We got the chance to chat with Jaime M. Callica about acting, his upcoming projects, and more. Watch Jaime M. Callica in “Tyler Perry’s Ruthless,” premiering Thursday, March 19, 2020, streaming exclusively on BET+!

 

upfrontNY: Can you tell us about how you got into acting?

Jaime M. Callica: My entrance to performing was dance, but I always knew I would end up acting. I was in business. I started a small company that bought and sold real estate like convenient stores and tanning salons. One day I woke, just popped out of bed at 6 in the morning, went down to one of my stores and said today is the day. I went downtown to my office, called my realtor who had helped me, and said it was time to sell it. He thought I was joking. I told him I wanted to be an actor. I want to sell it all and I want to act. It took about a year to sell everything and in that time I was taking classes, doing background work and trying to be on set and learn as much as possible. October 9, 2012 my last store sold. 2013 was the beginning of the acting career.

 

upfrontNY: Do you believe timing is everything?

Jaime M. Callica: 100 percent. A lot of my friends and family joke and are like we always knew you would get here, why did it take you so long? I believe everything happens in its time. There was no question that I needed the experiences in the times that I was in college, when I managed a cell phone company, worked at a bank, and managed a business. I needed those experiences to get me to the point that when I was ready to act I could draw upon those experiences. When I go off for an audition as a lawyer, I can speak lawyer. I can speak business, because i was in business. It might’ve happened later than everyone else thought it would happen, but I think it happened in the time that I was most prepared to embark on this career.

 

upfrontNY: You have been very successful. What drives you?

Jaime M. Callica: I have always been a very motivated driven person. I would set a goal and work until I achieved the goal. I would work relentlessly to pursue the goal. I didn’t work as hard as I should have and in my first couple years I booked 1 role. I had a bad break up in 2015 and I turned to myself and said look at all the things you are doing wrong in your life now and how you used to do things when you were most successful. I began working harder and working on my relationships.  Most of my credits are from 2015 to today.

 

upfrontNY: Can you tell us about your experience on “Ruthless”? 

Jaime M. Callica: It has been crazy. I have always admired Tyler Perry . Everyone knows his story of him being homeless and having nothing. He worked and worked and now, he is the top dog with 330 acres of his Tyler Perry studio. The experience itself is unlike anything else. He wrote every episode, directed every episode, is the executive producer, creator of the show, and he is there in the trenches with you every day for 12+ hrs and you see him work. You hear the stories, but you get to work with him side by side, get his feedback, and see him joke around. We get to the studio before we shoot , 100+ people and he leads a prayer every day before we start shooting. There is something magical about working with him. We shoot a lot in a day. Ten times more than you will shoot anywhere. It was also stressful and harder than anything I have ever experienced, but they call it Tyler Perry boot camp, so if you can make it through that you can make it through anything.

 

upfrontNY: Can you tell us about a very different project of yours, “Upside Down Magic”?

Jaime M. Callica: I play a young dad and the movie is really sweet. Disney bought the rights for these novels and it is about kids who go to magic school and discover they have different types of magical powers. There is a dark magic element, but I am not going to spoil it. Disney does everything big, so it was really awesome to get into that Disney family and with a movie that i think people are really going to love.

 

upfrontNY: If you had magical powers what would they be?

Jaime M. Callica: Reading people’s minds or flying.

 

upfrontNY: You have worked with BET and Disney. What has it been like to work with both and be in very different projects? 

Jaime M. Callica: It is fun. When i look at my whole resume from playing a doctor in the Christmas movie “Christmas On Holly Lane” to an investment banker in “Memories of Christmas” with Christina Milian then playing Julian in “Merry Liddle Christmas” with Kelly Rowland. Every role that I have done has been very different and it is the best part of being an actor. You get to create a character.

 

upfrontNY On instagram you have in your bio,  just be kind. Can you tell us how important it has been for you to share this message?

Jaime M. Callica: We are at a place on this planet that we are lacking two main things, kindness and empathy and we are all capable of both. It takes you no time or energy to wait those extra seconds to hold a door for that person walking by. It is the little things like that, if we all made a shift back towards kindness and empathy you would see a drastic change in the state of our planet. It would trickle into everything, you wouldn’t litter, you wouldn’t throw plastic bottles into the garbage can when the recycle bin is right next to it. You don’t have to go out of your way for kindness, just look for it. A lot of improvement can be made if we all add kindness to the front of our thoughts everyday. Everything would be different.

This one bothers me with social media, you will see someone do something great, it will be a win for them no matter how big or small. People will see that and can’t double tap on their screen as if liking that photo is going to detract from your life at all. It is not! People will see it and think oh that person is doing too well, I am not going to like it. Even though it has no consequence on my life. My win does not translate to your loss.

 

upfrontNY: You said you loved dancing. Would you want to be on a show like dancing with the stars?

Jaime M. Callica: I love dancing, so if i could go be on a show that I dance every single week, I am going to do that. One of the other ones that I would want to do is “Lip Sync Battle ” with LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen. I watched Joseph Gordon Levitt when he did Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” and killed it. He had the whole choreo down. I would probably do a Michael or a Janet piece.

 

upfrontNY: Want do you want others to know about you?

Jaime M. Callica: 2020 is going to be the year I spend a lot more time with my nonprofit organization. It is catered towards single moms and moms with disabilities. My mom raised me by herself and she has an autoimmune disease called ITP and at times had her very sick. My grandmother was quite unwell her her whole life until she passed a few years ago. My mom really struggled at times raising me and taking care of my grandmother. That is one thing i am going to get off the ground further than it has thus far.

The other organization i want to get more involved in is MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. I was hit by a drunk driver that almost killed me. I want to lend my voice, face, and experience to that organization.

I want people to watch the projects I am in and hope they love it and if they follow me I hope it inspires. Disney’s “Upside Down Magic”, “Ruthless” it is very different from anything Tyler Perry has ever done, and Spike Lee’s “Tales From The Hood 3” that comes out at Halloween this year.