John Smith-People You Should Know

Entertainment, People You Should Know — By Buddy Sampson on December 14, 2020 at 8:36 pm

An Ordinary Name, but an Extraordinary Journey

By Buddy Sampson

John Smith, an actor, director and writer from Dundalk Co. Louth, Ireland has always suffered at the hands of pranksters who can’t resist commenting on his name. In fact, when we joked with him whether he had been in witness protection, he told a hilarious story about an encounter he had with a clerk while purchasing a phone. “He said, ‘why don’t you do this plan, because you’re a soccer fan, so you can watch your programs,’ so I was signing up for it, and said ‘absolutely,’” he remembered. “And I’m signing up for it and he asks ‘what’s your name?’ And I’m like John Smith. He stopped and gave me a deadpan look and he’s like ‘could you repeat that?’ I was like ‘John Smith, (spelling) J-O-H-N S-M-I-T-H, that’s how I spell it.’ For a moment, he had nothing to say and then finally said ‘Michael Jackson is more believable that that!”

Perhaps John Smith may be somewhat of an ordinary name, but the name represents a slice of family history. “I was named after my uncle, my uncle was John Smith,“ he laughed, “and I have a lot of cousins named John Smith. I love my family, but they weren’t very adventurous with names.”

The actor, director and writer, who is quick to laugh and has a charming Irish accent, wrote a film called “The CONsequence,” in 2017, in which he portrayed one of the characters, Sean. The short, a 24-minute film, has attained critical acclaim, with John snagging an award for Best Director for the film at the International Independent Film Awards. He received a standing ovation when the film was presented at an event.  “We had a screening for it and it was brilliant,” said John Smith, about the screening, which took place above an Irish pub in Portland, Oregon. “Like 200 people or so came out and packed into the place. I didn’t realize that many people liked me. Or maybe they wanted to see me fail, but they all came out. And they were so supportive. And they loved it, I got a standing ovation and I was like ‘yeah, you don’t have to sit down, you can keep clapping if you want for me.’”

Longer than most conventional film shorts, John made an early decision to break the traditional norms, especially for first time directors. “It’s 24 minutes, actually for a short film, too be honest, it’s too long, that was the advice that my acting coach and everyone gave me,” he laughed. “First time directing, five minutes at the most, well I’m like, I can’t check that off, I’m a little past that. ‘Don’t act and direct, it’s too much work.’ So much for that, too. But it was a big success and we were lucky to get in some festivals.” “The CONsequence” not only is John’s first work, it had special significance for he and his family. “My dad became very ill, we nearly lost him,” he reflected about his dad, Hughie Smith. “During the production, my mom (Geeka Smith) did pass away, so it kind of stopped and started. It was a very hard time for me personally.”

Lately John has been developing The CONsequence into a feature film as well as other numerous projects, including “The Last Ride,” a thriller-horror movie he wrote and directed. “That film is about an Uber/Lyft driver,” he said, “He picks up a lady that takes him on a very far journey.” The journey will take viewers on a cinematic roller coaster ride. Currently, he’s working with Suzanne De Laurentiis Productions.

His journey began in Dundalk Co. Louth, Ireland. His family also suffered from a different kind of abuse. He grew up in a family that migrated often, in the Romani Gypsy cultural heritage. “We were called either Irish Gypsies or Irish Travelers, we came from Romani, a different ethnic group,” he said. ”My parents lived all over Ireland, all over England. That’s how it was, you move place to place in your trailers. It’s a very tight community.” So as a result, he and his family experienced the stigma of racial stereotypes.  “I’m very immersed into who I am and what I am. And I’m super proud of who I am regardless of what people may say.”

He views Sylvester Stallone as more than just his favorite actor, but also as quite an inspiration for his work, his career and his approach to life. “I actually think he’s a phenomenal actor,” said John of Stallone. “I think he’s a genius, and a brilliant writer. I just loved his films. I don’t know what it is about it, but his films just brought me in. He’s definitely my idol.”

In 2011 John decided to move to the United States, and in 2014 he started taking acting classes with Shelly Lipkin. “Shelly, he’s great,” said John. “He’s been around 20-30 years. He was in Los Angeles, but he’s now in Portland. He’s been brilliant.” He then acted in several short films, web series, and commercials and is represented as an actor by Ryan Artists in the Pacific North West. In 2020 John, alongside his creative and business partner Steve Durland opened up their own production company called SMKPO Productions. He quotes the philosophy of his mother, Geeka Smith as a mantra for his life. “If you don’t try, you really fail,” said the actor, director and writer.

John Smith may have an ordinary name, but his story and journey are far from ordinary. John Smith’s extraordinary journey, his talent and his sense of humor makes him one of the People You Should Know.