avery” in Country Roads Christmas (2022), and his most notable role to date, IVF father “Brian Crawford” fighting for his sons' custody in Lifetime’s Switched Before Birth (2021.) Bo is a bold, charming, All-American hero with a quick wit who never loses and brings these qualities to every role he accepts!

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

I grew up in Kernersville, North Carolina. I had an amazing childhood, much of which was consumed with playing soccer and avoiding hard work if possible. My mom was an elementary school teacher with my dad being a financial advisor. Both me and my brother followed in my dad’s footsteps after graduating college. It was a few years after starting that business that I was given opportunities in the film industry.

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

I had been in the modeling world since I was 17 years old, and as most people know, the modeling world and film world are relatively close to one another, and there is an occasional crossover. This is what happened in case anyways.

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

THE most is a hard one, but I can tell you one story that really stands out. My first big feature film role I did was in Nappily Ever After on NETFLIX and my very first scene was a scene where my character is picking up the lead actress, Sanaa Lathan, in a bar. We had over 100 extras in this scene but you could hear a pin drop in the club. It’s hard to describe that feeling, and to this day, was the most challenging scene I’ve ever done.

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?

Funny enough, the funniest story comes from that very scene in Napplily Ever After. So I come on set, feeling great, loose as can be ready to rock. So we shot the 1st take and in my mind, I NAILED it and was feeling as confident as you like. I was feeling great about the whole thing because I was going off-book, making “more of my own” as we say in the business. After the director yells cut, she walks up, and says “ok…do you know the script?” to which I of course say “yeah of course?” Then our director says “ you will say all the words in the script, no more, no less, exactly as they are written. I could literally feel the air get kicked out of me, and was panicked because I knew the script very well, but when the reins were pulled so tight, someone could’ve asked me my name, and I would have forgotten. Come to find out, the director was in fact the writer of the script. The lesson learned is, if the writer happens to be the director or even a producer…be prepared to know the word for word exactly what the script reads.

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

I just got done with an amazing film that we shot in Toronto, Canada that is set to release Christmas 2022 called Country Roads Christmas. I am currently in pre-production for a television series that starts shooting next spring that is going to be like nothing else I’ve ever done and takes place in the ’70s, that’s all I can say about 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?

Be in charge of your own fate and destiny. This industry is notorious for making you feel like YOU have to wait for the phone to ring to be able to work and do what you love. There are so many amazing people who are just as anxious and excited about being in the film industry as you are, so go find them. Take control of your career and realize there are no days off in this game.

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?

Variety and diversity are what make the world so interesting. Who in their right mind would want to see the same movies, with the same stories, and the same characters year after year? The spice of life is in fact variety. The greatest stories have never been told, and the only way to get those stories told is by embracing and seeking out originality. Many times, that ONLY comes through diversity in the entertainment industry. Unique voices, untold stories, and beautiful histories will never be seen nor heard if we don’t seek out diversity in every walk of life.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

You do not need to ask permission to do what you love to do.

Opportunity comes when you least expect it.

It is always better to stay ready than to need to get ready. Physically, and mentally staying engaged is key.

You are ENOUGH.

Dont pretend…just be. That is more interesting.

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

Find your favorite actor, study everything he or she has done. Then study how they made it in this industry. The honest truth is … there is no 1 way to make it. You have a one-of-a-kind voice, and you are 1 or 1. Success however leaves bread crumbs. Watch every piece of material you can whether that be TV series or films. Knowing what is out, and popular will help you when you have an audition for the casting director who cast the movie “X”.

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 have a deep love and passion for any and all animals under the sun. I have done some work with animal shelters and animal rescues to help find homes for animals who may have been abandoned or otherwise uncared for.

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 wife, Olivia, is undoubtedly the most loving and supportive person in my life. I definitely would not have made it if not for her, and her understanding of exactly how crazy this industry really is. She is the ONE person who did not think I was crazy when I told her this was what I wanted to do, in fact, she encouraged it!

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

“He who says he can, and he who says he can not, are both usually right.” This is something I think about 100 times a day and is what I live by. In my mind, we are in charge of our future, and this quote is a reminder of that.

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. :-)

I would have to say Matthew McConaughey. He has done so many amazing movies and had such an interesting career thus far, and I would want to pick his brain about pretty much everything. He also just seems like a fun dude to hang with.

How can our readers follow you online?

I am on Instagram @bo_yokely and Facebook Bo Yokely and of course IMDb Bo Yokely

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