Please introduce yourself. What do you do? Why? What do you want people to know about you?
I’m Jada Lanai, I’m an actress, model, musician, and author. I started acting at the age of 9 and I absolutely love it, acting as a different character is life-changing!
I always loved music, it’s been a part of me for a long time, it gives me absolute joy, as well as modeling. I love posing for the camera and I have a pretty good feeling that the camera loves me too!
I honestly love writing stories, it’s soo fun, and writing my poem book was so fun last year and I’m so excited to see how my journey as an author (poet) grows!
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
Besides being a 5″8ft 1/2 thin frame, beautiful and with beauty marks. I feel that everyone is unique in this industry in their own way.
For me, I look at what you bring with you to the auditions, my feelings, emotions, and yes we all have them. But it’s how you deliver and express your animation, it needs to be 110%, you have to give it all you have.
I want them to remember me, if not this time definitely the next.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you’re doing what you were born to do.
OMG! That moment was so amazing, I was 12 years old and I played Mrs. Potts in my middle school performance. I sang my first solo “Tale As Old As Time”, I was nervous in the beginning but once I started singing, it was completely magical.
When I got off the stage I was beaming with joy and proud of myself. No one could tell me anything was wrong, I felt like I killed it! After that moment I just knew that I was supposed to be a performer rather it was acting, dancing, singing, or playing the piano. I was ready for it!
What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to go through and how did you grow through it?
The biggest challenge for me; sadly was the pandemic, I was busy every day at school.
With theatre, more theatre, and The Harlequins’ Club, I was in the choir as well. I was also a part of the school’s district’s honors musical of “Hairspray”, on top of taking my first theatre college course. I felt like I was on fire!
But during my rehearsals for our spring musical “Urinetown”, then came the covid shutdowns. I was so sad and depressed, I wanted to give up, it was really disappointing but after a few weeks of feeling down, I started to have some faith. It turned into something good for me, I started practicing the piano again, I enrolled back in acting classes.
I started modeling and did some print work, the most exciting thing was I got my first in-person audition and I actually booked it! Ultimately the pandemic helped me with believing in myself again!
Another challenge is understanding that “no” does not mean never and having patience with myself knowing that I’m good at what I do. It’s just that the job was not for me and something bigger is coming.
Who are the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could elevate your career or business? Why these specific individuals?
Yes, I absolutley love this question! So first I would like to meet and work with Zendaya, she is absolutely amazing, she has inspired me to go after acting and I grew up watching “Shake it Up” and she made acting look so fun and magical!
I would also love to work with China Anne McClain, because when I was watching her in “Ant Farm”, she made me fall in love with music, I wanted to play every instrument after watching her. The next person would be Tyler Perry, he is literally awesome, I love his versatility in film and theater and I think he would be amazing to work with.
I know you said three people, but I have to add Adam Sandler, he is so funny and creative with all of his productions and I swear he is like Disneyland, he is full of magic and I would love to work with him as well!