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Jalon Christian is only 15 years old and already living out his dreams on the daily. You may recognize him from his lead role in the new DC movie Black Adam, working alongside Pierce Brosnan and The Rock, the latter of whom Jalon is humbled and grateful to now call his friend. 

In describing himself, Jalon states, he’s “an actor, an athlete, a son, a brother, a student, and a friend. I have received many academic and athletic awards over the years, won football championships and have already worked with two of my heroes.”

One of those awards is an NAACP nomination for his role in A Journal for Jordan, directed by Mr. Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan. But his biggest joy arrives in the form of Black Adam, which currently peaks as the #1 movie to watch in theaters at the box office.

He continues, “As you can guess, I am a very hard worker. I believe each day we are given is a gift, so why not give all your effort to be your best within it?”

Sheen spoke with Jalon Christian to discuss his roots, biggest influences, love for acting, working on set, goals, and more!

Where are you from originally? How does that play into your life or career?

I’m originally from Boston and I moved to LA when I was 10 years old. I think knowing that we moved across the country and basically started all over, gives me the confidence to take risks and try new things. Every new job brings various challenges: I might not know anyone on the set, the genre could be new to me, or we’re filming in a new city. I don’t get nervous about any of that. I view those experiences as a new and exciting adventure that I know I can handle and it’ll probably be a lot of fun. I’m a huge sports fan though, so I don’t know how much the people of LA appreciates my enthusiasm for the Celtics, Red Sox or Patriots!

Biggest influences?

Even before having the honor of being directed by Mr. Washington, he was definitely one of my biggest influences. I’ve watched his movies over and over and he truly is the greatest of all time. But in my everyday life, I’d say all the other actors in my acting class, my Tribe. We meet every week and work together for hours, the room is filled with some of the hardest working and most talented actors you could ever imagine. Our teacher, and my manager, Constance, pushes us to sharpen our swords in every way. When one of us has a movie or series come out we all get together to celebrate each other’s success. On the opening weekend of Black Adam, I booked an entire AMC Theater so the entire Tribe could watch it together. We were as loud as we wanted to be, it was magical!

When did you know/realize you wanted to act?

When I was back in Boston, I got my start doing a lot of print and commercial campaigns and I loved everything about being on set! Any time I was able to explore a character, or take some liberties with the direction, it was even more exciting. I’ve played every sport there is (and stillplay a lot), I’ve had voice lessons, piano lessons, joined chess club, and I have enjoyed it all.But nothing compares to the feeling I have when I’m acting, I know it’s what I’m meant to do.

Talk about filming A Journal for Jordan, what was the best memory?

Filming A Journal for Jordan’ was the most incredible time for me. It was such an intimate cast and crew, and the beautiful true story we were telling made it feel like a big family on set. I was so honored to share Jordan’s story (this is based on real events) and to be directed by Mr. Washington. I stayed present and soaked up every moment.

My best memory was probably on the final wrap day. We were shooting the final scene of themovie, at the cemetery, and it’s a very emotional scene. It was a MasterClass of one-on-onedirection with Mr. Washington, and then the day culminated with everyone in tears, hugging and saying goodbye. Certainly a day I’ll never forget.

Did you get to speak to Denzel Washington? What did he say to you?

I was incredibly honored to spend a lot of time with Mr. Washington while shooting. Prior tobeginning the movie I got to spend a couple weeks with him in rehearsals and enjoying one on one time. He shared his favorite songs and taught me some football techniques. Sometimes it was just me, Chante Adams, who plays my mom in the movie, and Michael B. Jordan. Even though I didn’t share any scenes directly with him, getting hours of direction and insight from Mr. Washington, and watching Michael B. Jordan go through the same process, was priceless!

Mr. Washington would share amazing advice all the time. I carried a notebook with me and would try and write everything down so I wouldn’t forget any of it. I remember one of the things he said, which I laughed at because my mom always says it too: “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” But when it comes to acting, he would always say “Don’t act, just BE.” That’s one thing I admire when watching his movies. It never feels like he’s acting as a character, he always just IS that character.

