Meet Charles Jake Johnson | Actor & Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charles Jake Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charles Jake, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I have always been of the mindset “the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward”. I don’t believe in being content, or being satisfied if the goal isn’t met. The biggest risk that I’ve taken in my life is leaving everything and everyone back home in Michigan so I can pursue my dreams. Sometimes you have to be selfish in order to change the cycle and to change things for your loved ones.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I believe what sets me apart from others is the fact that I’m never content. I always push myself to reach higher heights. Though they’re others that push themselves as well, I believe that my push is different because I left everything back home and do not have a plan B. I’m most proud of the fact that I did not quit. When times got hard, I had no money and the gigs were coming in slow, I still chose to stick it out and I’m thankful that I did. Professionally I got where I am today because I did not quit. I kept believing in myself knowing that my time would eventually come. Nothing about this career is easy, it takes work and patience. I overcome challenges by thinking of the actors that did it and made it in their 30’s. Knowing that this is a career that doesn’t have a ” it’s too late” tag on it makes it easy to overcome mainly the mental challenges of this career. One of the main lessons I’ve learned is to always stay green. What that means is always be willing to learn. Never think you know it all because you can always be taught something more. I want the world to know that Charles Jake is a hard working, dedicated, disciplined, great actor/writer who will never stop working and creating.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d definitely take them to Venice and Santa Monica Beach to walk the boardwalk and watch all the entertainment at Venice. After reaching the end of the boardwalk we’d ride bikes or electric scooters along the beach pathway and head to Santa Monica. I’d also make sure we hit the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farms, Six Flags and maybe Disney Land. We’d of course eat at some of my favorite restaurants like Crossroads, Sugar Taco and VTree when they open back up but I enjoy cooking.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The only people that I want to recognize is my family and Mary-Kate FitzPatrick. I want to make sure I recognize my family because though they didn’t understand my decision to leave, they never tried to pressure me to come home. Though my mom misses me and always want her son around, she’s seeing the progress that I’ve been making and she’s proud of her baby boy. My father has always been supportive of any choice that I make and trust that I know what I’m doing in life. I’m recognizing Mary-Kate because without her none of this would’ve been possible. She took a stranger (me) and showed me the ropes. She held my hand and helped me get into this industry, taught me what I needed to know and most of all she kept her word. When many other people in the industry told me lies and empty/broken promises, she told me the exact same words that the others told me but she actually followed up and stuck to her word. She will always hold a special place in my heart and I’ll never stop thanking her.

Instagram: CJakeJohnson