Actor John Bernard Schmedes Jr. may have grown up just a mile away from the Winchester Mystery House, a 160-room mansion filled with bizarre phenomena like a window built into the floor, staircases leading to nowhere, a chimney that rises four floors, doors that open onto blank walls, and upside down posts — but he’s not quite so abnormal.
Check out what the native Californian, who’s starring in Studio 11 Films’ A Boost of Love – an 11 Eleven 11 Project, has to say about mentors, idols and onstage mishaps. –yvette caslin
Current Project(s):
A Boost of Love; Come On In, We’re Dead; Gypsy and an untitled film.
Where you were born/where you were raised?
Born in Santa Clara, Calif. and grew up in Campbell, Calif.
Zodiac Sign:
Aries
Why did you take this role?
I loved the comic/serious journey that James took.
Did you have any particular mentors or inspirations as a young actor?
My mentors are my voice and acting teachers Margaret (Miz R) Holt Riddleberger and Actors’ Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco.
The one movie – you saw – that you will never forget:
Whatsitsname. Just one? Tootsie and The Fugitive.
Your personal acting idols:
Lawrence Olivier, Harrison Ford, Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman. Also, in no intelligent order: Sam Waterston, Charlie Chaplin, Amy Adams, Rachel Adams and Meryl Streep. And, I lust after Scarlett Johanson, Meagan Fox and Amanda Seyfried.
Last good movie you saw:
I’d like to say A Boost of Love – but it hasn’t come out yet, [so] The Artist.
Some films you consider classics:
Besides Fugitive and Tootsie, [they are] Jaws, Godfather, ET, Star Wars, On the Waterfront, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Shawshank Redemption, Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Singin’ in the Rain, West Side Story and Clockwork Orange.
Performer you would drop everything to go see:
See lust list and idols above.
Pop culture guilty pleasure:
What I feel guilty about is how little I use pop culture devices.
Favorite cities:
Carmel, Calif., San Francisco and New York when I’m not broke.
First CD/Tape/LP you owned:
Al Jolson’s hits might have been my parents’ LP, but I played it til the grooves wore through.
Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living:
A high school play after recovering from the stage manager literally pushing me on stage. I was clutching the light board — then hearing the applause.
Worst flubbed line/missed cue/onstage mishap:
Summer Stock, playing Lt. Cable in South Pacific, where our hotel rooms backed up to the stage and I heard my cue, leaning on my bed. [It’s] also my fastest 100-yard dash.
Most challenging role you have played:
Not one, [but] eight. I went into eight leads or supporting roles in one week before touring with the Continental Theater Company. I had nightly breakdowns.
Worst job you ever had:
Physically, cutting and loading 110 pound coils of steel wire, 13 tons a day. Emotionally, cold sales calls and selling jewelry over the phone. The super[visor] felt so sorry for me when I was fired that he paid [me] for sales I never made.
Career you would want if not a performer:
History professor.
Three things you can’t live without:
Inspiration, fresh air and a belief that tomorrow will be even better.
