Meet Jeanpaul Acocella | Actor, bartender, influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeanpaul Acocella and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi JeanPaul, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk taking has played a huge part of getting to where I am today. I’ve lived on 3 continents (Japan for 14 months, France for 9 months, and the rest in the US), all because I craved learning more about the world and sought out opportunities that allowed me to achieve those travels. My most recent risk taking has been moving myself from Florida to California to start going after more of my goals. Leaving family and friends in Florida was not easy, but it was essential in me becoming who I am today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is a bit all over the place, but I’ve always loved throwing myself into new artistic endeavors. I started playing the clarinet, flute, and saxophone in 6th grade and excelled at that. In high school I went to a school for the performing arts for music. That’s when I discovered dance. Going straight from school to dance class was an arduous schedule, but i loved going to the dance studio and throwing myself into classes. When I entered collage I was definitely hit with some challenges concerning mental health. Coming to terms with being gay and being diagnosed with chronic depression, I’ve definitely had roadblocks to overcome. I still have days where I don’t wanna get out of bed and the depression takes over, but I know how to manage myself and talk myself off that cliff when I need to. I eventually started working for Disney in college and danced in all of the shows and parades you could possibly imagine. Today, I’ve moved myself to LA To pursue my dreams of acting/modeling/dancing. I’ve gotten many great opportunities in each of these areas, but there’s always so much more to go!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I think going on the hike to Griffith observatory but on the Los Feliz side would be nice. I just moved over to Los Feliz actually, the area is beautiful. Quaint, easy going, full of little shops and local stores, with a great selection of bars and nightlife. I’d of course take them to hotdog Sundays over at El cid on a Sunday funday adventure. Little ice cream shops, dive bars, or a mountain side roadtrip would be how I’d fill the itinerary up!

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?
It always seems obvious to mention a parent, but my mom deserves this shout out more than anyone in my life. She has been there for me for every up and down I’ve ever had in my life. From coming out of the closet, to helping me through depressive episodes, my mom’s love and open mindedness has never once wavered. She always lets me know how proud she is of me, and that she’s always there for me no matter what. I think if everyone had that kind of parent in their life, the world would be a very different place!

Instagram: @jeanpaul.acocella

Image Credits
Patrick Rivera
Studio Pegasus
FadedSons3
Studio Joris