Hugh M. Jones iii discusses In the Heights & Not Being Like Everyone Else!

It is my biggest honor to introduce you to Hugh M. Jones III. You may recognize Hugh from the film In the Heights begging Vanessa for a date before her song "It Won't Be Long Now". A regular at The Metropolitan Opera in their acting department, this University of Houston Alum has truly started to make his round and leave his mark in the industry including appearances in TV series 5thWard, The Undoing, and For Life, just to name a few. He also recently starred as Rog in the Industry Reading of A (Funny) Imagination! - An Unauthorized Parody Based on Characters from the Cartoon Doug. I can go on for a long time about Hugh's talent which is truly endless. The sky is the limit for him and I am so thankful that he took the time to be featured in my series for OnStage Blog!

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?

Wow, I guess the better question is, how long have I been STARVING for attention? