Interview with Actor/Model, Jason Caceres

Vessel: Jason, could you provide our readers with a brief overview of your background?

Jason: I am a first generation Cuban American and was born in Miami, Florida. Being a child of immigrants had a huge impact in helping to shape who I am today. My family taught me the importance of perseverance and hard work. I'm grateful that my parents instilled a strong work ethic in me because I feel that I have been able to carry that with me into adulthood and it has helped me in my pursuit of success. 

I was artistically inclined from an early age. Taking art classes from the age of 5, I was encouraged to draw and write creatively. I became a published author at the age of 15 when his poetry was published in the "Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans" two years running. I also have been very fortunate to have had artwork displayed at local museums in Downtown Miami.

I was also a very active and athletic child. My mom wanted to keep my brother and I as busy as possible so that we never turned our attention to any dangerous extracurriculars. She had us in karate, baseball… we spent about 10 years in the Boy Scouts of America. So, that fostered many interests. In high school, I joined the swim team and played Varsity Water Polo. 

I went to college at Florida International University where I graduated with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Theater Performance and shortly after, I made the move out to Los Angeles.

Since moving to Los Angeles, I have gotten to work on many commercials including my AT&T app, Topps: Baseball Cards, DIFF: LA, Curacao: World Cup, Bullet Liner, and XXL Sports, to name a few. I also began gaining a few TV credits including supporting roles on "America's Most Wanted" as "Lucas," "Sex Sent Me to the ER" as "Joseph," among others. 

Eventually, I started working on slightly bigger productions such as Pam and Tommy, Criminal Minds, Insatiable, Kidding and Jimmy Kimmel Live! My latest project, "Boy Culture: Generation X" was just released on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Vessel: At what point did you realize your passion for acting?

J: I've always been a very expressive person. But, I think my earliest memory of wanting to be an actor was because of a Spanish television show called "Sabado Gigante." It was a Spanish talk show where they would interview celebrities and have musical artists. It was a very fun and big show. They had a segment where they would bring on a little boy every week, I believe, and he would be the child model to deliver a rose to the little girl that would be performing that week. I wanted so badly to be on that show. Sadly, it never worked out.

However, years later when I began participating in the Boy Scouts of America, I started to slowly take over the development of our competition skits. Every year, all the Boy Scouts of Florida would gather and go camping together. There would be fire building competitions between the different troops, and fort building competitions, knot tying competitions, etc. There was also a funny skit competition. I started to kind of take ownership of that department for my troop and that's truly where the passion began. I knew I had to pursue it.

I began taking acting classes at local theaters and in school, wherever I could. I started seeking out acting opportunities and agencies on my own. This was all before college. Then eventually, I started college and knew I had to study theater.

Vessel: When did you decide to venture into the world of modeling?

J: The modeling kind of happened accidentally. Since moving out to Los Angeles, I have met many different creative people. A few of my friends out here are photographers. When they were starting out their careers, they were looking for actors or models with no experience that would be willing to shoot for free so that they could practice. I agreed to help since it was also a chance for us to hang out. So I shot with a few friends for fun and then started posting the photos on Instagram and Twitter because I really liked how they turned out. Because I was just shooting with my friends, the photos were fun and natural. We had a bit of a careless attitude since I wasn't taking it seriously and they were just practicing. But that's what made them so good!

I started growing an audience on my social media which caused a few more photographers to reach out. I remember being a little nervous about it because I did not consider myself a model at all. I then decided that if anything I could just use as free marketing for my acting career! Then the modeling kind of took off.

Vessel: What guidance do you have for individuals aspiring to pursue a career in acting or modeling?

J: The first one is to be absolutely certain that it is something that you want to pursue. It is a very long, frustrating road with lots of ups and downs. The amount of rejections you receive in this business is astounding. And you can't take it personally. That's just the name of the game. If there is anything else at all that you can see yourself doing that would make you happy, then go do that.

If this is your one and only passion, then I would say to strap in and don't give up. It is going to take a lot of hard work and commitment to build a career in this industry, but it will be so satisfying. I get to play and have fun for a living. Nothing beats that.

I also really encourage you to find your tribe. It is so important to have a close support system. Whether that's family, friends you meet, or even coworkers. Art is a collaborative experience. You can't do it alone. Someone once told me that it only takes having three people in this industry believe in you to make it. I haven't taken stock recently but I hope I have at least three!

Actor/Model: Jason Caceres

@jasonscaceres

Photographer: Ashton Jay

@ashtonjayphoto

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