Meet Joey Chase | Actor & Model

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

Hi Joey, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I am of mixed ethnicity, and I struggled with a bit of an identity crisis growing up. I pursue an artistic and creative career path to help encourage people of mixed ethnicity to establish a strong identity in the arts and entertainment industry. I am half-Japanese and half-Irish American, and I have lived in both Japan and the USA. Growing up in a multi-cultural household, I was able to gain a unique perspective; I experienced various cultural clashes in my life which helped mold me into who I am today. When I was younger, my peers often pointed out my differences; I looked differently than all my classmates both in Japan and in the USA. I practiced different customs and traditions from both of my cultures which always drew attention from my classmates.

I would often escape from reality by diving into movies and TV shows and I would always feel at peace and feel safe while watching my favorite stars. As the world is growing more diverse and I see more and more people of mixed ethnicities in the community, I feel proud to be an artist of mixed ethnicity today.

I strive to be a motivation to anyone out there that might be struggling with an identity crisis. I want to show them that they can be proud and celebrate their differences rather than be ashamed of or feel the need to hide their identities. I hope that when they see me chasing my goals, they feel inspired to chase their goals too. I hope that when individuals turn to escape from reality by diving into movies and TV shows, I can not only help them escape, but also show them that being different can be celebrated. Be proud of who you are!

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.
My dream role is an action role as the lead villain; today, I am proud to say that I am a person of mixed ethnicity starring as the lead villain, Ken’ichi, in the exciting new action feature film KADE, which is scheduled to finish filming this summer. KADE is written and directed by the up-and-coming gifted filmmaker, Garret Glassell, and also stars the talented Christopher Yerikian. My character Ken’ichi in this film also battles with an identity crisis of not being accepted by his Japanese Yakuza father and his gangster peers. He leaves Japan and starts his own gang in America where he takes life into his own hands and reeks havoc in a lawless land and claims the respect he feels he deserves.

I have been working hard at fight choreography for hand-on-hand combat as well as weapons training to deliver an authentic action-packed feature film which I am excited for the world to see!

I am so proud to say that I have an amazing team of four agencies (NTA Talent Agency, Genesis Artists Agency, Shamon Freitas Talent Agency, and ALA Hawaii), as well as an amazing manager (SKY Talent Management) that all help support my brand and help promote diversity in the industry.

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?
A perfect itinerary for me for a day in LA would include playing pick-up basketball at Venice Beach, working out at Venice Gold’s Gym, and eating lots of Japanese food. I would eat at Sakura House on Washington Blvd for some amazing yakitori or some fantastic sushi at Sasabune.

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?
There are so many people that have helped mold me into who I am today, and who have helped me through all of my successes and all of my failures. I am forever indebted to all those people who have helped me along my journey, but one person I am inclined to shoutout is my wife, Crystal. When I struggled to find motivation to pursue my life goals, she is the one who picked me up and stood by my side. No matter how hard the struggles we faced, she continuously showed me undying love and support and I will never be able to put into words the recognition and credit that she tremendously deserves. She challenged me to chase my dreams and my life goals. Thank you Crystal; love always wins!

Website: www.imdb.me/joeychase

Instagram: @Joeychase212

Image Credits
Robert Dahey