Written By: Jayme Face
We caught up with Daytime Emmy winner Jake Hunter! This actor, writer, producer currently stars in Amazon Prime’s “Class Act” alongside Hollywood veteran Eric Roberts!
Photo Credit: Brian Jamie
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about “Class Act” and your character Stephano Luciano?
Jake Hunter: Class Act is a new dramedy now out on Amazon Prime. This is a very special project to me because it’s my first show I created. My character Stephano is pretty close to the vest. A lot of the story is based about my journey when I first arrived to LA, joining an acting class, all the different characters I encountered, and the struggle of making it in Hollywood.
upfrontNY: What is it like working alongside a legend like Eric Roberts?
Jake Hunter: It was great working with Eric Roberts. I learned a lot from him as an actor, how well he stays in the moment, and the spontaneity he has in his work. You don’t know what you’re going to get from him on each take. I would also say Eric was the biggest jokester on the cast. Towards the beginning of the shoot he would always say he had to leave during the most crucial scene of the day, and we could never tell if he was serious or not. He started to mix up his jokes too as we caught onto him.
upfrontNY: What’s the strangest thing that you’ve ever experienced in an acting class?
Jake Hunter: I think the strangest thing I experienced in acting class was when one of the students randomly took out a can of cat food. He proceeded to open it up and casually started eating it loudly with a metal fork. I remember the girl who sat next got upset and later told me she regretted signing up for the class. We actually became friends based upon how bad he made the room smell with the cat food.
upfrontNY: You are currently writing, starring, and producing “The Great Sambino” and “What’s to Come”, what is it like juggling multiple roles on a project?
Jake Hunter: I actually like wearing multiple hats. I get to have input on all things creative. These days there’s so many talented people, I feel like it’s made my journey easier learning to act, produce, and write. I knew since I was getting into the game late at 23 years old, that I had to figure out a way to do everything at a high level.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us more about “The Great Sambino”?
Jake Hunter: The great Sambino is a baseball project that we’re developing. I played my whole life and I wanted to be the next big catcher for the New York Mets. So naturally I’ve wanted to do a baseball film.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us more about “What’s to Come”?
Jake Hunter: What’s to Come is shooting in LA in beginning of August. I’m really excited about this project. It’s a story that needs to be told about racial issues in our country, but in a really out of the box way. Tons of those types of stories are told but can be on the nose I feel. This is definitely pushing the envelope. I would say close to a black mirror vibe, and we’ll be submitting the project to Sundance film festival.
upfrontNY: Has winning an Emmy changed anything for you?
Jake Hunter: Winning an Emmy has been an interesting experience for me. Years ago when I first started, winning an Emmy seemed like a dream. I’m extremely grateful for winning an award of that caliber but what it did was really drive me to focus more on the work. When the dust settles there’s a feeling of “Well, what now?”. I realized I just had to keep my head down, keep working, and just make the projects you can.
upfrontNY: How did you first get interested in acting, writing and producing?
Jake Hunter: I had just finished playing baseball in college and I worked for my whole life for that with no back up plan. One of my buddies had been doing some acting and recommended I give it a shot. With nothing to lose I tried it. I joined a class in upstate New York and fell in love. Then I jumped into producing and writing after that. I started producing smaller projects and writing scripts for practice. For me as long as I was creating in some capacity, I was improving my craft.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about your involvement with Reading to Kids and the Beatrice Peggy foundation?
Jake Hunter: I have been doing charity work consistently since I was young. Both Reading to Kids and the Peggy Beatrice foundation have been so great to work with. Being able to be a role model to kids is something I take great pride in. It’s cool to walk in and they’re all excited to see me not because of a tv show but because they know I’m going to read something for them. For Peggy Beatrice, we feed the homeless on Tuesday’s downtown. I also see a lot of people in tough situations there, so it’s great to give back and help out anyway I can.
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