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...And Here Comes Jeremy Mitchell!

May 29, 2009

I recently spoke with Jeremy Mitchell, a talented young guy who’s quietly making a nice name for himself in the “up-and-coming” actor/producer/writer category. Born in Van Nuys, California and raised in Texas and Florida, Mitchell pursued a career as a professional tennis player in his younger years, attending tennis training academies at the age of 12. After a couple of years of scattered touring in his late teens, Mitchell fell into a TV commercial gig (the casting director was seeking young athletes) and he quickly found himself hooked and began pursuing a full-time acting career.

 

"Musicians write songs that are perfect for them to sing. Why can't actors write scripts and characters that are perfect for them to act?," says Mitchell. And that also apparently means producing, which is evidenced by Harder They Fall, a 2005 coming-of-age action/drama about two 20-year-old kickboxers, a rich guy and a poor guy, who hail from opposite ends of Miami. Mitchell co-produced and co-stars in the film, which was

directed, co-written and co-produced by Lee Cipolla. It’s slated for release on DVD by Lionsgate on June 16.

 

Mitchell has also been recently represented on the new release shelf with Lionsgate’s Know They Enemy, a drama about a rising rap star which he co-wrote, co-produced and co-stars. Another Miami-based flick (Mitchell actually moved from Miami to L.A. after completing the film a couple of years back) that was released on DVD last month, the film was also co-written and directed by Cipolla.

 

According to Mitchell, he and Cipolla are currently working on another project that goes by the name of Ultimate. He describes it as “a sort of a follow-up to Harder They Fall, though it’s more of a Mixed Martial Arts movie that focuses more on the competition aspect of MMA.”

 

Mitchell is also developing a TV series about the lives of young players on the professional tennis tour. The working title for the project is The Tour, not surprisingly, and it’s a subject that Mitchell knows well.

 

“Oh, there are so many stories to tell about life on the road when you’re touring,” he says. “Between the up-and-comers and the players that have already lived it, you can imagine that there’s a lot going on.

 

And apparently, there’s a lot going on for up-and-comer Jeremy Mitchell, as well.

Posted by Laurence Lerman on May 29, 2009 | Comments (0)