Born in Peru and raised in Queens, New York, Jaime is a young up-and-coming filmmaker to look out for. Writer, director, and star of the indie film Me, You and Five Bucks, Jaime was involved in every aspect of the creation of the piece, which has enjoyed success on the film festival circuit. Jaime plays Charlie in the film, a lovable loser who dreams of selling his book The 7 Steps of Healing the Male Broken Heart, yet finds himself barely eeking by, working in restaurants in the Big Apple.
Having gotten his start on MTV’s Eye Spy Video, Jaime first fell in love with acting and has landed roles in TNT’s Leverage, House, and Sons of Anarchy. Next year he will be seen starring as Poe, an eccentric man who thinks he is Edgar Allen Poe and chooses to live on the streets of Bodega Bay, California, in The Ghost and the Whale. The film also stars Tippi Hedren, Monica Keena and Jonathan Pryce. In parallel to all this, Jaime has continued to explore screenwriting, production and filmmaking in a series of films, including 2012’s Heartlines and now Me, You and Five Bucks. Young Adult Mag had the chance to sit down and talk with the artist about this recent production, and his creative process.
YOUNG ADULT: As a ‘multi-hyphenate artist’, which track of creativity sparks you the most? Acting, writing, directing or producing?
Jaime Zevallos: Without even thinking about it I can say Acting. I can write and direct or produce all day long but if I’m not acting on the regular I feel like something in my life is seriously missing. I get somewhat depressed without auditioning or not finding a stage piece to be in. Acting was and always has been a breath of fresh air to me.
YA: If you could sum up the takeaway from your new film You, Me, and Five Bucks in one sentence, what would it be?
JZ: To find forgiveness in your heart without having expectations of anything to come from that.
YA: You wrote, directed and star in the film as Charlie. Any parallels between you and the protagonist?
JZ: …And Catered. Just kidding 🙂 Not too many parallels, I’m not really a ladies man and I don’t write novels. The one thing we have in common the most besides having waited tables is the idea of daydreaming. I’ve always been a big daydreamer. Sometimes you have to ask me things twice. I don’t mean to be rude or anything like that, but I can easily drift off into my imagination. Charlie is dreaming of a life he can only dream of, and I can totally relate to that.
YA: How has your Latin heritage informed your path as an artist? 
JZ: In a nutshell, my heritage is of a hardworking people who are immersed in eating good food, laughing a lot, having a good time and being close with their family while upholding good values. All that exudes out of me and makes me very open-minded as a person and artist. My heritage makes me work harder, because we Latinos are still a minority in Hollywood. Until I see a Latino James Bond kind of figure, I have to work very hard and intelligently. My heritage is everything to me, but it also does not define me.
YA: Who do you dream of working with in the future?
JZ: I’d really love to act in a Woody Allen film. I really like his form of storytelling.
YA What’s coming up next for you?
JZ: I have a couple of films that I’m acting in that start filming this month. I’m also in pre-production for a movie that I co-wrote entitled A Day in the Life of Pepe Amador. It’s a comedy that weaves the Don Quixote story into modern-day Los Angeles and the entertainment industry. It’s a really funny screenplay, and I hope it makes a great movie. For details on that you can visit www.ThePepeMovie.com — we also have an IndieGoGo campaign, so please check it out!
YA: Do you have a favorite book or film in the Young Adult genre? Either something from your childhood or a popular title currently out?
JZ: Oh man, I’m like an old soul but I really dig Judd Apatow films—laughter never gets old!
