Meet Jessica Janes | Actor

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

Hi Jessica, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?

Oh, I love this question–so many things! First off, thanks so much for having me. To answer your question: being aware, listening to my body, and taking care of my instrument. Living and actually enjoying life: get the tattoo, go on the big trip (I summited Kilimanjaro this year), take the martial arts class that you’ve been meaning to take but keep putting off, dye your hair…perhaps, quickly have regrets and dye it back before your agent drops you! Life is too short; enjoy the ride.

I think it’s also important to get out of your own way, don’t be scared, and stop overthinking it. I know that may not sound like a “habit” per se…but our mental ‘habits’ and self-talk are just as important as our task-oriented daily habits. Fear can hold us back in life: fear of failure, fear of looking stupid, fear of taking the big leap…you name it! Just get out of your own way and go for it. No matter what, you will learn something in the process and be a better artist and human because of it. Dare to make mistakes. Do the work. Work hard! If you don’t…someone else will and opportunity can pass you by.

Also, this isn’t really a habit but…surround yourself with people who love and support you and lift you UP. Community is oh-so-important and keeps your cup full.

Oh gosh, I don’t know if I answered your question but I think just be a good person, take care of your body and mind, work hard, live life, have community, and be fearless!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I’m an actor, singer, comedian, and writer. I’ve been singing and performing ever since I can remember. Disney used to release sing-a-long booklets with cassette tapes and my sister and I would learn ALL of the words to all of the songs–before the movie even came out! Very clever marketing. We had to have a rule of “no singing at the dinner table” because…that’s how much we loved singing. Also, it could possibly (definitely) be because I always sang way louder than my sister and fighting would ensue.

I went on to have a successful career doing regional theatre and earned my Actors’ Equity card in the process. After I moved to LA, I really started focusing in more on the writing side of comedy with stand-up and I also joined “The Babes” sketch team as a writer and performer. I have performed at Flappers, UCB, Dynasty Typewriter…there’s always something fun going on! I am also a proud member of SAG-AFTRA—I am grateful that my union is standing in solidarity with the WGA right now. It is a time for unity and steadfastness. The law needs to catch up to the technology. It’s a scary time for paying bills but if we don’t get ahead of it now…when? #sagaftrastrong!

Also, it’s not easy. I just brushed over years of crying in my car after a crappy audition, working 5 jobs to pay my rent, and emotionally low times of questioning my own abilities. You really gotta love it.

The best advice I can give to an actor/creative starting out is…you gotta brush it off! If you don’t book the job…let yourself have one-day-max of being bummed about it. Otherwise, you’ll lose your mind with all of the rejection. Learn from it, hone your craft, and MOVE ON. Acting and performing is 99% auditions for most working actors. I actually love auditioning (most of the time) because I treat them like mini performances. They really want me to be great, they want me to be the person they’ve been looking for, that makes their casting easier…so, I just go in and give them a little show. If I book it, great! If I don’t…I did my best and they’ll remember me for something else that IS right for me. Also, I have to mention again–FIND YOUR PEOPLE. It doesn’t have to be an island; find the people who lift you up and you can create WITH them. It makes it ALL a helluva lot more fun. I was lucky to meet one of my best friends in an acting class, my second month living in LA, and my community expanded from there.

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’m all about the outdoor activities in LA–we have to hike Griffith Park (love the Hogback Trail) and Debs Park (there’s a surprise pond with turtles!). I also love going to the beach and renting bikes in Venice. Biking all day long…stopping for lunch and drinks along the way. It’s so fun! I can’t leave out Echo Park Lake (grab a coffee, a pastry, and leisurely walk around), Descanso Gardens (so many beautiful flowers and family friendly), and Huntington Gardens (beautiful during rose-blooming season and the cacti gardens are stunning year-round).

The LA Zoo is wonderful for wandering (on a week day; when it’s not bonkers) and getting churros, ice cream, maybe even a beer! Brew at the Zoo is a fun evening event that they have where a bunch of California breweries set up at the zoo and you get to walk around and try all of them. Animal-wise: the gorillas always seem to be out in the morning and they’re so fun to watch. The chimpanzees and howler monkeys are always super active and loud. Also, feeding the giraffes is a 10/10: so fun.

One day, we can go to happy hour at Figaro Bistro in Los Feliz–grab a glass of rosé, some steak tartare, frites, and their rose macaron is sooo good! Then we’ll catch a flick at the Los Feliz Theatre.

If we want to be even more artsy and cultured…we have to go to The Broad downtown and then we can pop over to Grand Central Market to wander, eat, and drink.

My favorite music venue is The Greek Theatre so hopefully we can go see a show there and dance the night away! It’s outside and so beautiful. Maybe grab a martini at Little Dom’s beforehand—their booths are so cozy.

A recovery-day Chilaquiles Burrito from Tacos Villa Corona in Atwater Village is necessary. Also, having a spa day at Olympic Spa (women only, sorry) is a MUST. Hanging out in the saunas and hot tubs all day and then getting a massage and/or a scrub is the absolute best. I always go here on my birthday to pamper myself.

Another tidbit: I know that LA isn’t known as a walking city but…honestly, park your car in an area and you can find adventure! The best days are spontaneous days in LA.

    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?

That’s an easy one to answer—my wonderful Mom, Roberta! She deserves ALL of the credit. She passed away last year, unfortunately, after a tough battle with Cancer and I miss her terribly. She was always my biggest cheerleader, supporter, and fan. She didn’t grow up being able to do many extra-curricular/artistic activities so she encouraged my siblings and I to explore and try everything.

Thanks to her, I believed in myself from a very early age and many of my best qualities are from her. She became a ceramicist and potter later in life and I find that to be so inspiring. She was such a YES person and I strive to live my life that way, every day. I’m grateful that I always had her pushing me to do more, listen to my intuition, do what I want, and truly live life to the fullest. Heck, she let me skip school to go to Jazz Fest in New Orleans when I was in middle school. We all need a Roberta!

Website: www.justjessjanes.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/justjessjanes

Image Credits
Anthony Rathbun, George Hixson