The CREATION:
Destined, may just be the perfect word to describe Melvin’s admission into the career of acting. For as a child, born a scenic route away from the ever popular White House, undoubtedly this country’s signature for politics, Hollywood seemed an unlikely avenue that he would take. One would think that, if he were lucky, his future would consist of town hall rallies, motivational speeches, and political campaigns. Or if following in his mother’s footsteps had been his way, he would have most certainly landed a lucrative career within our government, in an effort to protect our country from war. However, if it’s one thing that Melvin Jr. has taught us in the past six years, is that he’s his own man, created to go his own way, which just happens to be straight to the top.
Q. You are being referred to as the “The Star amongst Us,” as many of your fans predict that you are well on your way to humble Hollywood, the minute the golden script falls into your hands. Does knowing that your impressive body of work could send this life changing script your way, the main reason why you remain so devoted to acting?
A. No. Good scripts, or golden scripts as you call it, are very important to the expansion of an actor's career. Yet, I am very passionate about acting because I believe that it is an art that is bigger than just something I do.
Q. Bigger?
A. More important. For instance, acting can build bridges to better places; not just for the actor, but for those that he or she can help across.
On the Right PATH:
“I haven’t arrived, but I’m on my way.”
The word circulating around Hollywood is that Melvin Jackson Jr. was born to be the actor that other actors admire. It’s that same quote that flashes in front of every camera the precise moment that he slides in front of its lens. “I work to consume whatever character that I play,” says Melvin, who prides himself on being the constant professional. However, it’s not his professionalism that has created the industry buzz. To put it plainly, it’s his talent and fearlessness that is drawing the eyes of Hollywood. Some of his co-stars have even tagged his success to a subtle confidence that they call his swagger, claiming it settles in his shoulders and resonates through every line he delivers.
Q. In a business that is known for transforming great talent into stars that often drift away from normal society, how is that you are able to stay grounded?
A. I hear the talk about where I could go in this business. But talk without work is chatter. It’s this reality that keeps me grounded, and working so incredibly hard to stay working.
Melvin isn’t just an actor. He is also CEO of Urban Vision Entertainment, a company he started during his freshman year at Bowie State University. When most students his age where just figuring out who they were outside of their parent’s residence, Melvin was head strong on finding musical talent, and pushing them into the mainstream.
A. Diddy.
Q. Sean Diddy Combs?
A. Yes. Growing up, I looked up to him.
Q. What was it about Diddy that grabbed hold your attention and respect? Please, tell me it wasn’t his dancing. (laughs)
A. (Laughs) No. I saw Diddy as the business man who showed me that its never too young to start a business, and that you’re never too young to be an entrepreneur.
Q. Do you still manage any of your artists now or any musical acts?
A. No. When my acting career began to launch, it just became too difficult to give my artists the 100% representation they needed. Regardless, I was committed to trying to make it work. It took the artists to tell me to go ahead and focus on the acting, and that they supported my dive into that art, for me to walk away from what I considered my responsibility. I tell you, that was a hard move.
Q. Now your entertainment company is more geared towards writing and producing films, correct?
A. Yes. The company allows me to pull others in front of the camera, so that their talents can be noticed and appreciated.
The ROAD to get there.
Moving up is everyone’s dream. But what happens when the upward move requires relocation to another country?
At age of eight, Melvin’s eyes had never lost sight of the stars, but his footprints had lost touch with this country’s busy streets. The rumbling of sounds, and mixer of races and cultures gathering in the city’s square at noon, marketing their own art and/or commercial products, sparked by their individuality, intelligence, and freedom, was long gone. Suddenly, he found desert all around him. Vast areas of hot sand stuck to Melvin’s feet, and stretched as far as his eyes could see.
Q. What effects, if any, has living out your childhood in Pakistan and Turkey had on your life?
A. Well, for one, it has made it difficult for me to take the normal things that I have here in America for granted.
Q. And by normal things, you mean--?
A. The daily requirements of a normal American; like having my own space, fresh water to drink, and the right to date and marry the lady that I chose. Growing up, it was normal for me to see five or six in a small hut trying to survive. I’d see people washing their bodies and clothes in water they drink from, and young men and women being forced to marry a complete stranger due to their cultural traditions.
Q. Did seeing people have no control over their lifestyles set you in gear to control your own?
A. Absolutely!
Melvin’s desert days vanished when he and his family moved back to the States and settled on the East Coast in Capital Heights, Maryland. There, he attended Fairmont high school-- a place that he found much different than the schools he had attended across seas.
Q. After returning to the States, you mentioned that there was a time that you felt like a foreigner in your own country. Why is that?
A. I may have looked the same as most of my peers, but I talked differently.
Q. You didn’t speak English?
A. My English lacked the slang of city neighborhoods.
Q. I see. With High School being classified as the place where teenagers are known for spotting differences and either mocking them or admiring them, and peer pressure to be accepted drives most young individuals to conform his or her thoughts to blend in with the norm, I wonder how is that you were able to remain “You?”
A. Actually, I wasn’t the “You” that people see today.
Q. Really?
A. No. I got into a little trouble trying to seek attention my way.
Q. So what made you turn your trouble seeking days around?
A. Me! I just woke up one morning and decided I didn’t want to travel down a negative path. And with the power of God, I was able to change things.
Q. That’s great!
A. It’s real. I just made up my mind one day that I was going to be better, and become someone that I can respect. I wanted to be that someone that people, who also want to be better than they are, can look up to.
THE INSPIRATION
Q. Your work in comedic scenes and dramatic roles come across so naturally, which makes you remind me of an early Don Cheadle---being not afraid of taking risks. Is there a particular actor that you model yourself after?
A. Will Smith. I look up to him, and not necessarily for the time and talent he puts on the screen.
Q. Then what for?
A. More so for the Man he is within the acting circuit.
Q. You’ve met him?
A. And shared a few conversations with him, and I must say that it’s really rare for a mega star, a 2-time academy nominated actor, like Will is to be so down to earth in this business.
Q. So Will’s persona isn’t far removed from what viewers glimpse during his daytime interviews and late night appearances on TV?
A. I had no clue until I met him. I mean, I watch TV like everyone else. And from the television, Will gives off this magnetic personality that seemingly makes him approachable to anyone. But by being an actor, I know that what is seen on the screen is usually far from the truth.
Q. And in Will’s case?
A. The brotha is as advertised. Somehow he hasn’t let all the success and fame get to his head. He actually cares what those who are speaking to him are talking about. Each time that I talked to him, it was apparent to me that he was listening. That told me a lot.
Q. About Will Smith?
A. And about the type of actor I strive to be.
THE MISSION
Q. Every path has a desired end steered by someone with purpose. What purpose is driving you towards success, and what defines success to you?
A. Being able to continue to do what I love to do (acting, producing, managing), till I gain a certain status that will allow me to help others do what they love to do is success to me. This is why I don’t plan on ever spending all my time just in front of the cameras. I desire to also be behind the cameras to be in a position that could help other inspiring actors, producers, or screen writers jumpstart their careers.
Q. You definitely come off as a man that makes his own steps; not waiting on anyone to lay them out for you. Is this true?
A. Absolutely.
Q. Do you figure that your footprints will make it easier for others to find their way to success?
A. That, Ms. Lyric, is my ultimate mission.
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