Mick Unplugged - Jaden Lucas Miller | From Childhood Dreams to Screen Realities: An Acting Journey

Episode Date: July 27, 2024

In this episode, Mick Hunt talks with Jaden Lucas Miller about his early start in acting, the influences that shaped his career, and how he stays grounded amidst growing success. Jaden shares insights into his personal growth, strategic approach to his craft, and excitement about his recent and upcoming projects. Jaden Lucas Miller's Background: Growing up in Raleigh with a passion for performance, Jaden entered the acting world at the tender age of 5, guided by his mother's networking and support. Defining Moments: His memorable first interaction with co-star Kyla Pratt on the set of his latest project affirms his belonging in the acting world. Discussion Topics:Jaden's acting career started with early modeling and moving into acting through local connections.Challenges of pursuing acting from a non-traditional location and the importance of networking and family support.Jaden's preparation techniques for roles utilize personal and vicarious experiences to bring authenticity to his performances.Key Quotes:"It's not just about the act; it's about understanding the art and constantly evolving.""My mother's role has been instrumental, not just in managing but truly understanding and supporting my journey."Next Steps:Explore: Watch Jaden's latest project on Amazon and follow his future works.Reflect: Consider how resilience and support systems can help one pursue one’s passion, especially at a young age.Engage: Share how Jaden's journey inspires your pursuits in acting or any other field using #MickUnplugged.Connect & Discover:Instagram: instagram.com/jadenmiller05 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready to change your habits, sculpt your destiny, and light up your path to greatness? Welcome to the epicenter of transformation. This is Mic Unplugged. We'll help you identify your because, so you can create a routine that's not just productive, but powerful. You'll embrace the art of evolution, adapt strategies to stay ahead of the game, and take a step toward the extraordinary. So let's unleash your potential. Now, here's Mick. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged, where we go deeper than your why and talk about your because, that thing that fuels you into being the person that you are.

Today, I have a very special guest. He's a rising star in the entertainment industry, known for his versatility and captivating performances. With a growing portfolio of film and television credits, he continues to impress audiences with his talent and dedication. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh's own, the talented Mr. Jaden Lucas Miller. Jaden, how are you doing, brother? I'm doing good. How about you? I'm doing great, my man. I'm doing great. So let's get into it. What inspired you to pursue acting?

What inspired me to pursue acting was through my imagination, my creativity, my entertainment talents. Much my mother saw at a young age in me, just by me posing in random clothes. I could run around the house naked or something when I was younger. It's just, you know, like this and that, be entertaining. And I love to dance. It's just that bug in me. I me i love it man and so growing up in raleigh it's not like entertainment capital of the world so i know this probably wasn't easy right so i think if i remember right was it five or six years old you kind of started five years old yes five years old so how did you get into it because like i said i know it's not easy it wasn't easy it's not easy yes my mother originally got me into it, searching around, networking.

She did her own networking herself. You know, Raleigh's not major. Well, North Carolina's not really big on the acting. So there's not many agents to go to. However, she did find one in Hickory, North Carolina, which was the Brock Agency. That's the one that I started out with. And then going up and leveling, not leveling up into downplayed rock agency. No, she helped us up with a lot and just understanding what the business is.

But it's a journey and it's a process. Doing it here in North Carolina, like I said, she was networking and then found modeling. I was doing modeling, got into that. And then we eventually found friends. We still have relationships with them today. And now we're starting to understand, okay, this is such and such a person. Well, no, this is this is such a person. Well, no, this is such a person. So it's an ongoing domino effect into knowing different people. And then to answer your question, found agents, casting calls.

Good stuff. And you've made it look easy, but I know it hasn't been easy. Right. Like I know that there's challenges that you face and you're a rising superstar. But what are some of the challenges that you face starting you're a rising superstar, but what are some of the challenges that you face starting out in the industry? That's a very good question. There's a lot of challenges, but I want to point out the main key ones. I would say just me understanding myself and at a younger age, you don't really understand yourself to know like, okay, what do I do next? What do I do this? And it's mainly your parents or your agents or your managers that do that for you. So I say, from my perspective, my challenge is listening and understanding what's coming from my parent, which is my mom. She knows best and knowing that you can't get frustrated because everything is a process and everybody's learning along the way and which my mother is learning from me.

So if I do have an idea, it's OK to say it, but I just know how to stand my ground. And the challenge, I don't know if that answers the questions, but the challenge I would say would be learning how to communicate, learning how to listen, like I said before. So communication and listening, learn how to brand yourself is the best thing. That's awesome. One of the things that I appreciate about you the most is your preparation. And at a young age, I can tell that you take pride in your craft. So for the listeners and viewers out there, how do you prepare for a role, especially one that could be demanding? I would take from my experiences and what other people have experienced as they tell me about their life and their backstories, and they may also relate with the character that is brought

to my attention. I'm able to then and again relate from experiences and other people's experience. And just to know that how would somebody else feel if they were in their shoes? Like if you look at other people and look at their standpoint in life and their stature and how they get there and how they explain it and fully go in detail, how they emotionally feel and just bring my vulnerability to that and then be able to create and really go in deep and hone in on it and then hold it, you know, just release it to the character. That's awesome. So let's talk about your latest project, man. Not another church movie out on Amazon right now. Yes, it is. Tell me about how you got the role. What's been some cool things? You're on there with some freaking rock stars like the rock star that you are. It's an amazing cast. Let's talk about that film a little bit. Talk about the film. It's a very comedic film. It's comedic. The genre is comedic. It's a parody. It was very fun to shoot.