How did you land the role of Black Adam?

When I first got the audition for the role in Black Adam, we actually didn’t know what it was. We could tell it was for something pretty epic just from the title of the character role, “Young Hero,” which already seemed exciting. So I submitted the initial self-tape, and we didn’t hear anything for a bit.

Then, we got the call. We booked a Director’s Session with Mr. Jaume. I did the session over zoom, Mr. Jaume was just so warm and kind, and his directing felt very natural. I was actually in New York shooting “A Journal for Jordan” when my manager, Constance, called and told me I had gotten the role. I was actually speechless, which is very rare for me!

What does it mean to be starring alongside The Rock?

The Rock is inarguably the biggest superstar in the world… literally the BIGGEST – he’s huge! Starring alongside The Rock in any movie is very exciting, but to know that Black Adam has been his passion for over 15 years now that’s incredibly special. I’m 15 now, that’s my whole Lifetime!

Playing The Rock’s son in the movie was powerful because I’ve only seen him as this larger-than-life personality. In Black Adam there was so much pain and vulnerability sparked by the relationship and loss from his son’s death that it was moving to see that side of him. Watching how much love and respect he brought to the role made me want to do the same Everyday.

What are those convos with him?

There were plenty of moments with The Rock where he was joking around and lighthearted. He wanted to make sure I was comfortable and having fun. At the same time there were moments where there wasn’t as much talking between takes. We used that silence to keep us grounded in the moment. It was clear how much this movie, and the relationship Black Adam had with Hurut meant to The Rock, so that was the space we stayed in the most.

Was it hard learning Kahndaqi to prepare for the role?

I didn’t know I’d be speaking Kahndaqi until we got on set. I was super excited when I found out! At the time I was 13, picture this: I learned that I had super powers, that I was going to be doing all my own stunts, speaking a foreign language, all in a DC Universe movie? – I was like, bring it on! We had a dialect coach, and she was very helpful. All the lines were sent out both written out and with the audio. I’d listen to the audio over and over, and practiced until I felt confident with it. Plus, I had taken voice lessons in the past, having a bit of an ear for it definitely helped.

Talk about the raffle The Rock did with everyone on set.

Well, I was only on set with The Rock one Friday, but it seemed like this was a common theme on Fridays. The Rock pulled everyone together and gave a heartwarming speech, thanking everyone for their hard work and reminded all of us why we do this. Everyone on the crew would put their name into this giant bowl, and then he’d pull a name out. That day I think it was a PA who won. That was pretty cool. He definitely got to have a bit more fun that weekend with the pot of cash!

Your dream role is to be directed by Quentin Tarantino in his tenth and final film, can you tell us why?

Mr. Tarantino is a true original. I have seen all nine of his films. He writes dialogue that was always ahead of his time. He changed the game with “Pulp Fiction.” He brings out the best in his actors. It would be a dream come true to be a part of his great legacy.

What do you like to do for fun, when you’re not working?

I enjoy sports. I play on the football, basketball, and track teams at school. Even when I’m just hanging out with friends, we’re always throwing a ball around, or watching a game on TV. Other than sports, I love going to my acting classes when I’m not working, and watching the latest shows and movies that are coming out. Whenever possible, I like to have some downtime with my mom, little brother, and I can’t forget our dog Zuma!

Goals yourself as an artist at this point in your career?

I am international about being great at my craft. I wish to work with the masters that did this before me. My purpose is to create great art that withstands the test of time. The type of art that changes and inspires the audience. Giving them such an amazing experience that they go back to rewatch the film time and time again. To make everyone feel included, respected, and seen in the projects I end up picking and the characters I play.

Photo Credits: Bjoern Kommerell/Darlene/ Hannah Pilgrim