actor and director james pratt talks journey to hollywood

James Pratt is an award winning actor, director and celebrity favorite within luxury auctioneering internationally. With a strong background in acting, James first started his career studying acting at the prestigious acting school, NIDA in Sydney Australia, before landing a guest role on the hit TV show Home & Away. Since then James has gone on to work alongside some of the best in Hollywood including Q'orianka Kilcher, Sam Worthington and Erica Christensen.

In addition to acting and directing, James is regarded as one of the most successful and youngest real estate auctioneers in the world for luxury homes. Having won almost every top award within Australiasia for auctioneering, James has gained International admiration in the United States for setting several of the highest real estate auction prices. Most recently in 2018, he signed a deal with reality show heavyweight Charlie Ebersol / Ebersol Lanigan and the Theco.com for his own show selling celebrity houses within Los Angeles. In 2019 James was named Australia's Top 5 Under 35 in Entertainment, he also made history by winning back to back, the Australian Auctioneer Of The Year Award in 2019 and again 2020. James was a keynote speaker at NBC Universal's Italk New York event in February of 2020, speaking alongside names Bravo TV's Ali Levine, Roc Nation's Philly Freeway and Jalen James Acosta.

How did you get your start into the film industry? Did you start off acting?

I’d say the start was just after graduating from high school. I realized I loved acting and the film industry, but it was completely new for me as I’d spent most of my time growing up doing surfing competitions and playing sports. I started out studying at an acting school called NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) in Sydney, Australia.

Tell us about your journey from Australia to Hollywood. 

Films such as Dumb and Dumber, Heat, Point Break, Star Wars and American Pie- these Hollywood productions all had a big impact on me growing up. My favorite directors, writers, and producers have all been Hollywood based as well- so I’ve always had a motivation to work in Hollywood and be able to learn from the best.

It’s never been about money or fame or me, I just love the idea of telling stories and giving people a way to detach from the world and enjoy it. At one stage I was living in the outback of Australia surrounded by nothing but wheat fields, and Hollywood seemed like another planet away from where I was, but things happen fast.

What’s your creative process like?

I love to write late at night or from previous experiences. A lot of the comedy I have written in UCLA Pranks or Malibu Crush has been based on my own or friends' real experiences growing up.

What do you think are the most important elements of a good film?

It all starts with a great script. A well-written script will set you up for a good film. I think editors are very underrated as well. In today’s film industry and with the technology available, a good editor can cover bad acting and completely change the tone of the film. I know of films that have missed out on being sold, but then a new editor does a recut and the film gets sold to a big studio.

How does it feel winning Best Director at the 2022 Los Angeles film awards?

Very humbling and a good reminder for me to be more thankful and recognize filmmaking is always a team effort. I have had some great people who have supported me and gone out of their way to work with me when they really didn’t have to. I know I have been very fortunate.

 As an actor, how do you prepare for a role? 

Great question, At NIDA they taught you all the formal acting techniques and encouraged you to find what one best works for you. As I have spent more time on set, I realized I do my best work with basic script breakdown and then just give myself a chance to be in the moment rather than overcomplicate it. 

You also founded James Pratt Auctions Group, even working with big names like Mark Wahlberg. What drew you to pursue the real estate field?

My parents said when I studied acting, I needed to have something to fall back on, so I had to study real estate at the same time. Between the film industry, especially early on, I was fortunate enough to start the James Pratt Auctions Group and have loved the business side of real estate when not in Hollywood.

What advice do you have for the young professional looking to get into real estate? 

Embrace having other jobs or careers while working in real estate at the same time. It’s all about networking, so ultimately if you can have another business that feeds into your real estate pipeline that’s perfect, and it gives you flexibility as well.

What’s next for you?

I will be hosting the red carpet on behalf of Mogul Productions at Futurist conference on August 9th and 10th in Toronto. Then Malibu Crush premieres worldwide next month so I’ve got some exciting premieres coming up. In September I’m judging the iHollywood Film Festival in LA on the 6th, and red carpet hosting at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) on the 8th. Then on to a new feature film movie called Skyline Mist which will be very exciting. In October I film a new TV series as well. 

LINKS

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Twitter: @james_pratt7
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