JAMIE HECTOR
IN CONVERSATION WITH…
JAMIE HECTOR, Actor
“It does seem like we are going to wake up and half of us will be gone if we don’t figure out a way to choose life.”
I AM
Haitian-American
Brooklyn
Actor
Artist
God Believing
Husband and a Father
Who I am is because of Marie, my mom. She gave me space to figure IT out, whatever that needed to be, at every moment of my childhood. I can’t tell you how important that is, especially to a young man as you are seeking to navigate your way through this world.
Anyone who knows Caribbean or island families know there is pressure on the kids to pursue a respected and stable profession: doctor, lawyer, account. I never had that pressure. We didn’t have it easy. My mom was a single-parent, working hard to provide for my four siblings and I. There was always something due, but she never let those constraints be the boundaries around us. When I told her I was interested in music and then dance, she never discouraged or encouraged me. She gave me the tools and the space to figure it out -for me to determine if I was going to do everything required to achieve it. She was present, just enough, to let me know I was empowered and never alone.
ACTING
"It's like walking a tightrope in the air," Al Pacino.
When I committed to pursuing acting, I went all the way in. Studying at Strasberg, doing stage productions, and seeking out every opportunity I could to get experience under my belt. I remember early on, auditioning for SPIKE LEE. I walk in, and there are all these actors with long CVs waiting. I was not deterred because I had studied the material, so I was ready. What I did not know yet was the importance of improvisation in auditions and later on set. I went in, did my thing, and Spike starts giving me instructions wanting to see different variations. Yeah, that didn’t go well, but it did not stop me. Quite the opposite, it fueled me to get better and never put myself in that position again. The next time I went in to audition for him, I was ready, and he saw the work I had put in, which gained me Clockers (1995), and He Got Game (1998).
Work was steady, but it soon ran its course. The type of roles coming were limiting, 'street dude,' or the stereotypical thug one. Knowing that I wanted more and had much more to give, I made a decision that I no longer wanted to be cast based on someone else's bias. I took an objective look at myself and the choices I made on what work to take. My hair at the time was long and in braids. If you know one thing about Haitians, cutting of the hair is not something we do lightly. It’s Samson and Delilah for my culture. I made a conscious decision to let my craft lead. I also decided to make career choices that would not only give me range but give the image and layers of black male characters range.
That was one of the things that made the character of ‘Marlo Stanfield’ on The Wire (HBO) so attractive. Here was this street dude who didn’t look the part and was not the expectation. He had layers. In every episode, I was able to unveil another dimension to him.
BROAD SHOULDERS
Where I am today, as an actor, is a result of the high shoulders I stand. In no specific order: Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Paul Robeson, Meryl Streep, Kimberly Elise, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sidney Poitier, Robert Duvall.
If you have not seen Duvall in THE APOSTLE, then you have missed one of the great performances and faith testimonies of all time.
The MANTRA
“Pace yourself, don’t mistake movement with progress.”
BOSCH (Amazon Prime)
Art does, in this case, imitate life to some degree. The new season of BOSCH is a race against time to stop a domestic terrorism plot to release a radioactive agent in LA that could kill millions of people.
Last year, when we started filming in July, there was no way that any of us could have known we would be living through a pandemic. When the show started, the focus was on one case. Each season has been building to this, not in pursuit of an ROI, but to a momentum strategy crafted by our exceptional team of writers. We chase our good within this creative process by being conscious of what is going on in the world, and the potential of what could happen. We are on point if we do it right, not phoning it in, and in the success, we all end up where we are supposed to be. That is what I feel about this season and how timely it is.
I came on this show in the first season, having read the books by MICHAEL CONNELLY. When I first read ‘Jerry Edgar,’ he intrigued me because he was the total antithesis of Marlo. Two men on different sides of law enforcement. Jerry was a detective that was not hunting down black men. He was trying to solve cases that would affect the greater society. The way he saw the world in terms of equality, how you take care of yourself, your family, all the while being dedicated to your job with the sense of balance resonated with me. I believe he truly understands this, and that is admirable. He is more than an officer he is layered and hardworking, but it does not start and end with the badge.
In the beginning, the show's focus was on the case, LA, and Bosch. Michael Connelly and our showrunner, ERIC OVERMYER developed this character as not just the sidekick as he is written in the book; they have given him wings. I got more involved in personalizing Jerry, during seasons 5 and 6, when we started to explore his Haitian lineage and incorporate it into the storyline. Making sure that his dialect, the Creole words spoken, relationship with his wife and children were true to the culture was important.
The seventh season is slated to begin filming this summer. In light of all that is occurring, we are all on standby. We are focused on not just how our industry is going to come through this, but how our families and peers are going to come through. Bosch is a family, and that is more important than ever.
