The Spirited Actor - Jeni Fujita

Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transitioned to a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Domez. I auditioned every rapper from biggiees Balls to Tupac, and I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help

And now it's time for meditation of the day. You're a dragon and all of the signs only a dragon contain. The faiths only a dragon can wear the horns of destiny, duty, and power. Lisa c be who you are, Be who you're supposed to be. Stop being concerned about what other people think of you or what other people are saying of you. Who cares? Most of these people you don't even know. I'm constantly telling some of my clients stop reading the comments in the IG. You don't know these people.

Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you for me here. So Jenny, first of all, just you have a plethora of work, but your face doesn't. The math is not mathing for me. Do you look like I'm a Cathtin director? So your reigned would be like maybe twenty nine to like thirty three, thirty five.

My mom was a performer who tried to make it in New York, got scared, went home, started a family, and had kids, and I came out like.

Ready, it was just in me.

So by five I was wanting to perform.

By eight, I was in musical theater. I think by e okay. So then you know, my dad got sick with cancer. So from seven to eight I watched him deteriorate in the home because he wanted to stay home and be with his family. Turns out he was exposed to radiation when he was in the nave feet.

Oh my god.

So it wasn't even a genetic like he would not have died at forty two. So I watched my mom kind of trying to figure out what she was going to do because he was the provider at that time.

And so she became like an entrepreneur.

She started teaching voice lessons, She started bringing us to auditions, We started doing musical theaters. She started directing musical theater. Then other neighbors wanted her to bring their kids to auditions. That she became a manager, and she started a business called Real Kid, And so she was driving us up to San Francisco. I became stag after at twelve doing

Go to college because I have a voice and I'm gonna use it, and I'm gonna do this, whether I'm talking, singing on stage, public speaking, inspiring people, whatever it is.

I knew that I was going to use my voice to do it, and I booked my first national twelve a voiceover.

Okay, so can I just say this common Denominator born and raised in San Francisco. Oh oh, left forty years ago and moved here.

Okay, so we're Bay Area's sisters.

Yes, that's what it is. So many, so many, Here's so many, who's so many? So many?

Yeah yeah yeah, tim Bisa, Timbisasa, Yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah, so Timbisa. That's another one like Tim So Tim Visa introduced me to my voiceover agent here, who I am still with. She was like, I'm gonna refer you to my agent, which never happens. I did not ask, you know what I mean? She was like when I went to meet.

With Joe at Paradigm, he said.

Tim Visa said, I can take her out to lunch for introducing us.

So that's how I was kind of like.

And what I had at that time was a body of work from Scrus, who I met in nineteen ninety six when I moved to New York at twenty three years old.

And so so you from New York from San Francisco had twenty three yep in nineteen ninety six. I moved at to New York at twenty one. Yeah, this is freaking me out. And Tim Visa. I worked with Tim Visa at BET before well, she was doing voiceovers.

Tim Visa, I was the voice of BET for like seven years, eight years.

Timbisa is the reason. Tim Visa is the reason. She was like, no, no, no, Jenny is hip hit. Jenny is hip hop. Yeah, you know, Jenny's hip Like I we came. We grew up together in it with you know, all the Bay Area souls of Mischief and them.

So yeah, you know.

So Timbisa brought me into the Voice of the World in New York.

Mmm.

And I didn't book I didn't and I didn't book a job for.

Thirteen months, and I was so discouraged, but thankfully for Spruce who he's kept me employe since nineteen ninety six.

Well, I was able to eat and survive.

But then you know, thirteen months later I booked the voice of Tide and I became the voice of Tide Laundry Detergent for three years through SACI and Sacchi, and then they also hired me to be the voice of Oil of Ola for another three years. They were like, oh, get the Tide girl. No audition, okay, so a lot of like weird, Yeah.

