Jake Hunter is a former pro baseball player from New York, who went on to work steadily as a model, booking various campaigns including Hawke & Company, Justin Case, ORYX and has walked in several Mercedes Benz Fashion Week shows.
Best known for starring in the series “The Bay” as EJ Perrone, Hunter now stars in the show he wrote and produced called, “Class Act”!
The first season is currently available on Amazon Prime.
Describe your new Amazon Prime series “Class Act”.
Class Act is a story of several young artists in this bizarre out of the box acting class that are trying to make it in Hollywood. The show is a dramedy that relays the comedic elements of the entertainment industry while also hitting some of the tougher, more deeper issues that are going on as well.
Tell us about your character ‘Stephano Luciano’.
My character Stephano is based a lot on my real life. The journey begins as a starving artist who started out living in his car, doing whatever it takes to survive to make his dream a reality. That part is accurate. There were certain things relationship-wise that were fictional though. There’s a real need for connection with Stephano. Beneath his tough exterior, he just wants to be loved.
How did you get involved with the series?
I’m big into making my own projects. I’ve produced an Amazon show before but wanted to create something of my own though. I followed the “write what you know” philosophy, so I created a story about actors. A lot of the scenes in Class Act were actually my story. After I wrote the scripts, I partnered with a few great people, then Amazon stepped in, and we turned that vision into a reality.
How was it working with the cast of “Class Act”?
It was interesting working the cast. Eric Roberts was fun because he’s been around so long and he’s a pro. He was always telling jokes on set and we couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. Then on the other side of things, there were cast members that I knew from acting class in real life. Most of the ensemble cast is actors that were cast to play actors. So all the performances were very honest and authentic to the story.
What was your favorite episode or scene from season 1?
My favorite episode from season 1 was the finale. I feel like we really got into the swing of things, we had grown super close as a cast by that point, and that script was just a fun one to shoot. I remember feeling really sad when we wrapped up that episode because the season was over and I just wanted to keep filming.
You won a Daytime Emmy for the series “The Bay”. How was that experience?
The best part about that experience was bringing my mom to the Emmys as my date. She hasn’t had the easiest road, she’s a two-time cancer survivor, and had lived in the same small town in upstate New York her whole life. She decided to make the move to LA just in time for me to bring her. She got to walk the red carpet, then the moment when we won I got to share that with her. The awards and recognition are great but getting to experience it with loved ones are what makes it great.
You are an actor, writer, and producer, what other projects do you have coming up?
I just acted in a new Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman film called The Come Back Trail that comes out in December that I’m really excited about. I got to go film that in New Mexico recently. Then I have a TV movie called “What’s to Come” that we’re shooting in August that I wrote, produced, and will be acting in as well. We’re also hoping to shoot season 2 of Class Act by the end of this year.
Besides working, what hobbies or charities do you like to support in your spare time?
I have volunteered for the Peggy Beatrice Foundation, which feeds the homeless every Tuesday. I also like to read a lot. I’m really into books such as The Power of Now, The Four Agreements, The Alchemist. I also do meditation every day. I like to participate in things that balance me out from all the craziness on the entertainment side.
