Jermelle Simon and his Big Break

In my Biggie Smalls voice, “It was all a dream” for Jermelle Simon— a dream that he made a reality. Many may now know him for his breakout role as Bernard on Netflix’s #1 show The Upshaws, but now it’s time to get to know him outside of the screen.

“Many people don’t know that I have been acting all my life,” said Simon when I asked him where his passion for acting came from. There was a spark that happened when he was in the third grade and his teacher gave him a part in a school play. That moment changed his life forever. He found this love and passion for theater that he couldn’t quite understand or describe. He wanted to pursue more; however, coming from the small town of Florence, South Carolina, acting wasn’t a pursuit that was normalized enough for him to feel confident in doing. Simon said, “I played football which I actually didn’t love; but, because it was what I was supposed to do, I did it.” Being an athlete back then was far more popular than being in the arts.

He actually regrets spending so much time on sports, because he knew that his heart was in theater and it was all he could think about. 

“The biggest thing I did was move out of my hometown”

Part of his growth and journey was living in his truth. The opportunity of college and moving to be in his own space gave him the ability to just be. At eighteen, he moved to Virginia to attend Norfolk State University and begin his education in theater. “When I got there, I started out in community theater, which eventually led to me doing stage plays at Norfolk State,” said Simon. 

“It was the stage that led to me working with Denzel Washington and starring in Fences.”

“I think it makes you a better actor,” said Simon when asked if he thinks theater and being classically trained in acting gives him and other theater actors an advantage. He described the difference in theater and tv acting perfectly. On stage you get one chance to get the scene right in front of hundreds of audience members while in television and film you can do retakes until you get the scene right. In the world of theater, he explained, it’s where you learn that you and your co-stars have to rely on each other, because if one fumbles then the others can too— no football pun intended. 

“I made it when I moved to LA”

We all think that the big role and fame is what “making it” means. For Jermelle, “making it” is more of a mindset and action. He was only 23 when he decided to pack up his life with his then wife and two children to move to Los Angeles and pursue his dreams. He hit the ground running when he landed in LA by doing Youtube shows, tons of background work, short films and student films sometimes with pay and majority of the time without pay. “I remember telling everyone on social media, I’m the guy in the red hat on Mixology but don’t blink too fast,” said Simon as he recalled one his first background roles.

“My first short film was Sojourn”

In 2017 while on a way to Puerto Rico, Jermelle received a call from Jonathan Aubrie Lewis who had written a short film called Sojourn and wanted him to be the lead in it. The film was experiential and would require Jermelle to have to tap into deep emotions. “Jonathan is an actor’s director,” said Simon when he mentioned why he was thankful for the opportunity and Johnathan. Before they started working on the production of the film, Johnathan spent time learning about Jermelle to better understand how he would be able to help him tap into those emotional areas that would be needed to make his role work. “This is the testament to having a great director,” said Simon, because this was one of the best filming experiences of his career. 

“Jonathan told me that vulnerability will be my greatest strength,” said Simon. This role took so much out of Jermelle emotionally that he even went through a state of depression for a month. It brought up a lot of hidden feelings that he hadn’t faced in the past. Through this depression, he was able to heal by dealing with emotions he hadn’t realized he was suppressing. Sojourn was such a pivotal point in his career before The Upshaws. When Jermelle spoke about this experience and what he had learned from Johnathan, he instantly had a huge smile on his face. 

“Bernard is breaking barriers” 

“I was surprised by how many people said that Bernard helped them,” said Simon as we got into this next chapter in his life as Bernard. This was a character he soon realized represented marginalized communities but also people who just struggle to find themselves. The role of Bernard is so important for him because Bernard is impacting the lives of others. Simon said, “Bernard represents a black man struggling with who he is. A lot of black men are struggling to find themselves in this world. I think it’s important to continue to have characters written who reflect real life.”

“It’s about healing people”

“I think we all can relate to Bernard, because, at one point in our lives, we have our own internal struggles,” said Simon. It’s somewhat therapeutic for Jermelle because he gets to be an actor who shows that people can come out and be themselves and live a life that is normal to them. 

“One of the hardest decisions you can make in life is being unapologetically you.”

Jermelle’s journey and determination to reach that top showed him that it could only be accomplished by being just Jermelle with no apologies. This is Jermelle’s year of 33. He is being unapologetic in the decisions he is making and where he takes his life. “I had people actually say negative things about this role and character for me,” said Simon. This is something we see many times in our community where playing a gay or feminine character for a black male actor is frown upon. None of this has bothered nor stopped Jermelle from being proud of this role. As long as he can continue to play someone who normalizes being their authentic self, regardless of what the world says, then he is doing his job.

Beyond this role and his career in acting, Jermelle wants to encourage people to find their true happiness and live in it. From not pursuing acting earlier due to fear and limiting himself at times with his own internal struggle, he now focuses on living in the moment, being present, and not looking for validation— because validation is definitely for parking. “This next stage in my life, I want to find out what my happiness is outside of my career and everything else we attach happiness to,” Jemelle said.

Cover Shoot Credits

Creative Direction and Styling – Lady Maximo @ladymaximo
Director of Photography – Drezink @drezinkphoto
Lead MUA – Marian @mariandamua
Clothing – NAID’s @naidsfashion

Originally published in January 2022 issue