No, it's I have to let the audience know because we have actors and voiceover for all types of creative energy. When you book what is called Jenny is talking to you guys about a campaign. When you tell you that she got booked for Tide for three years in Oil of Away, she was like the progressive woman. The product decides,

It's like Alicia Keys right now with Allstate. You hear Alicia Keys with All State? Yes, yeah, Alicia Keys is the voice of that of that campaign now for for a couple of years.

Now.

I want to say, and you recognize it's Alicia when you hear it.

Yeah, absolutely, Well, I want to I want to say this too. I got so much to talk to you about, but I want to say this too, just in terms of your voiceover career. And I know Spruce knows this. He is a blessing that people of color don't venture as much as the white actors to Europe, Japan, outside of the US, there's the whole world of voiceover that exists. I have a friend who is one of the biggest voiceover in the industry, Rod Houston or you know friends. Yeah, okay, so I knew Ron.

Wasn't he the voice of the male voice of the E T Y C E T. We were at the same time.

I was the female voice and he was the male that we would we would, we would be we were.

We were called in on Wednesdays. Wow, that's my boy, and we were.

We were with the Team agency, so we were all at the same parties in our agency party, right, and he was.

ESPN too and.

N B n B A.

He would he would n B A NFL like he has crazy when he started to get into any had crazy campaigns. But when I was doing commercials, MG is it, Oh my god, one of the big modeling agencies. They were trying to start a department to diversify the voiceover in Asia and in Europe because there's no market that people don't talk and tap into. And Rod does stuff

That's what I was going to say. I don't think I've ever thought about the time when I'm reading. Oh read it like I.

Think I'm thinking about it, But I'm not thinking about it like I think.

I know, I have like from here to here to get it done.

So I'm just kind of passing myself until I know that the time is up, and try to make it sound as natural as possible while you're doing it.

But there, you know I mean, And you can listen to people.

I often listen to people as character studies just regular people talking in real life, you know, because like I just set up a little bit so that I could

Little bit if I'm a little over, But.

Try to just see where it is naturally first, you know, and then be like, all right, actually actually have a little bit more time, or oh I need I need to skip to my lou a little bit more, you know.

So what are some of the preparations that you have Because you just said, which I thought was really great, listening like almost eavesdropping on conversation to hear the different textures of.

Voice all the time, all Journey and I ever did when he was a kid too, And then just try to imitate people and just sort of start having a conversation in their voices. Or I don't know, just I think it's something that was in his is. I know it's something that's in his blood. Obviously he was reading for spruce when he was like four or five years old, doing little kids for spruce, or just repeating back or whatever. So I do think part of it is ear But I forgot what were what the question was?

Now?

Oh no, I was just saying because no, in terms of like your preparation, because I think that's tell actors all the time to observe behavior and eavesdrop on conversation.

See, it's kind of like how you want to prepare yourself to walk out the door in the morning. You need to do it before you walk out the door. So your prep should be all the time, you know what I mean, so that when you're when you're out the door, you're already ready to face the world. So it's like your prep is all the time. So when it's time to read the script, you're you're just you just know, you just it's not like I don't I

And as a casting director, I can tell you this that we can't release anything until the director or the producer. So it always looks like from a cast for casting directors that.

We just you know, I'm pretty sure we know that. I'm pretty sure we all know that. We all know, we all know. I mean, well, at least I just I just have always assumed that. And I don't get too much into the business of other people's jobs, so I'm just like, hey, I get the thing.

This is when I get it. Do the audition, you know, stay out of the business. That was a big.

One for me, was to learn how to just be in my own business and just do my job. Don't try to fix the script. Don't that's not your job. You're not the writer, you're not the producer. You just read, just just interpret, like, be the solution to the problem.

Yeah, you know, and it was.

I wonder Phil was your guy at that show who said that, But it was one of these very wise actors.

No, it was No, it wasn't him. I'm sorry.

But anyways, be the solution to the problem at the audition or at the job.

Just be the solution. Don't don't don't add more like, it's not your bit.

Just just so I get the script, I get the direction, and I just try to interpret it.

That's right.

