Isaiah John may be a well-known name now after landing the role of Leon on FX's hit series, Snowfall, but it hasn’t always been lights and cameras for the 26-year-old. John worked long hours as a janitor to fund his dreams of becoming an actor.
LISTEN NOW: Isaiah John check in with 'The Big Tigger Morning Show'
“I didn’t hate that job, and I wasn’t embarrassed by the job either,” John told Audacy’s The Big Tigger Morning Show. “I was grateful for what the job was giving me at the time [which was] flexibility. It’s what I needed. Flexibility for auditions and things like that.”
While his days of cleaning gym floors and wiping down equipment are long gone, the lessons he learned from the position have followed him into his acting career and he’s grateful for it. “To me it’s like yes, that was a very humbling experience, but I saw it as just ‘I’m paying my dues, it just has to get done,’” he shared. “I really grew a lot in that time. It taught me patience, it taught me a lot about myself.”
LISTEN NOW: More with Isaiah John
Coming from such humble beginnings has made it hard for the star to see himself as such, even when people ask to take photos.
“When people make it a big deal when they see me, I get it,” he said while also sharing that he doesn’t get annoyed when people call him by his character’s name. “But I feel like I’m such an introvert, and I’m such a quiet person, so it does make me feel like, kind of weird.”
Catch John and all the drama of Snowfall in new episodes on FX every Wednesday night.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign up and follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram