Hailing from Brooklyn, New York is an up-and-coming model, actor, and musical artist who is currently making waves in the entertainment industry—Christian Jake. Christian is a 28-year old actor who is known for playing the role of “Tatz” in the movie Bound by New York-based screenwriter and actor Isaac Hirotsu Woofter.
Alongside director and producer Devon Bennett, he has also written for the series Beyond Every Turn, which he stars in. Beyond his acting credits, he is also a graphic artist who works exclusively to build various social media profiles on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Against All Odds
Throughout history, it is believed that there is a certain cost to creativity that almost all artists and creatives pay the price for. Human ingenuity calls for creatives to pull out ideas from the depths of their despair and turmoil—caught in a limbo between creation and destruction. While that may sound like a reach, not all creatives are fueled by the demons that settle in their darkest hours. That said, Christian had his fair share of a troublesome youth, mixed with domestic conflict, run-ins with the law, substance abuse, and alcoholism. Growing up, these are all things that went on in and around his world.
Through his upbringing, he chose to express his creativity through tattoos. The body is one’s canvas, and most of Christian’s fans and friends would immediately recognize the actor by the art museum he has curated on his skin. At the ripe age of 15, he got his first tattoo.
Christian’s tattoos serve as a positive reminder that having ink on their skin does not make someone less of a person, and a person’s choice of artistic expression should have no effect on their intelligence and goals.
To escape from the real world, Christian had taken a liking to sports, especially BMX and skateboarding, realizing that he needed to get out of the house in order to clear his head. With time and practice, he became more confident to come out of his comfort zone and pursue more creative passions, eventually venturing into the world of modeling and acting.
The Birth of An Artist
Christian’s modeling career started as a mere joke by his friends who only wanted to boost his self-esteem. It must have worked wonders because little by little, he started to feel good about himself and his burgeoning career. He previously modeled for a small magazine in Holland entitled “Tatted Trends”. Other photoshoots he did were for small clothing brands such as Kclot, Killstar, The 808 Shop, and many more. Christian also did commercial advertisements for Liquid Death Mountain Water and Lucky 13’s Tattoo Balm that were posted on his social media platforms.
Christian’s fashion style can be described as a mix between pop rock and grunge aesthetics, and completing his look is his full body sleeve that certainly highlights his unconventional yet bold fashion statement.
Aside from his colorful modeling career, he recently starred in Isaan Hirotsu’s drama called Bound as “Tatz”, a drug dealer who’s just starting to get a hang of New York life. He also previously had a one-on-one talk with well-known American actor and filmmaker Casey Affleck (yes, Ben Affleck’s brother) about a role which Christian would play as a Polish man in a labor camp. For the role, he would cover up all his tattoos and take all of his piercings out, making him appear as a completely different person. Sadly, the movie had to be put on hold due to location restrictions caused by COVID-19.
As mentioned, Christian has also written and starred in a two-season series called “Beyond Every Turn” that was directed and produced by Devon Bennet and Frawst.
As the actor and model he is, he’s also dipped into the music entertainment scene. When he first moved to New York, he formed a band in which he played the piano, guitar, violin, and cello. Christian has also previously toured with larger and more successful local bands such as As I Lay Dying, Motionless in White, Breaking Benjamin, and After the Burial. Proving his musical prowess, he is a singer and rapper with his stage name being “Casanova”.
His well-rounded background speaks for itself, and when asked what’s next in his career, he told us:
“I’m seeing more clearly every day where my direction needs to be. And I want to devote that action, that motivation, that light, towards my acting and towards my modeling.”
The Path Towards Healing and Stardom
After many trials and tribulations, Christian continues to embark on a righteous path of self-discovery, and he’s going all out. If anything, the wounds of his youth serve as great motivators to work hard in life. After much hard work, he was able to earn himself some stable footing in life, and now his booming acting and modeling career is currently supporting him and his daughter.
We asked Christian to share one thing with us that he would tell his twelve year old self, and to that he said:
“I would go back and tell myself to endure because the end is going to be worth the wait. No matter how hard the wait may be or what it puts you through, just endure. Just persist.”
The path of forgiveness wasn’t easy for the actor, yet he was still able to forgive people who may have hurt him in the past. To him, no one is perfect, and not all are proud of their past, but luckily his past remains to be a perpetual and persistent force that keeps his head above water. His story is nothing short of redemption, transformation, and authenticity.
Many exciting things are still ahead of the actor. Christian says that he wants to continue building up his portfolio and his acting career. Keep an eye out for what his next big move will be in the future. You won’t want to miss it.
Interested to see a closer glimpse of his life? Check out Christian’s personal Instagram at @christianjake_ where you can view his past photoshoots and personal projects. You can also search him up on his IMDb page “Christian Jake” that also has a link to his acting and modeling portfolio.
Additionally, this month we are featuring a limited blend that we crafted for Christian. Order yourself a bag of Christian’s Calligraffitto while you still can!