I don't worry about, oh why am I getting it right now? They want it right now. It's like, yeah, we want auditions. When you get them, be present and do your best, and just I just try to interpret it and not be in anybody else's job.

And then the other thing is is that you know, well when when the happen, I had an opportunity to talk to a lot of actors. But when COVID happened and we went to Zoom, actors complain about the Zoom process right. And I've always as a casting director felt because of actors that you know, we're putting you guys in difficult positions and not giving you the opportunity to succeed. But this is where I say training comes in because there's two things that you do that I stress to actors. One,

Yeah, do you think one hundred percent?

Do?

And I think I have a little bit of resistance around certain auditions that come in for products or companies that I don't.

Really stand behind.

I have a little resistance.

And I so when I booked Tied, it was this whole diversity campaign oh wow uh, And.

So I was so into it, you know.

And the Oil of Ola campaign was be your best beautiful and that it's about impressing.

The woman in the mirror.

So I was able to really believe in both of those campaigns so much and feel so good every time I did a spot for them. So I think that has helped, and that is not always the case. And I'm like, Clarrent, fine, I mean, someone's got to make the Walmart money. Someone's making it. You know, yeah, the pharmaceuticals.

You know, I'm not like a big believer.

But like someone's making that pharm of money, honey, and why should it could just be me?

And then I can just rescue more dogs.

Yeah, you know, okay and have your rescue.

Said yeah, and and and you know, and and I can make pharm of money and then I can you know, increase my health and wellness business for humans too?

Why not? You know?

So that's like a Sometimes we have these mental blocks, and I know that that's one of mine. I'm like trying to convince myself right now out loud and like almost by saying it to you, holding myself accountable, accountable for like, it's okay for me to make pharma money.

Isn't that deep.

Right that we can like block our own abundance and progress?

Right?

Because I bet you whoever whatever you know person is reading those those ads now, they.

Didn't have any resistance about making that money, right. Well, I mean there's there is a spiritual consciousness that definitely is the through line that you send in your work, and that's important. You know, we have some integrity and standards.

What I always fall back too, and I don't think I can get away from is that, Like, I.

Really would rather be behind a campaign that I believe in.

So let's find a drug that actually helps people or something that actually, you know, really does help dogs or people, or something that I can be behind or even you know, I.

Want to believe that the medical world is shifting, but I think we incorporate more wellness in commercials, do you know herbs? But you know, I don't know if that's gonna happen, because then you'll start healing people naturally. And that's a whole other conversation.

It's the same conversation. It's the reason I have resist since around pharma. It's not like, can I do a commercial for turmeric for inflammation, you know.

Which saved my life? There?

You see, Yeah, that this this is who I am in my in my in my fitness business. That is, I'm the person that that's you know, suggesting turmeric and fear leina and chlorrella and like alkaline your system. And you know, yes, so I get that part of my career. Also get to flex that muscle too.

So we're gonna go into another part of Jenny's hyphenated life. We're gonna transition into Jenny owns the Jim. What was

I guess once I had my kid, I kind of stopped touring because well, not once he started kindergarten, he started school. I stopped touring because there was the whole I toured with y Cleft and that was when the Grammy nomination happened, and that was nineties two thousand.

My son was born.

I did some more touring with Tamia and Pink, and

And then I found U.

I was invited into a program with Jillian Michaels to do like a ninety day before and after, and I was a before person and I learned everything about metabolism and how much protein and how much carbs and how many healthy fats I should be having your macro nutrients. And I just learned how to do it. And I got down to like sixteen percent body fat and I was like one hundred and.

Fourteen pounds, which w was too low.

So I kind of learned what not to do, Like I learned what not to do and what how you know what I mean, Like I just asked what to do by learning by doing some of what I should not have done, but I didn't know we were on eight hundred calories because they were sending us the food.

Some in person training, like I visit them.

I still have like a good base of like twelve to fifteen of my clients from back then, much less hours.