I mean, it's pretty much to sum it all up. What it's about is about Tyler Ferry is giving the vision from God to help his community while the devil tries to intervene and not allowing him to pretty much do that by setting him up with challenges and people in his family going through different things. And he's having to navigate to help bring them to the light and help them see that they have a purpose on this planet. They have a purpose in doing things. Even though it is funny, you may not really understand that. But after you leave the movie theater, I kind of want you guys to envision that like, wow, okay, so this is such a person did this, this is such a person with this. So there must have been a way that they figured it out. I love it. So in shooting that film,

what's a memorable moment that you have in just either being on set, seeing maybe some of your role models for the first time. Like what's what's a memorable moment that stands out for you? The memorable moment that I would say the first day I walked on set and we were shooting the scene. It was a kitchen scene with me and Kyla Pratt, which she played my mother. And Kyla Pratt came into the room. She was like, you must be playing my son. I was like, she knows who I am. Like she, I mean, like the door literally was open and she came right in and looked directly at me. I was like, uh, yeah, I did not expect you to know who

I was. So it was like, that was a big excitement. I would say like a big peak excitement. Like, wow. Okay. I belong here. That's, it was very much of a belonging. That's awesome. So now that you've got this movie out, it's only going to continue to rise from here. So how is Jaden going to stay grounded? My mother talks about that every day and I try to go deep into that question, get my answer from that. By staying grounded is by knowing that this is not it. If I want to pursue, I have to keep setting goals for myself and like, OK, what do I want to accomplish today? And building it brick by brick each day by going to acting classes, looking at different plays, looking at my auditions more and keep

honing in on the craft and reading and doing and researching as much as I can, learning about my mental health, learning about myself and learning about other people. I'm able to then again, bring it to another character and help fulfill that character's fulfillment in life and their purpose in their life by me just being a great human being. And yeah, that's really summing it all up. It's just me being a great human being too is the most grounding part. I can tell you you've been raised right, brother. I can tell you've been raised right. So give mom a big pat on the back for me for sure. That's awesome. Yep. You brought up something I'm really passionate about and that I speak a lot

about, which is mental health. Why is mental health important to Jaden? And what are some of the things that you do to protect your mental health? Why mental health is so important to me is because it's a gateway to success. If you begin to understand what your mental health can do for you in the future from now, you begin to understand that, okay, if I change the way I think, if I change the way I look at this negative impact on me, I can change to a positive and be able to help someone that is going through the same thing and relate them to it. You'd be able to both succeed because you've changed the mentality of how you think. And I would like to be an advocate to that as well, as I've gone through

things in my life, answering your second question, I've gone through things in my life. Answering your second question, I've gone through things in my life dealing with racism and being in a predominantly white school and also dealing with acting. And it is a maturing stage in your life where I'm going through it now where I'm 18. I'm not a kid actor anymore. It's more of a, okay, now you are a young man. You are starting to understand that you have to make your own decisions. You have to now understand who you are. And that's outside of anybody's career. It's not an easy thing as you may have different perspectives on things and you have to encounter it and go head on. And it's not easy. You were wise beyond your years, man. That was an amazing response and amazing answer for sure. What are some of your long-term goals, both personally and professionally? So why don't

we start personally? What are some of your long-term goals, both personally and professionally? So why don't we start personally, like what are some of your long-term goals on a personal level? My long-term goals on a personal level, I would say is to make sure I'm giving back, making sure I'm understanding what I'm truly here for. What is my purpose? What am I most passionate about and which is acting and track and field and school and all that. But what am I really here to do? It's like every day I'm asking myself that question. And the more and more I keep accepting the challenges, I get to understand, okay, wow, I learned something from this. Wow, I can now go tell young individual that maybe has the same upbringing as me or maybe has a different

perspective and I can help them change their perspective and to understand that they have a talent and they can be passionate about that talent and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something because that's their perspective. That's their opinion. Love it. And then what about professionally? What are some of your goals professionally? My professional goals, I would say, is to be a catalyst. Yes, an entrepreneur. Everybody says that we're nowadays. I would say, yeah, entrepreneur. But to really be a source of outreach to help people to understand that your life is your life. You live it how you want to live it, but why not live it

to the best that you can and dream big instead of dreaming small because you live one life. So why not just dream big as possible and help understand that you can accomplish anything you want as long as you have your mind straight and your mind is set on what you truly want to do. Again, wise beyond your years, Jaden. I'm very impressed with you, man. And you've got a fan for life. So I want you to know that. Who were some of your role models as you were growing up? I would say Denzel Washington. I always say to everybody, yep, Denzel Washington. You know, where he's like, yeah, you know, all his roles. He's just so demanding. He knows how to capture somebody in a scene by just looking at them. And this is like, wow, I'm very gravitated to where it's seen. Like, I want to just know what's next. And he brings that to each and every role and it just sells. He's a blockbuster, you know, a movie blockbuster to where like you put him in a movie. It's just like, man, like it's going to live on. This movie is going to live on for history.

