Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Hundley.
Hi Jordan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I wanted to be an actor since I was a child, as young as kindergarten. I was always an artsy, creative, and dramatic child, and I just wanted to tell stories. However, I did not actually get into theatre until I was in 6th grade (my parents were always trying to push me into sports instead). From then on though, I was “that theatre kid.” I was in every play I could do (between school, community, and professional, I did over 30 stage plays in 10 years), took camps and classes to get better, competed in competitions and conferences, always hung out on the stage and in the black box, and even went on to major in theatre in college at James Madison University.
Although I’d always wanted to be a film actor, I didn’t actually have an opportunity to do film until almost 10 years into my acting career (when I was 21). About halfway through college, I got nodes (or nodules on my vocal cords) from overusing my voice on several back-to-back show runs, so I had to take a step back from live performance. My voice couldn’t handle the strain of having to project across a whole theatre repeatedly every evening. I missed acting, so I took it as the opportunity to finally do some research into films since film acting is much more vocal cord friendly. All my theatre education had only taught me about the theatre business, so I was lost when it came to how to get into film. I decided to look to Facebook, saw a few casting calls, auditioned, and the rest is history.
From my very first film (Haig’s Heart, part of the 10/31 Pt 4 anthology), I realized film acting was my passion. I loved the subtlety, realism, and intimacy of it compared to stage acting. From the 2 years I’ve been in the industry, I’ve been in over 25 projects (with at least 14 more already on the horizon in the coming years), met amazing people, have had the best times of my life on sets, and have improved as an actor exponentially.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There’s definitely been some bumps in the road to get to where I am now, and I am still traversing those bumps everyday to get to where I dream to be.
The biggest hardship is finances. Getting established as an actor is an expensive undertaking between getting headshots, buying a website domain, setting up a self tape studio, continually training, subscribing to casting services, etc. And as someone who jumped headfirst into the industry in college, I didn’t have much money saved up. As much as I hoped I could just dive into acting full time once graduating, I’ve got rent to pay, I’ve got food to buy, I’ve got a pet to feed, etc. So, I’ve been playing the balancing game between my full-time job, my part-time job (because just a full-time wasn’t enough in the DC area lol), and my acting career. I definitely burn the candle at both ends most days, which does take a serious toll on my mental health, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I am getting to do what I love, and every project I undertake is putting me one step closer to hopefully booking the gig that’ll change my life.
The other challenge I face daily is mental health. I’ve been struggling with OCD and anxiety for my whole life, and the entertainment industry is not the friendliest field for those who are like me. My brain’s a whirlwind of recurring thoughts of not being good enough, not trying hard enough, not working long enough, not being pretty enough, etc. I’ve had to do a lot of work with my therapist to learn to (try to) ignore the negative thoughts, distract myself with healthy strategies, and persevere when the voices just won’t shut up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would say that initially I was known as a horror actress (or a “scream queen” if you will). My first probably 5-7 films were almost all horror films (there’s a ton of horror shot in the DMV area). The first film I got cast in was a horror, then I created a “scream reel” with my various screaming abilities, then I just kept getting hit up to be in horror movies. I loved it! I’ve gotten to be final girls, killers, the first killed, and even a ghost!
However, after about a year of just doing horror, I decided to branch out. I am a classically trained dramatic actress, so I started auditioning for roles that flexed my training a bit more (I LOVE a meaty chunk of dialogue- I pride myself on my ability to deliver complexities and nuances through lengthy lines of text). I’ve since gotten the opportunity to do a ton of different genres: dramas, comedies, sci-fis, rom-coms, horrors, thrillers, holiday films, family films, movie musicals, and I’ve even got a western upcoming. I think it’s so fun to always be doing something else! I treat every new film as a new artistic challenge/adventure (and I’ve learned that my favorites to act in are sci-fi and psychological thrillers!).
I think what sets me apart from other actors is my resilience, my drive, and my ambition. I think I’m crazy because I’m ALWAYS working (and it may or may not be healthy, who knows). Even when I’m at my other jobs, I’m usually submitting my headshot/resume, emailing a director, memorizing lines, or strengthening my website and reels. I am willing to do anything and everything (within a legal and moral range LOL) to make my dreams come true. And when I’m cast in a project, I give it 110%. I embody every role to its fullest extent, regardless of the size, to bring that character to life. You never know what role will be “the one” to skyrocket you, so I never take any chances. Whether I have 1 line or 100 lines, I’m giving it my all.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck drives the whole acting industry. Like yes, skills, training, appearance, and professionalism all matter to an extent, but at the end of the day, sometimes it’s just straight up luck. For example, 100s of people with the same skill level may submit to a role, but I may coincidently have the exact hairstyle the director is looking for: luck. Or I may unknowingly make a connection at the local coffee shop with a barista whose great uncle is a film producer looking for a redhead from DC: luck. So, because of how much random chance exists in the entertainment business (that you usually never actually know about), I cannot personally say how much luck has affected me, but I’d like to assume a good bit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jordanhundleyactor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanhundley13/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordan.hundley.92/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jordanhundley13