Last season, I had an issue with my mother. Within three days of returning from an international trip -Israel, Paris, and Yemen- she was unable to move fell into a coma in New York. I am in the middle of production and trying to sort everything that I can without disrupting production in Los Angeles. I would go from shooting a scene and then on the phone with her doctors as soon as the director yelled, cut. This happens several times. I never hung up the phone. I kept the line active so that I could jump back in. One of our producers overhead me, steps in, ‘What do you need? How can we shift this in your favor so you can get to your mother?’ Their first thought was not the production, but making sure that I was okay. They understood that if my family is not good, then I am not good and being optimal is what is best for the show. Thankfully my mother is fully recovered.
CONSISTENCY, COMPASSION, and RESPECT from the writer’s room and to the actors, TITUS, AMY, LANCE, MADI, to wardrobe and to sound. Everyone must be on board. As the Talent, I appreciate this, but I also watch how leaders treat their background players, the extras. If you treat them well, then what you are doing with me is not fake.
BEST ADVICE
“Do whatever you need to to get closer to that moment and never let anyone talk you out of it.” Eric shared this with me when I was advised not to visit a real morgue because the stench of human decay is a smell that stays with you forever. Not only did I visit the morgue in preparation for the scene, but I often go back to his advice.
THE OUTLOOK
It does seem like we are going to wake up and half of us will be gone if we don’t figure out a way to choose life. I am hopeful for the future but know that the road back is going to be a difficult one.
I remember 9/11 and how that felt. I was shooting a film on Roosevelt Island when it happened. It felt like the world was ending, and that New York would never be the same. No one knew how or when recovery would be, or even what life would look like afterward. We came back stronger and more creative. I have hope.
The MEDITATION (when you think Legacy + Heritage)
My family is my legacy. My wife and I are a team. My kids, everything I do is for them. My father was not active in my life, growing up. For a long time, I thought he was dead. It's what I was told, so it had to be true. It wasn't until I was a bit older, in the backyard at my aunt's house one afternoon that I saw a man come in and go inside. When he came back out, he walks over to me and asks, "Do you know who I am?" I did not. "I'm your daddy."
I remember the moment clearly. It was blunt. It's not the kind of thing that just happens, and you keep moving through life. It affects you. From the moment I became a father, there was never an option not to be the best I can be for my kids. I take pride in the lessons we teach them, who they will grow to be, and what they will do in the world. I want to leave them with knowledge and spiritual obedience to God. I want to leave them with generational wealth to accompany the body of work, film, and television, that I create. These films will motivate them to build with compassion just as Glory, Good Will Hunting, and Crooklyn did for me.
Outside of my family, I want the outreach within the community we started thirteen years ago through my MOVING MOUNTAINS FOUNDATION and continue to expand it—the young actors, actresses, singers, dancers. Musicians and writers coming to us are the future.
The READ
I am always reading something and love recommendations. Most likely, it is always something new to me, a new author, a new concept of thought that just adds to the journey. If I had to select two books, beyond the bible, of importance, they would be
The Black Jacobians (C.L.R. James) – it is the story of the great Toussaint L’Ouverture and the Revolution at San Domingo. Most of what you hear about Haiti is negative. True, we have a long way to go, but there is much greatness and potential in our people. Toussaint is in our spirit. It would be a great honor to play him on screen.
The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) – there is no such thing as a coincidence. It is all divine intervention and grace that places us on the right path. I was led to the book in three separate ways. Firstly, NASIR JONES, this verse on Triple Threat that made me pause “The Celest team, prophecy, project warrior, owns property…” NAS is one of those rappers whose lyrics are intentional and always filled with meaning, so when he said ‘The Celest team…’ and I did not readily know the reference, I had to look it up.
Sometime later, I was on set filming a project with LIN QUE from X-Clan. She told me I should read a book called The Celestine Prophecy, and I was like, okay. Now, I am familiar. It wasn't until after we wrapped that I am reading an article, and the book is mentioned again—third time. No coincidence. Seven Park Slope ‘mom and pop’ bookstores, and one Barnes & Noble later, I was sitting in my car reading this book. Could not put it down.
The LISTEN
I create a playlist for each character I play. Jerry Edgar’s essential five would be:
The Man (Aloe Blacc) – Reminds Jerry of who HE IS!
Blood (The Middle East) – Reflection on the pain of divorce. It's like starting a life with two legs, and then one is amputated. Learning to walk again. Possible, but different.
Against All Odds (Phil Collins) – A reminder of work-life balance. Jerry's focus on his family.
All Night Long (Lionel Richie) – Jerry loves to dance, shop, and have a good time.
Redemption Song (Bob Marley) – Reminds Jerry of what was done to him and why he lives how he lives. To help those who can't help themselves and give closure.
Photography:
Dae Howerton + Dallas J. Logan for ICON MANN
Styling:
Adam Ballheim for The Only Agency, Assisted by Arielle Sturkenboom
Grooming:
Annette Chaisson for Exclusive Artists using Skyn ICELAND
Location:
Mondrian Los Angeles
