“In show business, business is the bigger word.”

James Lewis (Leon) just appeared in HBO’s We Own This City, the latest look at Baltimore from the creators of The Wire, which he also acted in. Lewis explains how he finds the balance between high-profile projects and passion projects, and how he went from the hustle of local commercials in the DMV to founding his own voiceover studio. Born in Washington, Lewis also talks about the changes he’s seen in D.C. and his hopes for its future.

When we were rehearsing in Mt. Pleasant, you talked about driving into the city through neighborhoods you lived in growing up and reflecting on all the changes you’ve seen. How do you think about the transformation of D.C.?

I was born in the sixties, so I remember the riots, the fires. The neighborhoods and streets that were never rebuilt. I remember walking down H Street and the aroma of burned-out buildings was still in the air. So you’re glad to see your city grow. But then you see that people who were living and thriving in this city during that time are being forced out because they can’t afford it.

I grew up in the Trinidad area. It was a great community. Many kids, many generations, and that does seem to be going away. Our parents are still in those neighborhoods, but there are no kids.

Did D.C. seem like an option for you when you were starting a family?

I have to say no. I think of my old neighborhood and everyone wanted to move to Maryland so they could have a big house and big yard. And I’m one of those people, you know? And yet at the same time, there is a foundation here for a better life. I don’t want to make the case that gentrification is all evil. But how can you channel this change into something better.

To bring the families back, you have to create communities that are conducive to children being in them. And that means you have to take a look at the D.C. public school system. If you have the financial means to send your child to private school or to navigate the charter school system, you can get a good education for your kids. But if not, your kid is not going to get a good education.

What was your experience in the D.C. public schools?

I had a phenomenal experience. I started high school at [the Catholic prep school] Gonzaga. I had a full four-year scholarship. But there was nothing art based, so I transferred to Springarn. I had some phenomenal teachers. I took advanced courses in science and still had the music and performing side. We had a fantastic music program. I played in the concert band, the stage band, the marching band. I had a social studies teacher who was a huge drama and performing arts fan, so we started the drama club. That was such a strong foundation for me. But now, Springarn doesn’t even exist.

You’ve gone on to have a successful career as a voice actor and you’re working on high-profile shows like We Own This City. What motivated you to come to the Capital Fringe and do Green Machine?

Honestly, I haven’t done theater in a long time. The compensation isn’t enough. But I will do things for two reasons. I will do things for friends. If a friend like Catherine reaches out to me and I have the time, I will do it for them. I don’t care about the compensation. Or I will do something that I just need to sink my teeth into as a performer. I did a short film, Mysterious Prison, about homeless men in D.C. And the director said, I can’t afford to pay you. And I was like, don’t worry about it. Take that money and pay the other folks. I’m good on money. I just want to sink my teeth into this role.

One amazing thing about the Green Machine cast is that you’ve all made a living in the arts. How did you make that happen?

After college, I started exploring community theater and I did a couple of stage plays. But I hadn’t really thought about anything professional. Then I relocated from Maryland to Charlottesville, Virginia. And all of my performing came to a halt for the next eight or nine years. But that itch was still there. I just didn't know what it was or how to scratch it. I tried filling it with a lot of different things. Public speaking engagements in the business world, I opened a martial arts school. All kinds of stuff. But then I read an article in 1999 in Black Enterprise magazine that talked about voice actors. I love listening to books on tape and I was like, man, this would be a great job. That’s what sent me down this road.

How did you make that jump from a business career into a career as a voice actor and performing artist?

It’s not a big jump. Let me go back to a slogan I have: “It’s called ‘show business,’ and business is the bigger word.” If you’re going to make a living at it, you have to understand the business side of what we do. Understand compensation, understand the unions, understand the difference between a casting director, a talent agent and a manager. Be on the lookout for the scam.

I didn’t go to school for theater. I didn’t go to school for acting. I approach acting as play. As in, I’m a child and I’m playing. I’m creating that character and believing I’m that character. For me, that’s where the sincerity of acting comes from. But being a business person, I have to understand the formula of how to be successful, so I’m constantly reading articles, books, whatever I can, to learn people’s backstory, to see how they’ve done it. I am a firm believer that you do not have to reinvent the wheel.

What advice would you give a young actor looking to build a career?

Again, my approach to the industry was very methodical and business driven. On the way up, you establish relationships, you network. My goal starting out in the DMV was I wanted every casting director to know me. You want them to know you by reputation. To know you’re going to be prepared and give them the performance they need. To know you’re not going to flake.

Get your tools in place, have your infrastructure in place, your webpage, your social media pages, your email. Treat this as a business. If you are not working, you are auditioning. If you are not auditioning, you are marketing and branding. If you’re doing all of those things every day, you will make progress. D.C. is the largest theater market in the country after New York. You can do a ton of non-union ads or voiceover work here. But then it’s like, do you want to spend all day, all week, all month chasing a $200 job here, a $500 job here. Or would you rather work one $30,000 job once a quarter?

I have people who come to me all the time for career coaching sessions. And they’re like, how do I get to that next level? And it’s basically coming to the realization, I’ve got to get an agent. If you’re in L.A., if you’re in New York, you know that. Well, there aren’t any agents in the DMV. Just casting directors. Here in the DMV, the hustle is so hard for non-union work. We get so bogged down in the day to day that we forget to take that next step. You must understand that the gatekeepers in this industry, the people who are going to get you the five-figure and six-figure deals with residual pay are the agents.

So at some point in time, especially here in the DMV, the hustle shouldn’t be your focus. Getting representation must be. Know this: other people have done it, they know how to, right? You don’t have to figure it all out yourself. Learn from them.

Next
Next

Natalie Graves Tucker Q&A