Unlike writing, acting could be hard to learn without dedication, commitment, motivation, experience, patience, and plain innate talent to act. Would it be possible to learn this multi-dollar skill by reading a book from a veteran actor? You might not get the chance to become one, but at least you could understand the industry through the lens of a five-decade actor.
Since he’s just around New York, actor Jordan Rhodes graced the invitation of ReadersMagnet, a finalist of the BBB Torch Awards for Ethics, to join the Book Confab in Tribeca. The film and theatrical performer shared his story of how he started acting through his sharp memory, humorous storytelling, and conversant anecdotes. The Fantastic Four film star Alex Hyde-White was also in the audience, confirming the stories of Jordan Rhodes.
From Theater Acting to Film
Jordan Rhodes began acting in theaters in his early years in New York and made his debut on TV during the late 1950s. He started working on television series when he transferred to California. Rhodes became more successful in films as a co-star or guest star with the help of the late actor and director Leo Penn, the father of actors Sean Penn and Christopher Penn, and musician Michael Penn.
“I became very good friends with Leo,” Rhodes delightedly shared. “I got to know Leo very well, which also means I knew the family.” He went on to tell his projects throughout his career as a film actor. A time came when Leo told him, “You got to write the stories down. These things are gold.” The treasured story that has long been suggested to be put into writing pertains to the “blue collar actor” himself.
An Insight into the Film Industry
After a long time, the memoir “The Life of the Blue Collar Actor” was born during the pandemic. “For 68 days,” Rhodes recalled, “from 4 to 6 hours a day, I decided I write my book.” According to Rhodes, he decided to put down his story into writing to give his readers, especially young people, an insight into the film industry. He emphasized that it’s not about the actors but the business itself.
“I try to show in the book,” Rhodes asserted, “that you can come from really nothing. I had no single connection in the business.” He stressed the need for dedication to be successful in the industry. He coupled his story with his past experiences when he was still in North Carolina with his uncle working on a tobacco farm.
Bumps on the Road
The blue collar actor has shared about the roles he didn’t get, but he didn’t consider them as bumps on the road. What he regarded as such was talking to people about his locations. He went on to talk about his success from being a poor boy to owning a luxury in New York.
“The kind of key to my book,” Rhodes reiterated, “was being a guy going from North Carolina, a tobacco farm; being able to make a living in this business; and then, whining up at the Buckingham Palace at a cocktail reception hosted by Prince Philip.” Due to his dedication to the profession, Jordan Rhodes is also dubbed “the quintessential working actor” aside from being called “the blue collar actor.”
The ReadersMagnet Book Confab would never be more exciting and livelier without Jordan Rhodes and Alex Hyde-White. To learn more about Rhodes, you can visit his site at jordanrhodes.com. For updated information about our incoming events, reach out to us at info@readersmagnet.com or dial 1-800-805-0762 today! We’re looking forward to hearing from you soon.
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