Miami Living Magazine

98 MIAMI LIVING "But now he's got to fix himself. It turns on you, like everything does. Like, the stuff that helps you get going in life, eventually at some point, becomes what holds you back, too. You gotta keep evolving in life and stay adaptable," says John. This is the lesson, and the rest is "ridiculously funny." [FUGLY! was released in select theaters and is now available On Demand.] The screenwriting gates have been opened and it's left John hungry to write his second, third, fourth film. Our conversation breaks for a moment when the barista sets down a large cappuccino cup and saucer. He motions to the frothy white heart pristinely etched atop it. Pretty, I reply. "Let me get some sugar. I'm used to bodega cafés, ya know what I mean?" He smiles, then walks back to the counter. Like his lead character, John has achieved substantial success in the entertainment industry: acting, writing and producing. "I was never in it for the money or the fame or success. I just wanted to express, man. I had things to say, and I wanted to see them executed -- that's what's kept me going and vital and relevant," he says. And one of his greatest outlets for this is his one- man shows. On stage John reenacts a cornucopia of happy, traumatic –and everything in between-- anecdotes punctuated with his classic grandiose humor. Audiences are exposed to his uncensored thoughts and on-point impersonations. There's dancing, jumping, accents -- the whole shebang. This platform showcases his remarkable range of talent and allows him a freedom and power not found in the other mediums he works in, aside from indie films and theater --which is why he's attracted to them. Though John began acting first, it was comedy that he really gravitated to. I point out that it's normally the opposite for people in this industry. "Yeah, I went the opposite way, but then I fell in love with acting. I felt like, Acting, wow, this is my thing. And comedy seemed fur- ther away for some weird reason, even though I'd been really funny at parties, at home and at school." He laughs. Since his Murry Bergtraum High School days, John, the "outta control" class clown, has fed off of acting out for the sake of entertainment -- locking teachers out of the room, getting the whole class to play hooky. He worked hard to stay on top of his game at his hypercompetitive high school, tactically writing jokes the night before school. "I would have to craft my jokes and pretend like I'm saying them. I had files of jokes I'd written. Everybody wanted to be funny. And look, Damon Wayans came outta there, and a lot of other talented musicians." He takes a sip of his cappuccino. The seasoned comedian has built a life out of making people laugh, and transforming into multifarious characters. When I ask him to consider where he might be if he hadn't become a successful actor-comedian, he says that it's possible that he would've been a cab driver or doorman. "When I was in high school I was working at Kentucky Fried Chicken, that was my future, ya know? Running one of those franchises. I dunno." He laughs. "I didn't really have big goals till I got to college and then all of a sudden I really wanted to be madly academic." John immersed himself in philosophy and literature, got involved with the drama department. He began to make the Dean's List and swapped out his social life for EXCLUSIVE Images from FUGLY! Photo Credit: 108 Media

• Cover