I don't have this huge overhead.

I found a two.

Story apartment where I have a was able to build out a gym downstairs, so my clients can come here, I can go there. It's amazing. So I'm still in the same neighborhood. My studio was on.

Eighty well I don't know tell you where I live, but I'm right around.

The corner from where my studio was, so I have all the same clients and it's just it's much better for me. It's like I was up at five teaching six am classes, you know what I mean.

Wow. So yeah, but.

Still has a business and have a life coaching background. So I think for these actors, what we need are our spiritual life coaches. Like my best friend Carla Durant, who you should also have on your show.

Okay, I will miss Carla Durant.

She has She created a job on a movie set with OG's oh gosh, what's his name?

Who played in Hamilton? Leslie?

So was Leslie Leslie Otum And he hired her because she's like best friends with his wife, and so he hired her to be the spiritual life coach for a movie.

And it was like the first time anyone had done it.

She created this role of spiritual life coaching on set for all the actors or.

Just for everybody I got.

I think whoever needed it because they were falling apart, and she saved the show. She saved the show, and so yeah, it was amazing for everyone. And I think they're going to start doing it more often.

That's beautiful. For the time of us we need the mental health support. It's especially I mean, I hadn't been on a set in a while because of COVID. I was no longer an essential worker. But going on the set recently, actors are not doing the prep work that they need to come on set, and the sets have changed since COVID, so you only get one maybe two takes, so the work has to be done way before you test the set. A lot of people haven't, so there's a lot on that. I wanted to say this because

Wow, they have to have the leverage on themselves to want to start, you know.

First, yes, and.

Then I think it's about moving more. And I think it's about being.

More aware, aware of what we're putting in and making a conscious effort to move more. Because I'm going to be fifty one on Monday.

Okay, the show's over, everybody, and my matabilism get out of baby.

I am mad moving, but my metabol moving though, That's the thing. So you want to move that body, you know, from early in the morning. But you know, sometimes we don't feel like moving, you know, So it's kind of we got to get that leverage first, you know, that like desire to want to move. But you know, they say, like if you don't move it, you lose it. Like I want to stay juicy. I want to stay like mobile. I want to be able to like you know, not hurt and be strong.

Right, So that's my leverage on myself, Like what's your why?

Find out your why?

Has to be strong, your why, what's your reason for wanting to do it? Whatever it is, right, it has to be. And I just like I have obesity in my family. My mom was overweight big time. Spruce remembers my mom lost it though she did my food program, which is just basically become aware of what you're putting in so you know and then and also know your

Your muscle's gonna eat it.

Look, I don't even like, oh it's and I'm eating like pizza. I mean, I'm not to say this, but like I eat my protein and I eat my salads too, but I do eat pizza and ice cream a lot for dinner.

I get the chicken caesaror salad pizza, but like slice, but like I.

Can enjoy my life.

Yeah, before when I did the Jillian Michael's program, I was ripped like this, but I wasn't enjoying it because I was trying to count and like measure and like all this stuff. But like, it's just about awareness. If you're putting in too much for your container, your container's gonna expand to try to accommodate how much.

You're putting in.

So being aware of what's what you're putting in, how much of it you're putting in, and then.

Moving more because you can burn some, right, so then you can eat a little bit more.

You know.

But it's just about that.

I hate when people say find balance, But you have to find the balance between the movement and what you're eating and how much you're moving.

Okay, we're eating more than we're moving.

We're going to expand. That's great advice, thanks right, and so inspired by you.

And then build it into your life. Build it into your life. Like I have five rescue dogs.

I have to walk them.

So I'm doing like twenty thousand steps or fifteen to twenty on the average, just because I have to.

I built it into my life right right, and I enjoy it.

I enjoy it.

So now I'm doing something that I enjoy with my dogs.

And then I'm like, I can eat.

I can eat whatever I want.

Jenny, you are exes in the past that I was so mad at.

