Canadian-born actor Jonathan Emond is Hollywood’s latest rising star. Born in Brampton, Ontario, he moved to a small town near Montreal at a very young age. “I don’t really remember living in Brampton, as my family and I moved to Montreal when I was a toddler.” explains Jonathan. Throughout elementary school in Montreal, Jonathan was always a natural entertainer. “When I was eight my parents signed me up for piano lessons,” said Jonathan. “When I began playing it felt so natural to me. You could say I was a gifted player. At age ten I was one of the youngest students to take the ‘Conservatoire de Musique du Quebec a Montreal’ entry exam, and pass.” He was also a very talented soccer player, “I was playing 2 years older than myself and still had the respect of my teammates.” said Jonathan.
Challenges began to take a hold when at age 11 both of Jonathan’s kidney’s failed. Piano playing, soccer and acting was put on hold during the dialysis treatments. “I wasn’t able to keep up with my activities anymore, I was drained. With everything happening, it was a real shock to be so active as a child one minute and then diagnosed with failing kidneys the other,” said Jonathan. “I was on a dialysis machine 3 times a week for 4 to 5 hours at a time. It was a strain on everyone, but after two years, and on my 13th birthday, I was finally called in to accept a kidney from my dad.”
Jonathan’s experience during this process gave him the strength and motivation to help other children in need of medical attention. As a young teen Jonathan would be on stage speaking to corporate businesses encouraging them to pledge funds for Operation Enfant Soleil, the local charity. “After overcoming kidney failure, I was invited to share my story to companies and corporations to help raise awareness and funds for the charity. These funds allowed the hospital to provide better services for all sick children,” said Jonathan. “Appearing on telethons helped target the masses to raise awareness and motivate people to give back.”
It was during this time that Jonathan met his first acting mentor, Susan Glenn, a successful talent agent that worked with Jay Baruchel in Montreal. Susan was inspired by Jonathan’s raw talent and ability to command a stage. “Susan was my first connection to the world of entertainment,” said Jonathan. “I had e-mail exchanges and one day I just called her up and asked for if we could meet in person, and I guess she liked my energy. She then told me to join Teen Tour Theatre, a youth theatre troupe, to pursue a career in acting. It felt natural to me to be up there, so I joined the theatre troupe and worked with them for the next three years.”
Jonathan’s first TV audition was at fifteen for Télé-Québec’s Tactik, set in Montreal. “I remember waiting in the casting director’s office with other hopefuls and thinking – I’ve got this,” explained Jonathan. “I was more excited than nervous. I think it must have showed as I landed a lead role!”
Since appearing on Tactik, Jonathan has gone on to appear in several popular Canadian TV shows including; Impostor, Fatal Vows, Being Human, 30 Vies and The Fixer. “From that first TV show, other opportunities opened up to me, and before I knew it, I was a working child actor on major television networks in Canada.” said Jonathan. “I certainly got the acting bug!”
Since beginning his acting journey Jonathan has evolved as a young actor. “I decided to sharpen my acting skills and enroll in various acting workshops,” explains Jonathan. “I studied in stage combat, voice over for animation and video games, improvisation workshops and more recently Meisner workshops with JT Silver.”
In 2015 Jonathan decided to make the leap to Hollywood, in order to fulfil his dream of becoming Hollywood’s next star. “I felt that I could grow as an actor in Los Angeles, as it is the entertainment capital of the world.” said Jonathan. “I researched acting studios, casting director workshops and potential Hollywood representation. Hollywood can be daunting to a young actor – so many things to consider.” Jonathan certainly landed on his feet quickly in Los Angeles. “I chose to study with renowned Los Angeles-based acting teacher Aaron Speiser,” said Jonathan. “Aaron has an amazing track record with actors. He has coached some of Hollywood’s elite including; Will Smith, Gerard Butler, and Virginia Madsen. Many actors remain in his master class throughout their careers even when they become superstars!”
It seems that Jonathan has found his calling in life. In 2014 he landed his first Hollywood film role in the Michael Bay directed blockbuster movie Transformers: Age of Extinction. “It was an amazing experience working on T4. It felt like a dream.” said Jonathan. “The size of the crew was definitely intimidating at first but when I was in character they seemed transparent. The adrenaline when Michael Bay said action was a feeling I’ll remember forever. Working with Michael Bay and Mark Wahlberg blew my mind. What I found crazy was how passionate Michael Bay was about every shot. His energy was what kept the ball rolling. Mark on the other hand was really helpful. Just watching him listen to Michael and applying his guidelines instantly.”
Jonathan, who recently signed with management firm Bohemia Group in Hollywood, is taking show business in his stride. “When not acting, or in an acting class, I enjoy spending time in the gym, playing tennis or spending time with my friends,” said Jonathan. “I still remain an active ambassador for various children’s charities and organizations in Canada and across the USA. Children charity work will always be a part of me.”
To aspiring actors Jonathan answered. “Flying from LAX to Vancouver I had the luck of sitting beside renowned actor Dominic Purcell and he told me something I’ve followed to the T since I heard it. He said ‘You have to work your butt off to get lucky.’ I can’t emphasize enough how true this is.”
To conclude Jonathan said, “To be happy in life I created a saying for myself to keep me on track. Truth leads to happiness and happiness attracts love, love, is life. So whenever I catch myself going on the wrong path I reset and start again. It has helped me get to where I am today.”
To learn more about actor Jonathan Emond visit his website – www.jonathanemond.com
