Aadujeevitham actor Jimmy Jean-Louis on working with Blessy, opens up on his turbulent life: ‘I was homeless in Paris at one point’

Aadujeevitham is one of the most poignant survival dramas to be made today. Jimmy says, “I like what the story means because it is based on a true story. The character that I portray is a ‘god-sent’ kind of character, like an angel who appears in the middle of a desert and does a good deed. The role has a lot of depth and the film sends a great message about humanity. And also, it is my first movie in India, so to be introduced in such a manner is great.”

 

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Jimmy was associated with Aadujeevitham in 2020 while the film went on the floor in 2018- 2019, and then the Covid-19 pandemic hit which stalled the film’s shoot. He shares, “I have worked with some big directors earlier, for example Antoine Fuqua and David O. Russell, who has a little under 35 Oscar nominations. And, then comes Blessy, who, first of all, is someone with a lot of soul and a great vision. He does everything to get what he wants and he does that with a lot of love and perseverance. Even when things are extremely hard, he still believes it is possible. If he didn’t have the belief, if he didn’t have hope, there is no way we could have finished this movie. We had so many troubles along the way that we needed a good captain. He was the best captain to just carry everyone along with him and say, ‘this is where we are going and we’ll get there.’”

Jimmy is a model-turned-actor and has featured in several Haitian and some Hollywood films. He says, “From where I come, acting is so remote. While growing up I didn’t even know what it was like to be on TV because I was in Haiti. It is when I moved to Paris that I was introduced to the arts. But really, it was going to the clubs where I saw George Michael, Madonna, Prince on a regular basis. I was seeing all these people and I wanted to be like them someday. That’s how the idea of becoming an artiste started and I enrolled in an acting school in Paris and then did musical theatre in Spain and modelled in Italy. It was a long process with lots of ups, but also a lot of downs. In Paris, I was even homeless at one point.”

 

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Jimmy calls Adujeevitham his “entry point” in the Indian film industry. On being asked if he aspires to do Bollywood films, he declares his love for the Khans. “I always wanted to be a part of the Bollywood industry because it is the biggest in the world. I have not watched too many movies but I know a few names, all the Khans — Salman Khan, and someone of the other actors are also popular in America. A lot of Bollywood films are seen on the big screen in America, so yes, I was always attracted by India and Indian films but I didn’t know how to get in. So, hopefully this can be an entry point and I’ll be able to do more, I’d love to do more, walk along the kings of Bollywood,” Jimmy concludes.