You're just a beautiful reflection of who you are. And I just you know, I always encourage actors. You have to have stamina to be an actor and to work on these sets twelve fourteen hours. Also, I think what's great is that you know in your teaching because the food that we're eating, the water that we're drinking is not what our bodies are used to anymore because of

But so sometimes sometimes you just have to learn the order of things. So if you can eat something like almonds to start lifting your blood sugar slowly and then have the sweet thing you want to have. Then it's already here, instead of going from zero to one hundred and spiking your blood sugar. That's the thing you don't want to do, but if you have like and that's why they always rep they've always suggested dessert after the meal because they want your blood sugar to start coming.

Up a little at a time.

Because blood sugar spiking causes like our minds and our chemistry and our brain to think they were under distressed. And then we we carry belly fat. That's what makes belly fat gather to keep us safe. So anytime you don't get enough sleep, anytime you're stressed out about stuff like that, that produces is a cortisol, the stress one, and then that makes us hold on to belly fat.

You know what you're coming back part to Jenny, Jenny, and yeah, yeah, we come in part too. And then I want, yeah, I want I want you to come in my class too and talk to actors about health because you know, it's so important. It's just so important that we try and work every day of being the healthiest. We can be. There's just so much in the air and everywhere. So yeah, so we're gonna do that. I'm gonna bring Elsa on. Elsa has a spirited actor who

Thank you for all those gems, Jenny. So today we have Ms. Melissa Mayer. Mlissa, you can come on him. You can ask Jenny what your question is.

Goodness, Hi, Jenny, Hi, Oh my goodness. You are so inspiring in more ways than one. I feel like I have like a list, laundry list of questions for you, but I gotta keep it short.

I'm just so inspired by your journey and your.

Accolades, but not just all your successes inside of the entertainment industry, but the success of your health, you know, taking care of you, and I think that's very important and that that goes hand in hand with the mental aspect. You mentioned earlier in the interview that it took you a while to break into the voiceover. What kept you motivated to keep going and not give up since it took like over a year to break break into that industry?

Hmm, Well, I was struggling, and I went to a nine day retreat in California with Byron Katie and I did her nine days called the School of.

The Work, where you question every stressful.

Thought that you have ever thought in your life.

And so I cried for three days. There was a lot of silence. We woke up in silence. We did a silent walk first thing, we did a silent breakfast, then we did an hour of a guided meditation, and then we started questioning our thoughts.

And that was where I learned.

How to stay in my own business and that I had been so much in the casting director's minds.

Of like why don't they love me? Why don't they love me?

And they had not signed me yet to be exclusive with Paradigm, so I was like, wow, I haven't booked anything for thirteen months. They're going to drop me. And I questioned, I did the work on one stressful thought, casting directors should love me. And that was before I went to this school. That was like the night before I flew. But you could do it for free. You can do it for free online, you guys. It's called Thework dot com. This was in two thousand and nine, btw.

I booked out, you.

Know, I'm going to LA I don't have the money.

I put it on a credit card.

I'll be back in ten days.

Don't drop me, you know, I'm trying to be care of myself.

And when I landed, before I did the Nine Days, Jeb called me from Paradigm and said, hey, we just had a meeting about you. And I was like, no, because I left because I went to California, you know. And he's like, we want to sign you when you get back. He literally said the casting directors love you, joking and I was like, but but he goes, don't think about it. It's yes, it's been thirty you know,

We believe in you. We want to sign you when you get back.

That was before I did the Nine Days, and he was like, enjoy your time.

So I did the Nine Days. I questioned every stress of.

Thought I've ever had.

I cried. I you know, it was crazy, had all these breakthroughs and I came back my first audition was National Geographic, and I booked it, and you know, Nat Geo, you got like five hundred dollars. But like I screamed on the sidewalk when she called me, and then my next.

Audition was tied. Now that being said, I was.

I was raised Buddhist, so I do have a very strong Buddhist foundation of like never give up spirit.

I have a memory of my past too that I.