And that's the type of actor I would like to be. You know, he is Denzel and I am me. And I have to say that to myself every day because I can't go into the roles like he does. You know, I'm from Mount Vernon, you know, like I'm from Raleigh, Carolina. So it's a complete different background. So another issue too, where like, I can't relate myself to other people, but they have a blueprint and I always say that to everybody else. They have a blueprint that why not? Can I not follow it? They've been

what they're doing. So why not just be as big as them and be able to shake their hand one day and be like, well, we're going to go work today. You know, that's a dream come true for me. That's amazing. That's amazing. So for an inspiring actor, so someone that's looking to get into the industry, what advice would you have for them? You're going to have it peak in valleys with auditions and you're going to have issues where you don't know how to communicate this certain way because you may not understand in that moment. But that moment is just temporary. You have a lot of years to understand what just happened in your past or in that moment that you're experiencing. So just keep dreaming, keep looking forward and keep looking at, man, I want to play this such character one day. And somebody may say, no, you cannot. Forget what you say. I want to play this type of character,

you know, and just accept the fact that everybody's going to have an opinion. And it's not hatred. It's just because it's just their opinion. You can't change what they say about you. Really what I would say, just change the narrative how you think and understand who you are. That's awesome. That's not even for aspiring actors. I think that's for people in general, man. I applaud you for that. That's some great advice right there. Good stuff. Thank you. Good stuff. Any upcoming projects that you're excited about? Yes. I have a couple auditions I've auditioned for, and I know I'm going to hear back from them. That's just how I think all the time. And I have this short film that I just filmed. It's called Strands that should be releasing soon. I don't know when.

Hope the director would text me right after we finish this, you know, say like, wow, oh, wow, it's already out. So I can send it to you. But look out for that. You can follow me on Instagram and I'll be posting about that. But what it's about, it's about two parents that used to be in the home, married, but we don't know what happened to the father. It's a short film. And I play the son, which has to deal with the father not being there as he grows up and the mother ends up struggling with cancer. Into perspective, with someone that has a parent that's going through something and how would the child feel? That's the type of perspective I want people to leave with like, wow, okay. How would I feel if my mother was told that she's going to be living for a certain amount

of time and she might, you know, die tomorrow. And that's not something to just play with. So it was a very emotional role that I had to really dive into. And I didn't really have to just dive into it. Like I was just thinking like, man, I want my mother to just pass away. And then like what we want so many years to live with her and this and that. But I would say just keep on the lookout for that. All right. Good stuff. And so you brought up Instagram. So what are your handles so I can make sure I put it in the messages so everybody can follow you? Yes. So my Instagram is Jaden Miller 05. My Twitter is Jaden Lucas Mill 05. My Facebook is Jaden Lucas Miller. So all of them pretty much have Jaden Lucas Miller.

If you just type in that Instagram box, you should be able to find. And I do have a YouTube channel where I talk about my mental health and my experiences as well. And I try to blog it as much as I can. Every listener, every follower of Mick Unplugged, if you don't do anything else for me, at a minimum, go follow Jaden's YouTube channel. You all know that I'm a big proponent and advocate of mental health. And so is Jaden. And so do both of us a favor and go listen to the wisdom that Jaden's providing over there. And not just wisdom, but also advice and input and things that you can put into your life. So Jaden, I appreciate you for that.

Thank you. Yes, sir. Now, rapid fire, get you out of here on two questions. UNC or Duke? Oh, great. UNC. Perfect. You're a North Carolina guy. You said UNC, right? I'm just being a UNC fan today, even though I got green on. So it's like, why you want green shit and wear blue? Yeah. I would say UNC. Yeah. Thank you. The Tar Heels, we appreciate you. And then 400. Is that your event? People say it's the 800, but I'm perfectly more of a 400 guy because I don't feel like going around the track twice. But the 800 is my bread and butter so i will just stay

with it i guess all right good stuff brother i appreciate you being on anytime you want to come back on the show you just let me know i got you covered okay thank you so much for this opportunity for expressing me absolutely and for all the, remember your because is your superpower. Thanks for listening to Mick Unplugged. We hope this episode helps you take the next step toward the extraordinary and launches a revolution in your life. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast and be sure to check us out on YouTube at Mick Unplugged. Remember, stay empowered, stay inspired, and stay unplugged.