«Being a performer was always what I wanted to be and did from a very early age», says Joe Souza

Joe Souza, American actor.

«Being a performer was always what I wanted to be and did from a very early age», says Joe Souza

Jorge Daniel Tejeda Palafox, BA in Communications

A while ago, I met Joe Souza on Facebook and I searched about him on the web. I have to say that I found very interesting information about him like his musical career and presentations on TV. For that reason, I decided to ask him for an interview in order to find out what he thinks about how an actor's life should be. Now ladies and gentlemen let me introduce you Joe Souza, American actor.

According to him, Joe Souza has been performing for over three decades on stage, film and television. Joe is originally from Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. After graduating high school, he attended the prestigious Hartt School of Music where here earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. His theatrical career took off after moving to New York City and gave him the opportunity to perform all over the United States.

A few highlights of Joe’s theatrical career are the original cast of “Bark! The Musical”, “Sneaux”!, starring opposite Kristen Bell and the Broadway production of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.

Joe has been living in Los Angeles for the past 20 years and has been working in film and television. Some of his most notable performances include, Liam Bonneville on “Parks and Recreation”, Snake Timmons on “Big Time Rush”. “Great News”, “Law and Order True Crime”, “Fresh Off the Boat”, “American Crime Story”, “9-1-1” and the web series “Playtime’s Over” earring him three best actor nominations.

Joe will soon appear in a reboot of a popular late 80’s early 90’s sitcom along with a commercial for a popular video game and will also be returning to the stage in “A Cool Yule a Holiday Spectacular” this Christmas in Las Vegas.

Tell me about you, where does your last name come from? I always wondered about that.

Joe Souza: “I took my Grandmother’s last name. She was Portuguese”.

Why did you choose to be an actor?

JS: “There was never any real choice that I made. Being a performer was always what I wanted to be and did from a very early age”.

What kind of genres have you worked on?

JS: “Film, television and theatre. Both comedy and drama”.

Picture as Liam Bonaville in "Parks and Recreation".

How did you get your first contract?

JS: “By auditioning”.

What kind of role did you get?

JS “I don’t remember the exact job/role but it was definitely theatre. That’s how I started in this business”.

How did you feel when you first acted in front of people?

JS: “The same way I still feel. Nervous and excited”.

Tell me about the first time you performed on stage.

JS: “I don’t remember the first time because I was very young. I do remember playing Santa Clause in a Christmas musical called «The Reluctant Santa». The reason this is so memorable to me is because it was at the time when my voice was changing. Needless to say, I squeaked through the performances”. (Laughs)

Picture from "Great News".

What was your favorite character to play?

JS: “I think I would say that the most fun character I played was Snake Timmons on Nickelodeon’s «Big Time Rush». He was a fun and crazy guy”.

Picture of me as Snake Timmons in "Big Time Rush" on Nickelodeon.

Do you remember the name of a movie where you worked on?

JS: “I was in a movie called «The Undershepherd». It was about what happens behind the scenes and in private in the black Church”.

What do you think when you're on stage?

JS: “There are so many thoughts that go through my head. Some are technical like what my next move is but mostly I am focused and listened to the actor or actors I’m working with. Every night is different and you never know what’s going to happen. That’s what makes live theatre so exciting for the performer and the audience”.

Speaking of actors and actresses, who are your top 3?

JS: “Meryl Streep, Robert DeNiro. Many others I admire”.

What do you admire most from each of them?

JS: “Their incredible artistry. Meryl’s ability to transform. The tiny choices she makes that may go unseen to the audience but make her performances so full and special. I admire De Niro’s commitment to each role and his large body of work. I love how he puts so much of who he is in each role”.

Picture from "Fresh Off the Boat".

How satisfied you are after all these years of work?

JS: “I’ve been very lucky over the years to work on my different projects. I’ve had the opportunity to work in different genres, film, television and theatre. It’s extremely important for us as artists to challenge ourselves. To work on pieces, projects and characters that scare us and make us uncomfortable. That’s how we learn, grow and improve”.

What do you have to improve in your acting?

JS: “Maybe improve is the wrong word. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned more about life and myself, as I would assume most of us do. With that comes a better understanding of emotions and our emotional self. Practicing how to include that depth of emotion into my work is what I’m interested in”.

Have you become more mature during all these years of working?

JS: “God I hope so! (Laughs). I’ve definitely become older. Lol I think if you truly work at it and study you will most definitely mature and improve”.

Have you become more humble?

JS: “I don’t know about humble but I definitely have a desire to teach and mentor other actors”.

Playing the character of Doctor Pearl in the television series "Get Shorty" on EPIX.

How do you push yourself in order to make a great performance?

JS: “By allowing myself to look bad and make mistakes. Take chances. It’s the only way to improve. I know it sounds cliche but it truly is the only way to move forward and improve no matter what you do”.

Have you struggled with stress sometimes?

JS: “Always. Life can be very stressful. It’s an ongoing process on dealing for me to learn how to deal with stress productively”.

How do you handle frustration in life?

JS: “Frustration in life... that’s a big question. 2 things. Just stay focused on what is in front of you. Also I remind myself that all situations in life are neutral. They only take on meaning by how we view or deal with them. The choice is always up to us”.

What are your expectations?

JS: “Expectations are dangerous, I think. It’s hard not to have them but so much is out of our control. Be a good human and stay focused. Life will always take turns we never expect. Remember it’s up to us how we view those unexpected turns”. THE END