An Interview With South London Actor Juel Vas

Juel Vas was born in South London, in the late 80's, with both his parents and grandparents, who came from Jamaica. They all had a great influence on him, growing up and still, till present day, have a massive impact on his life. “I was brought up in a massive family and the positive environment has always surrounded me from an early age, till now,” Vas explains. His parents are his biggest inspirations, as they've literally supported him all of his life, with all of “crazy” ideas and beliefs. “The support they've given me over the years is the main catalyst for my continued want to progress as far as I can in the industry and make them above all else, proud.”

In our recent interview with the actor, he states that he has been acting for as long as he can remember. “I'd have to say my 1st starring role was a shepherd in my schools nativity play, I was probably about 4 years old then. The hunger started there,” said Vas. He went on to play Leroy in a theatrical rendition of Bugsy Malone. Along with writing and co-directing an adaptation of Macbeth in school as well, he knew his heart lived to create and perform. His family life also proved to be a place where he was able to strengthen his performance credentials, as he was always up at family occasions re-enacting iconic scenes and performing karaoke. This is where he developed his comfort for being in front of the camera and on stage; it stemmed from those days of putting on shows for his family.

Vas got his start and first taste of being involved in a real production when he performed in a theatrical performance of the play 'Constellations' by Nick Payne at the Omnibus Theatre, London. Playing the character 'Roland,' his performance was received well, giving him that Euphoric feeling and desire to keep going for more. “Performing on stage is a buzz unlike any other,” stated the actor. Vas’ inspiration for acting has come from wanting to have a platform to tell his story, as a writer. “I find myself wanting a better portrayal of myself, a young black man from London, in a better light than currently; being able to show our story, our truth. It’s that inner desire and want that leads to continually pushing for greatness,” he explained.

Vas is currently filming in a feature film set for release this summer 2015, called Fresh Deck, a UK Comedy/Drama set in London; his first featured role. He will also be starring in a new YouTube comedy series later this year, but he couldn’t say much more than that, right now. Vas says that his main challenge is being judged on looks before overall talent. The main thing I hear floating around is, "will you cut your locs, as you come across thuggish. Usually before my mouth has even opened I'm already typecast or put in a category, which just further fuels my desire for us to be able to control content in a much better way. You have to be able to brush it off, be able to take criticism without turning into a blubbering mess, there will be a lot of negativity as you go on this journey, people won’t get you, won’t like you, but you have to push through. Each and every “No” is just eventually going to lead to a “Yes”, the one you have been craving for. Also, don't just count on just one opportunity either, always be looking for another chance in everything you do. I see every opportunity as an opportunity to get yourself into a next opportunity,” says Vas.