Meet John Apolinar

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Apolinar.

John, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I always knew I wanted to be an actor. Films and TV influenced me so much growing up; I wanted to be able to influence people through storytelling but I didn’t know where to start. One day while working in SF for a tech startup I decided it’s now or never and researched how to become an actor. The first step was taking classes and luckily, I was working right by a well-known drama school called the Beverly Hills Playhouse. They’re known for producing actors like George Clooney, Patrick Swayze, Michelle Pfeiffer and the list goes on and on. I started going to classes twice a week after sitting in my cubicle all day. At first, it was absolutely terrifying. I still remember the first scene I did for a class where I was sweating and shaking uncontrollably from the nerves! The nerves never really went away but I am a lot better at dealing with them and using them for my art.

I trained in SF and eventually moved to LA and then Denver. I still take classes weekly and I’m lucky enough to have representation in Denver, Los Angeles and New Mexico, the latter of which has gotten me a lot of exciting auditions and opportunities.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t know a single actor that’s had a smooth journey. Show business takes a ton of passion, effort and dedication to succeed. Not only are you trying to perfect your craft and make your art authentic, but as an actor, you’re the CEO of your career. You have to hire the right team of managers and agents as well as make sure the materials your team markets you with are accurate and stand out in a supersaturated market. Mix in the last minute auditions, traveling, classes and networking and it can be overwhelming at times. That’s where passion and self-discipline pay off and keep me focused.

One of the main struggles I faced early is when I really want a role but fail book it after an audition. It was really tough to deal with at first and it would eat at me constantly. The thing is, there are so many factors that go into booking a role and the majority of them are out of my control. I’ve since shifted my paradigm from “auditioning I and to get the role” to “auditioning to give my view of the character and story, to give my art and expect nothing back in return.” It’s helped a ton since I can leave everything in the room and move on after an audition!

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m an actor so I’m my own product. I typically book “cool kid” type roles but really excel when I can add a layer of vulnerability or kindness to a character.

My most proud moment so far is booking a major role in the Disney film, Stargirl. Stargirl is based off a novel of the same name written by Jerry Spinelli. It’s a great story that touches on identity, love, conformity and individuality. It’s been a huge dream of mine to be a part of a Disney story and I was soooo stoked when I got the call from my agent saying I booked the role of Wayne! It was the best six weeks of my life filming. The director created such an atmosphere of trust and collaboration and the cast and crew bonded so well. I’ll forever be grateful to be a part of this amazing story that I know will impact kids after watching. It releases in 2020 on Disney+ 🙂

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Defining success has been a learning process. I used to define success on the roles I booked and when I’m actually working. This led to me not feeling successful in periods where there wasn’t much going on. Now I’m defining success based on the value and importance of storytelling and not focusing on external factors. That and how much passion I’m putting into my art.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: justjohnapolinar
• Twitter: thejohnapolinar

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.