FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY

ALTHOUGH ARMANI JACKSON HAS BEEN ACTING SINCE HE WAS SIX YEARS OLD, HE DESCRIBES HIS YOUNGER SELF AS SHY. NONETHELESS, THESE DAYS, THE YOUNG ACTOR IS TAKING CENTRE STAGE WITH HIS LATEST ROLE IN THE PARAMOUNT+ SUPERNATURAL DRAMA SERIES WOLF PACK — WHERE HE PLAYS A DEEPLY ANXIOUS CHARACTER NAMED EVERETT LANG OPPOSITE HOLLYWOOD HEAVY-HITTER, SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR. WITH HIS GROWING RÉSUMÉ, IT MIGHT BE HARD TO BELIEVE THAT JACKSON, LIKE HIS WOLF PACK CHARACTER, DEALS WITH ANXIETY. BUT FROM HIS NERVE-RACKING FIRST AUDITION TO THE LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT HAVE FOLLOWED, ARMANI IS NAVIGATING HIS LIFE AND CAREER BY PUSHING HIMSELF TO CONQUER FEAR AND PRIORITIZING HIS MENTAL HEALTH ALONG THE WAY. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO CHAT ABOUT HIS GROWING CAREER, HIS DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF FEELING THE FEAR AND DOING IT ANYWAY.

Left Full look **N21**
Right Shirt, pants & shoes **Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello**, jewellery **Boucheron**

How did you get your start in acting?
In the beginning, the main reason I wanted to start acting was because of my sister. She started a couple of years before me — she's two years older than me, so everything she did, I definitely looked at as something that was cool. She had a meeting with a manager when we first moved out here [Los Angeles] from Wisconsin and asked if I would go in with her. I had no intention of being an actor at the time, but I went because she offered me a stuffed animal that I wanted.

They had her do the cold read, and they asked me if I wanted to do one too. I was so shy back then, so it was really nerve-wracking for me. But I did it. They wanted to hire my sister, and they also wanted to hire me. I was six years old, and I didn't think I was going to do acting. But I said yes, and I took the chance — that's definitely one of the things that got me out of that shyness I had when I was younger.

Left Full look **Celine Homme**, necklace **Boucheron**
Right Full look **Zegna**, earring **Boucheron**

Was there a moment when you made a clear decision to pursue acting as a career?
The first time I felt like acting was something that I would be doing for my whole life was when I did a horror movie called Cooties. I was only nine years old when I did it, but I fell in love with horror at that moment.

When I was younger, I always had a fascination with horror, even though it was scary. Being able to film an actual horror movie at nine and see the inner workings of it — that’s definitely when I fell in love with acting.

What drew you to Wolf Pack?
My sister was a big fan of Teen Wolf, so she was like, "Oh my God, the same creator is making another werewolf show? This could be really good." That, and I was excited to have the opportunity to tell a story that hasn't been told that much — reading the script, it seemed like one of those. And getting the chance to portray someone who suffers from anxiety was another part of why I liked it so much. There aren’t that many roles out there where you get to portray something as authentic as generalized anxiety, which is definitely something I deal with as well. So I felt like it was something that I didn't have to really try too hard at. I was just able to lean into the anxiety that I deal with on a daily basis.

Left Full look **Loewe**, necklace **Celine Homme** & earring **Boucheron**
Right Full look **Prada** & earring **Boucheron**

You started experimenting with music during COVID. What was that like? What inspired that experimentation?
It came from just the lack of being able to control my career during the pandemic. There were barely any auditions at the height of it, and there wasn't really anything going on with acting. I wanted to take something into my own hands, and I'd always wanted to make music. So making that leap was definitely really important for me. Writing and making my own music also helps with acting and being more in touch with your emotions. Now, I've fallen in love with music. I'm going to be releasing a lot more music later this year.

Left Full look **Isabel Marant** & earring **Boucheron**
Right Full look **Celine Homme** & earring **Boucheron**

You launched a non-profit, called Beautiful Minds, with your family this year — can you tell us more about it?
My mother, sister, and I started it after the death of a loved one. We created it to educate people on the holistic options to help with mental health, like ketamine treatments and somatic therapy. We partnered with the Social Impact Fund, and we're going to be launching an online fundraiser platform soon with our team — I'm really excited about that, too. Being on a show that deals with mental health, and now having a non-profit along the same lines, is definitely exciting.