Julia Allison was recently interviewed by TheCelebrity.Online Magazine and below is the Q&A session we had with her.
Julia Allison As Cover Story Interview – October 2023 Edition
How do you introduce yourself?
When I say hello for the first time to someone new on set or a mixer, I usually carry a big ole’ smile on my face and say, hi there, I’m Julia, but my industry friends usually call me Jazzy or J – so feel free to do the same!
How was your Childhood to Adulthood transition?
When I call to mind my childhood memories, I fondly remember going on exhilarating adventures in the forest that surrounds my parents’ home. Sticks weren’t sticks… they were swords, and handfuls of sand, leaves and dirt were magic attacks waiting to be cast onto any villainous creature that dare challenge me! My childhood was filled with blasts of creativity and an adoration for play. These are the memories that make me smile. Luckily, as an actress I get to reinvigorate my life with that same sense of play and creativity.
Of course, there comes that time when we grow out of the heavy play-based era of our years and move into establishing our own identities as real “big” people and try to figure out where we stand in this world. That transition for me, probably, like for most, was filled with great memories, and a solid hand of chaos and heart break. Builds character, right?
What hardships did you face in your life?
When I was very young I lost one of my best friends. She was something! She was spunky, playful, and filled with life. She was the kind of friend who you knew you were going to have a good time with. We would stay up late watching scary haunting shows, and of course rile each other up with the classic, “hey… did you hear that??”, or “uhh..What was that?!?! ..No dude… I’m serious!”. I always laugh when I recall how we stuffed our training bras with toilet paper, parading our way through the house, laughing hysterically, and I mean hysterically. She sure taught me a lot, but yeah, I became familiar with loss as a kid – reconciling things that were tough for a young mind to grapple with. Honestly the whole thing sent me into a major depression in my early teen years, I was haunted by night terrors so badly to the point where I hadn’t slept for 3 days once. My body finally shut down after hallucinating and I passed out. To be honest I’m not sure exactly how I came out of that tailspin, or the others that were to come – but I’ll chalk it up to my God given virtue of perseverance, along with a dash of prayer.
What do people usually not know about you?
I think a lot of people don’t realize that throughout life we are ALWAYS finding ourselves – especially when we are faced with difficulties that challenge our resolve. As a child, we are discovering, as a teen, we are discovering, as young adults, we are discovering, as long as we are alive…we will always be discovering who we are and what we are made of.
I’ve always been a charismatic person, or at least my graduating class thought so – voted for most out-going from the 2011 graduating class of North Dickinson, in good ole’ Upper Michigan (UP).
Your family and relationships?
Onto college, I had maybe one stellar boyfriend, and the rest really not so great. The not so great lot was built from a steady pattern of narcissistic-styled individuals; I’m sure you’ve heard the story before so I’ll spare you the details. I walked away embracing the fact that sincere love will allow your world to grow, not shrink, and that if someone is only happy with you when you obey their rules and follow the image of you that they love, then that’s simply not love. After I figured this out, I then embraced unapologetically who I was and almost instantly met the love of my life. Jayson with a Y.
Most people have NO idea that my husband and I never even dated. We were never boyfriend and girlfriend. We were just friends when he proposed to me on that snowy mountain– best friends.
After all the self discovery I did in high school and college, I surely thought I had a good grip on who I was – well, then I became a mom! It is amazing how immense and beautiful our capacity to be selfless becomes when you transition to parenthood. As a mom I can honestly say that you can really become so selfless to the point where you almost disappear as a person completely. It was probably a couple years into parenting when I finally cracked, looked at Jayson with a Y and said – who am I?! What do I even want?
He thoughtfully responded with a question that was meant to dive deeper than the surface, “If you could do anything, something that truly made you happy, what would you do?”
I thought carefully for the next month before I finally responded –“Voice Act. I want to voice act. I would die happy.”. It was in that moment that I finally gave myself permission to embody and discover my truest passion with no “buts”. Voice acting was just the beginning though, as I was quickly bit by the acting bug, and caught love for theatre and film too. Wildly different animals – film, theater, and voice acting.
What sets you apart from others?
Perhaps my journey is what sets me apart from the rest. I’ve spent almost all my life discovering who I am, having to prove it again and again – to fight to find or and simply not lose my essence. Perhaps that’s why I am so madly in love with acting, as it is the only job where you can live a thousand lives in one life, and in each of those lives you have to discover yourself, again and again, you find you and your essence in the character.
What are your food preferences and physical attributes?
When it comes to food, what’s not to love? I mean really – the better question to ask is what don’t I like? I guess there is one thing I would rather not have -skittles. I will eat duck tongue no problem – just not skittles (unless they’re sour). Skittles just give me weird vibes, and I attribute this to those creepy skittle pox commercials I watched growing up.
What are your upcoming major events?
What have I been up to recently? Hmm, on the Feature film front, keep an eye out for my name in the credits of an upcoming film, Know Escape, where I play the lead. The director, cast and crew really are something – so don’t miss it! Another one to check the credits for is Fatal Dispatch – coming soon! It will be a must watch, I have no doubt. More to come, but I can’t say much at this moment. On the voice Acting front, keep your eyes on an upcoming series called Ray’s Animated Series – catch me as a celebrity guest in episode 6! There will be more – much more, so stay tuned.
What will be your expert advice?
My Advice? First off, be grateful to your peers who support you, the directors that believe in you, the ones that go out of their way to elevate you. I would not be where I am without the fabulous talent and teachers who believe in me and lent me their time. Second – don’t forget to play! We have so many inhibitions that we grow into, so many self-limiting conditions we place on ourselves– forget them! Just play – have fun and be unapologetically you! And when it comes to acting and self-discovery… Each of those lives you play will be different, each character you bring to life will be unique and unconnected to the last – in acting, you get to discover yourself a thousand times over again and live a thousand different lives. Enjoy it, live it, and live it truthfully.
Your Social Media & Links?
Come connect with me! Reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram to collaborate on your next project or chat about acting and the arts! As always, keep it Jazzy!
Tariq Riaz is the owner, writer and editor in chief of TheCelebrity.Online – Read more on our About Us page.
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