Bryson JonSteele is a nine-year-old child actor with over 30 credits of film/television in the U.S. He is also a Lake Nona resident! Read our interview with him and his mom, Stacae Caldwell, below.
Nonahood News: What is your job?
Bryson JonSteele: Acting. It’s a very fun process. I love being new characters.
Stacae Caldwell: A normal day for him is 5-6 hours of school, and then he’ll go and get an audition that we self-tape. Then, he might do a voiceover.
NHN: What has your favorite project been so far?
BJ: My favorite project has been My Christmas Wish. It’s a very good film because I’m into Christmas; that’s my favorite holiday. I did it in August, which was cool since it wasn’t even Christmas yet. We filmed it in Kansas City.
NHN: Do you enjoy traveling?
BJ: I enjoy traveling because you get to see places all over the world. You could get a call that says you need to be in Chicago tomorrow or in California. Then you go, and you get to explore all new places.
NHN: What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?
BJ: The most challenging aspect is going from acting sad for one day to acting happy. The most rewarding aspect is probably seeing yourself on the screen and being like, “Hey, that’s me!”
NHN: What got you interested in acting?
BJ: I watched vintage movies and thought they were cool. Then, I started remembering commercials. I was like, “I’m gonna work for Steven Spielberg one day!” We got a call one day from a manager who saw me on YouTube. My mom thought it was a prank call, but it wasn’t. Then, two days later, she says, “Steven Spielberg’s in town. Do you want to go audition for him?” I got the callback, and I got to meet Steven Spielberg.
NHN: What advice do you have for young actors hoping to get into the business?
BJ: Never give up, and try to go to acting classes and see if you actually like them. If you give up, it’s really hard to get back to where you were. Another thing you can do for acting is [follow] the Law of Attraction – attract what you want.
SC: When you get into acting, you have to balance life. I mean, I ask Bryson, “Do you want to be famous?”
BJ: I don’t want to be famous because, if you get too famous, you can’t really go anywhere without having a bunch of people there or have one day that’s enjoyable.
NHN: Do you have any interesting hobbies besides acting?
BJ: I love building Legos, going to the beach, spending time with my family, and going to see some of my friends. I love doing school. I’m in 4th grade.
SC: [laughs] You don’t love doing school. It’s a balance.
NHN: Do you have a favorite subject?
BJ: My favorite subjects are science and language arts.
NHN: Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
BJ: I see myself meeting more people, getting to know them, and being really connected to acting. I love acting; it’s the best thing in the world to me.
NHN: Do you have any upcoming projects?
BJ: I have two upcoming projects in December called 115 Grains and Egghead and Twinkie. I have one coming next week which is a dinosaur movie.
NHN: Where are you from originally?
SC: I’m originally from Texas, and his dad is originally from New York.
BJ: I’m originally from Florida. My mom had me in Ocala. We lived there for four years, then we moved to Lake Nona, which is the best place I’ve ever been. I like going to all the parks, and my favorite place to go for breakfast is Sweet Mama’s. My go-to order is pancakes and dippy eggs.
NHN: What is your favorite part about Lake Nona?
BJ: I like that there’s a lot of stuff near here. There’s a lot of cool parks.
NHN: Do you enjoy being outside?
BJ: I’m both an outside and an inside person – but more an outside person. I love riding my bike with my mom.
SC: We like long rides.
BJ: We go for rides three times a week usually, but it depends on where we were.
NHN: What would you say to anyone who is considering a move to Lake Nona?
BJ: Just do it. There’s so much there that you can do. I love everything here. You feel safe in the neighborhood. All the neighbors are nice and supportive.
SC: We love the location. The airport being so close to us makes it so easy to travel on-call. And it’s growing so much that we don’t have to go any other place if we don’t want to.
Photos Courtesy of Stacae Caldwell
