Frosty's Flava Magazine AUG-SEP- 2019 URBAN FILM FESTIVAL EDITION | Page 56

Frosty’s Flava
Magazine Gets Up
Close with:
be respected. The reason I
bought that up is because,
I just feel like there are so
many different dimensions
to who you are as a person.
Jimmy
Jean Louis
Like the fact that you are
fluent in: French, Italian,
English, Spanish & Creole.
That’s extremely impressive
and also mind blowing.
Interviewed By:
Frances “Frosty” Remy |
Transcription:
Maria T. Aponte
Painted Swagg
Photography:
Johnny Louis
JLN Photography
Powered by:
Marco Molinet | FFH UFF
FFM: Jimmy, It’s such a
huge honor to have the
opportunity to get up close
and pick your brain a bit.
Talk to me a little bit about
the real Jimmy... What’s
Jimmy’s story?
Like what happened?
Where did you end up? How
did this happen? That’s not
the typical. I also know that
you’re well traveled... but
when did you find the time?
What would the Native
Americans say if they
come and see you?
Whether you’re Black,
White, Chinese, Latino
and all that
How did you get to where
you are today? Because
I’ve read quite a bit about
you and although they talk
about your humanitarian
acts, your travels and your
career, they’re always
extremely vague about your
childhood and there’s always a huge gap in
between.
There’s the duration of you coming up from
Haiti and you actually making it in Hollywood.
But they always seem to leave everything in the
middle out. Why is that?
JJL: Yeah, I mean if you want to be specific
about moments; I’ll gladly answer. One thing I
love to do, I love to answer people’s questions
directly and I’ll always be open and very
truthful.
It really depends on the people that I have in
front of me who are inquiring, because I’m
not gonna naturally go off divulging certain
things, it’s not my style - but if I’m asked a
specific question, then definitely I’ll answer it
honestly.
It’s more than a pleasure to reveal some of
those more intimate stories about some of the
struggles that I have had to go through, to get
from point A to point B.
FFM: That’s completely understandable and to
AUG-SEP R.indd 56
JJL: It’s all about the hustle
you know? (Jimmy laughs)
People have different
understandings of a hustle;
and of a hustler. If you’re
from the hood, your hustle
is probably from your hood.
If you’re from a city, your
hustle is from your city. But
very few people understand
the hustle from one country
to a different country.
From one continent to
a different continent.
From one background to
adapting to a different one
and then mastering that
new and making it your
own to move on to the next
one.
So that’s why I don’t speak on that much
because few people will actually understand.
You know what I mean?
FFM: Definitely! I completely get it, because
that’s always been my way of life as well.
Especially also being on my own at 12 and a
teen parent at 15.
JJL: So yeah, you get it! It’s that same hustle
that got me from point A to point B. The hustle
from my parents got me from Haiti to Paris,
but it’s my own hustle that got me from Paris
to Spain; looking for a better life. It’s my hustle
that got me from Spain to Italy. still looking for
a better life.
You know, I got sick
and tired of having
all kinds of situations.
Whether it being
homeless in Paris,
whether it is facing all
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