Could look at and be like, I don't know, things usually work out right, you're going to book something like in my past, I always have eventually something's gonna happen, you know, and just I guess that's faith faith, I don't know, And then and then it just kind of

And I had left my business. How can I be present?

How can I be the.

Solution to the problem If I've left my own self to be in someone else's mind hoping they like me.

No, you just got to stand in it.

Interpret it me the solution, do your best, be there on time, and then let it go.

To the universe that did we know that to be true? Right?

And that's the whole thing of being here, right is to remember that, to continue that. That's where we live. Yeah, that's the great question.

Even better than that is to help other people remember.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, so thank you for for letting me, you know, be this person today.

You're my person. Yeah, read so beautiful. Well, thank you Melissa, and thank you Elsa for our question of the day. Jenny's gonna stick around you guys. So Melissa is actually who is going to do something for you. So you can sit back and you can give her some constructive criticism.

Yeah, i'd think great. Now should I mute myself now?

No? No, We're going to come back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. Don't you go anywhere because Jenny is going to be with us. Okay, don't move. Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me, Tracy Moore and Jenny. We are so excited and she's going to come back you guys, so you know, get comfortable. Yeah, we're gonna love that. So I'm going to bring els on and she's going to introduce the spirited actor who's going to perform for you today.

Yes, thank you, thank you. So today on CLASSOM session, we have a special segment. We have Miss Melissa Mayers back. Welcome back, Melissa, thank you for having me. Welcome and in honor of Miss Jenny Fujita, Melissa is going to do a voiceover commercial for us and then get some feedback from Ginny. So when you are ready, Jenny, when you're ready, Melissa, excuse me.

Tomorrow, the June tenth Party you've been waiting for is here this June eighth. That five join us in celebrating Juneteenth at the District presented by Frontier Airlines, Harley and the City Ofmorrow.

Enjoy Bounce Houses Award winning Barbecue Contest R and B and performances by the Michael and Jennet Jackson Experience plus the Mister and Miss June Teeth Writing Contest celebrating June teenth.

June eighth at that is strict.

Wow.

That was amazing for me, right wow, Like it kept me, It kept me, it kept me engaged the whole time. There was air and excitement in your in your you know, I like the tone it was, you know, it was like you you were really excited about it and you wanted everybody to come like that's I just felt drawn into it, like that's why I had to close my eyes because you're so cute that I was looking and I was.

Like, oh, there's really fun, but I want to just.

Listen to it.

If I was just listening to it, you know.

And then it was.

June eighth, which is my best friend's birthday and my dad's birthday.

Wow, there are too many, too many I'm on now. Wow. Yeah, So I thought there were so many words Jenny. I was like, oh my god, there's so many because she has to give out information. She did it, but yeah, I was like I can write this down at that speed and get all of that.

Yeah. Yeah.

Andmorrow, like I remember it already. That was the first thing you said.

Boom. Yeah, wow, that was good. And I remember June eight. So as the listener, you want to walk away with the information, but she hit you.

She hit you with Themorrow, and I was like, whoa, I'm with it.

Wow, really good.

Well, thank you Melissa, thank you so much, and thank you Elsa absolutely, and everybody grab your tissue because Jenny has to leave Boo boo, but I with you bit tight because she's coming back. That's the great part. Yeah them and please multi hyphenated. Thank you so much for your spirit. Thank you for that, Thank you.

Fash to love you.

I appreciate love everybody here, and thank you so much for having me.

Thank you, Jimmy NIC's right, say that tonight. I'm saying that tonight.

I love care facts.

Thank thank you so much, and thank you smooth Henry. When we get back. When we come back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, I'm going to give you guys some love. Welcome to Kudos Corner. Kudos Corner is where we celebrate spirited actors and we support them, but most importantly, we introduce them to you. This week's Kudos Corner puts the spotlight on spirited actor Jason Robinson.

Hi.

Everyone, The Spirited Actor Podcast with Tracy.

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Thank you.