jake austin walker talks music + life as an actor in l.a.
How did you get started as a musician?
I was always going the YouTube route posting as many covers as I could get out there. This was great practice at the time as well because it kept me on track with learning guitar for the songs I would play. Living in a technologically open world gives so many performers and artist alike the vessel to get their stuff out there. So that’s what I was doing for years. Eventually through word of mouth and the world being as small as it is I met my now full time producer Jim Roach. It's been a dream to be able to finally have a support system, and an insanely talented one at that, because now we are bringing to life music I've always wanted to make.
How would you describe your sound?
Finding your sound is one of the hardest things as an artist I feel because your music is changing with you every year. You become a different version of yourself through experiences and just living. So I guess what I'm always aiming for in my music is authenticity. I just want it to move you in some way. If you didn't feel something, whatever the intended emotion may be, then I didn't do my job right.
Who was the toughest character for you to change into?
Jake Austin Walker as ‘Alex Baker’
The hardest character to approach for me so far was actually my character in the last movie I did ‘12 MIGHTY ORPHANS’. It was a period piece and getting into the mindset of just how things were said and done during the 1930s was a big thing to wrap your head around. Also the just the idea of who these people were and the situations that brought them together was unlike anything I’d been through in my life. I also had to use an accent which is a nice obstacle to get yourself over because you want it to be as believable as it can be. I will say having an accent lends itself to allowing you to really feel like your portraying someone else entirely. Anything like that helps.
You played a key role as Alex Baker in 'Five Points', what was your favorite thing about this character? You and the cast are still close to this day, who did you spend the most time with on set?
Alex Baker was a lot of fun to play. Playing the "bad guy" is always interesting and unique to me because I get to find out what makes the character behave in the way they do. I like to think no one is inherently purely good or evil. Human beings are capable of the deepest love and hate. Yin and Yang of human nature. So building this pain in Alex and understanding why he did the things he did made his pay off in the end of his arc that much more rewarding. I don't condone his actions or way of handling his anger the way he did. But I think to understand it was integral to making the character feel real.
We had to shoot the whole season in about a month from what I remember. We were with each other every breathing minute. I loved that cast, and we keep in touch as much as we can. I'm proud of each and everyone of them. They're all moving up in what they want to do and it's amazing to watch.
Cast of Five Points alongside Director Kerry Washington
You just had an amazing experience on ‘Stargirl’ as Henry Jr., what can you say for those who haven’t seen it yet?
Jake Austin Walker as ‘Henry Jr.’
I cant wait for everyone to see Stargirl. It really is something special and the fact that we joined the CW family is the cherry on top. Stay tuned! I don't think there’s anything like it out right now. (Watch Stargirl FREE on The CW here.)
What’s one thing you want people to know about you?
I was just a chubby little red headed kid from a small town in Mississippi when I first started to go after this. Every next step seemed higher and scarier than the last. There's times I doubt myself even to this day. It's part of being human. You can't sit in that place forever. I have an amazing team that supports me all the way and to look at whats been achieved since I started I think would make that chubby kid pretty proud. So as cliche as it is: if you truly believe in yourself through the good times and the bad then there’s no way it can’t work out.
My top three tips:
1.) Don't live in comparison. There's room at the top for everybody.
2.) Be happy for any success your friends and family receive, it’s an energy that should be rejoiced and shared.
3.) Surround yourself in your craft. Read books in that subject, watch classes on YouTube. There's so much free knowledge in any art form out there. Dive in!