CHASE WHAT YOU LOVE: AN INTERVIEW WITH JONO RODRIGUEZ
I only started acting in 2021 so this is all new and I’m finding it really helpful for the work we’re doing for the show and for my life. I never had any formal education in theater or acting in general, so I welcome all this stuff. When I was in college I tried to minor in theatre, but there were so many other things you had to study other than acting that I ended up dropping it. Getting into the process during Grand Concourse has been an awesome introduction to so many new tools.
I used to make Youtube videos with my buddies back in middle school - little skits and anthologies of improv and comedy things - it was cool. I still think those could have gone somewhere - they were funny. Not all of the group stayed onboard, but I thought they were cool. Looking back we could have been pioneers in the YouTube creative space.
In highschool I wanted to get into acting so SO bad, but there just wasn’t any funding. Cleveland public schools had absolutely no money for extracurriculars. Meanwhile the professional sports teams helped fund our high school sports programs directly. That’s the only reason we could field teams and have equipment. I was the only jock who wanted a drama club.
Football was a huge part of my life. I played on the Ohio State University football team for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. I played two years at OSU, but then some stuff transpired, and eventually I made a transition to rugby. I love sports where there’s that physical contact and that drive to be the biggest, strongest guy, constantly pushing yourself. At one time I was squatting 765 pounds “ass-to-grass”. It was my way of life and a huge part of my identity.
I graduated from Ohio State in 2017 with a degree in world politics.
One moment I’m taking a photo with my family and with my degree in hand.
The next…
I’m taking a very different kind of photo with a very different kind of document in my hands.
I spent three years in a state penitentiary in Ohio. I did 1095 days in prison. In that time I did a lot of soul searching and learned a lot about myself. I had the unique experience of going to prison as an academic. In college, I had studied sociology, psychology, and criminology, so going into that place with that context was eye-opening. I had friends and family send me scripts and monologues, and I’d try to read them at night under moonlight because I didn’t want guys to see me like that. Prison wasn’t the right place to be vulnerable or artsy. When I could, I’d practice as much as I could and do as much as I could. After seeing what rock bottom looks like, I decided to pursue my dreams without any fear. The way I saw it, I’ve already seen the worst of it so why not try?
In an odd way, I don’t regret it. I had to go through some tough lessons to get my life in line. I don’t shy away from sharing that part of my life with people. It was a really impactful experience on my life and I learned a lot about myself and what I want to do with my life.
Life is too short to not chase what you love. I think I always wanted to be in the movies - looking forward, that’s what I want to do. I’ve always been obsessed with storytelling. A good story, the way it makes a person feel, that’s what draws me to acting. I have a podcast “The RANT Podcast” (Real Ass Necessary Talks). We actually started it when I was in prison, we recorded the first six episodes while I was in there and we focused on shedding light on parts of the carceral experience. Since coming home, we talk about navigating new landscapes and the choices that set people onto those new paths. We stream episodes on youtube, Spotify and apple podcasts.
Back in April of ‘23 I got married to my high school sweetheart. She’s the world. I love spending time with her and that’s what I love to do when we have time to spare for each other .
I’ve been home for over three years now - I’ve been out longer than I was in. It’s shaped a lot of the work I’ve done. Getting to do Clyde’s at Karamu, I felt so connected with the characters in that script: these people who feel trapped coming out of prison - I knew I had something to bring to that story. In Grand Concourse, Oscar comes to this place from an entirely different life. He makes mistakes but is striving for something more. I don’t think he knows what that is yet. I understand a guy like that.