Jeremiah demands a certain kind of attention with no force, no vanity and no falsehood. His performance and focus are not only on point and everything a director could ask for, they are magnetic; meaning, more often than I’d like to admit, I felt compelled to steer my film towards him. As I planned a scene to be XYZ, the first few seconds of his presence at the moment of action ruptured any sort of preconception I had about the art I had spent so long planning. And while this may seem disruptive, I believe true inspiration can only emerge through fracture and surprise. I learned by Jeremiah a radiant example, that you can truly count on someone to bring pulse, a feeling, an entire cinematic universe into an otherwise two dimensional rough draft of a character.
The one thing an experienced filmmaker knows, is that casting the right person on a film means everything. Working with Jeremiah Jahi, is a good reminder of just that. Our production took place quite a distance from where he lived and in a blizzard across state line. Jeremiah was always on time and very much prepared to work the long hours necessary. He has excellent instinct as an actor, and very knowledgeable in all relevant aspects of filmmaking. He provides when appropriate, constructive insight both into character and story. Jeremiah delivers powerful performances in his work, take after take. Any production looking to cast or hire him, can expect much of the same experience.
In a world of diminishing expectations, Jeremiah has proved to be one of the most professional and committed artists I have had the pleasure of working with.
I can proudly say that Jeremiah has been one of those actors that really deliver a solid and authentic performance. Also, he is a great team player, follows instruction well, and is able to adjust to any situation
Jeremiah is one of the best actors I have ever worked with. I actually saw a character that I had written on page come to life, in many ways, much better than I had written or imagined it. At some point during my editing, I wished I had written more scenes for Jeremiah as his character Eulow in it, just to see how he would have brought that energy, characteristic, and just complete embodiment of character to the screen. He is one of those actors that takes a feeling, or a mood, and completely allows it to take over his being. He has taught me more about directing actors than I have ever learned in school or on past films.
I love how much work Jeremiah puts in and the many questions he asks about his character, even for the smallest scene.
It was Conrad (Jeremiah Jahi) and his love interest Linda (Dedra McCord-Ware), in a script full of potholes that made the play less representational and more real, by giving it it’s heart in dynamic and stupendously acted scenes by making emotional reality out of sawdust, which is what real acting is.
Jeremiah Jahi and Dedra McCord-Ware makes an interesting study in opposites as the two drug addicted lovers, he so optimistic and upbeat, she so pessimistic and cynical.
Jeremiah Jahi was a complete pleasure to work with. We didn’t have the chance to have Jeremiah Jahi was a complete pleasure to work with. We didn’t have the chance to rehearse as much as I would’ve liked, but the minute he got on set it was a complete transformation into the character. I could tell that he took the time to really understand the character, down to the nuances of the character. Jeremiah would ask a question that told me everything about his work ethic and how deeply dedicated he is to giving the best performance. I’m very pleased with his interpretation of the character because he took my words and made them real.
As soon as I met Jeremiah during the auditions for my film Black Star, I knew I wanted to work with him, cause I could tell he was a real professional actor who would have given me what I needed from that character. Over the course of the six intense days we worked together on set I got to know him a little better, and I felt very privileged to have him on board of my project, because he really put a lot of effort and thought into the character he was playing, and I could tell he was constantly thinking of how to improve his performance or how to go deeper in the analysis of his role and situation. I’ve worked with many different actors in my career, but I’ve never met anyone so deep and so concentrated in finding the perfect way to reveal the struggle inside his character. Jeremiah was always ready to take directions if needed, and he was definitely a great actor to have on set. It was a pleasure working with him on Black Star, and I know his interpretation of Sean made a big difference in the film. We only worked together on this first project, but I hope it won’t be the last.