Meet Justin Mawardi | Actor, Director, Writer

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

Hi Justin, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
Being in the entertainment business, especially as an actor, you truly learn the lesson of “trusting the process”. When I first started my acting career, I knew getting rejected was part of the job, but at first it was extremely hard not to take it personally. The dry spells of not getting jobs really made me question if I was good enough, or if I was doing the right thing. But as time went on, and the ebb and flow of how the industry worked started making sense to me, I learned to not take every rejection as an attack of my ability as an actor. I learned that if I kept auditioning, kept working and improving, the jobs will come.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I take pride that although I’m not a stunt performer, I have a strong ability in action. It’s a tool in my tool-belt that not many other actors have, especially starting out. The journey so far has definitely not been easy, and with every challenge, came the opportunity to learn something new from overcoming it. When things were slow, and I wasn’t getting jobs early on, it forced me to get creative in how I kept myself active; it forced me to learn how to operate behind the camera, and the camera itself! It gave me the opportunity that if I wanted to create something, I could! I no longer had to wait for anything or anyone, whenever I had the urge to create, I could satisfy that urge on a whim. Frankly, I’m always looking to push and improve myself, I always want more, to be better. I wanted proof that I was growing. Recently, I decided to create a film called “Enough for you”, a small short film made with a budget of 600 dollars and a cast/crew of myself and friend Hannah, and for the first time, I submitted to film festivals. Currently the film has been a finalist in 3 festivals, and I’ve won awards in two as best actor! I am very hopeful that more is yet to come!

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.
Oh man, depending on when they come, it would change! But, as I’m writing this in the season of halloween, first and foremost I would take them to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal studios! Nothing quite like roaming through mazes like “Insidious” and not knowing when a demon is going to pop up right at you haha. Escape rooms are also in the same vein, recently I’ve been going on a binge with friends, going through horror themed escape rooms that feature live actors! If you can’t tell already, I’m a HUGE horror fan. In terms of food, it’s hard listing all the good places. But, Ham Ji Park in Korea town has the best Korean spicy ribs you can find in LA, hands down.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost I have to thank my family. My parents and brother were there every step of the way encouraging and supporting me through the ups and downs. That being said, every person I’ve worked with have been absolutely incredible. Working in these smaller projects and with other people who are in the same situation as I am really creates a sense of camaraderie and motivation. It’s a great feeling to have knowing that the people that around you are working just as hard as you are, and are there to help push you too!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jmawardi/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoosedTin

Other: https://www.twitch.tv/joosedtin