Joe Barlam is a distinguished actor whose remarkable achievements have propelled him to the forefront of the entertainment industry. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Theater from Temple University, Joe possesses a solid educational foundation that serves as the bedrock of his artistic prowess. Notably, he was honored with the esteemed Best Startle Scare award from Eastern State Penitentiary for his outstanding performance in their Haunted Attraction. Through his captivating presence and undeniable talent, Joe Barlam has proven himself as a captivating force, ready to leave a lasting impression on any stage or screen he graces.
HI, WELCOME TO ABOUT INSIDER! THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO CHAT WITH US! CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, WHO IS JOE BARLAMIN YOUR OWN WORDS?
Joe Barlam is an Italian American from right outside Philadelphia, PA. Joe is a stand up guy you can rely on as a friend. He is a team player, loving, caring, sometimes mysterious, educated, funny and always a fun guy to be around. Inspired by Tom Hanks’ character Rick Gasco in the movie Bachelor Party!
WITH SUCH A DIVERSE RANGE OF ROLES IN TELEVISION, FILM, AND DIGITAL MEDIA, HOW DO YOU APPROACH EACH PROJECT AND ADAPT TO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS AND GENRES?
A major thing I bring to my different characters throughout different characters and generes is life experience. Because I have had multiple jobs throughout my life before Acting, I can bring my real life experience to make any character I portray the most believable. Now, if there is a character that I have no experience in, then I simply go to YouTube and take a tutorial. For example, in The Church, I portrayed an Auctioneer. Well, I’ve never been an Auctioneer. I went on YouTube, took an intro tutorial and when on set, wowed the Director: Dom Frank with my performance. I basically learned enough to get the job done and make my character believable.
YOU’VE HAD REMARKABLE PERFORMANCES ON THE TV’S INVESTIGATIVE DISCOVERY ID CHANNEL. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO TRUE CRIME STORIES, AND HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR EMOTIONALLY INTENSE ROLES?
Well, first, the fact that they are real, true stories! These are some wild situations that people have gone through. So the fact that there is a reenactment of these stories could hopefully shed some light on maybe an unsolved one or do some good from a bad situation. How I prepare for emotional intense roles is that I put myself in the character’s shoes. Act like this situation REALLY HAPPENED to me. It can definitely weigh emotionally on me sometimes. Especially if it is something really bad, like being a murder or something like that. At the end of it all, I just tell myself, “this isn’t really me.”
IN ADDITION TO ACTING, YOU’VE EXPLORED WRITING, PRODUCING, AND EVEN STUNTS. HOW DO THESE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ENHANCE YOUR OVERALL CREATIVE EXPERIENCE?
You know, I never thought I would be a Writer. I think that just being in the industry and around creative people, you find that it just comes out of you. I started with one-acts, then expanded to longer stories and features. Producing just came about from the Indie scene. From friends’ projects then expanding. It reminded me of cold calling on a few of my sales jobs. Completing projects, etc. I was like, wow, I can do that already! Stunts came about after I took four different martial arts and adapted those into stage combat. Then learning on the job from professional stunt actors. Now I don’t see myself getting lit on fire, but I like “getting into it”. I feel that all these aspects enhance my overall creative experience by knowing what they entail, it informs you of what is needed to complete the project and make it the best it can be.
CAN YOU SHARE A MEMORABLE MOMENT OR EXPERIENCE FROM YOUR TIME AS A TROUPE MEMBER AT THEATRE 68, AND HOW HAS IT INFLUENCED YOUR APPROACH TO ACTING?
I think that any theater an Actor does strengthens your chops. There are NO take two’s! I met alot of friends immediately after moving to LA by myself. And it’s good to have a community of friends in the same industry. You get in everyone else’s projects and them yours. Writing and performing our one acts in a performance night that we opened to the public was a great experience at Theater 68. It definitely influenced my approach to acting by honing my skills to get it right the first take. Sometimes in film and tv, you can get lazy knowing that you can “do it over again” if something didn’t work.
YOUR WORK IN MAJOR FILM PRODUCTIONS SHOWCASES YOUR PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN STUNTS. WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU FACE IN PERFORMING STUNTS, AND HOW DO YOU ENSURE SAFETY WHILE BRINGING THOSE THRILLING MOMENTS TO LIFE?
Stunts of any kind are always a challenge. Even just running is a stunt and someone can get hurt. So safety is always the top priority. You have to make sure you stretch, have the proper safety equipment on if necessary and stay in shape. Sometimes it’s challenging doing stunts with Actors that may not have much or any stunt training or experience at all. That’s when someone can get hurt. In that case, if able, I super slow motion any action with the other Actors. Until everyone involved is comfortable and knows what is happening to ensure the utmost safety.
WHAT’S SOMETHING WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT MIGHT SURPRISE US?
I still can run really fast!
HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE PRESSURE AND EXPECTATIONS THAT COME WITH BEING A PUBLIC FIGURE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, AND HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WORK-LIFE BALANCE?
Well, having a spotlight on you definitely keeps you in check and on the right side of the law if you’re smart that’s for sure! lol Today with social media and cameras just around every turn, it’s very easy to get judged the wrong way and noone wants to go through that. So I definitely watch who I associate with or where I go. I maintain a healthy work-life balance by keeping a planner book. If you write things down, you’re more likely to execute them or make the time. Balance is important to me because you have to have a life outside the industry.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CURRENT AND UPCOMING PROJECTS THAT AUDIENCES CAN LOOK FORWARD TO?
I can’t say much (NDA’s) but I will be a Police Officer in feature films: Second Chances, Static Codes and in another reenactment The Jewel Thief. Also as a Camp Counselor in the horror film: Camp Pleasant Lake.
WHERE CAN OUR READERS FIND YOU ONLINE?
IMDb @Joe Barlam
Instagram @joebarlam
Facebook @Joe Barlam
LinkedIn @Joe Barlam
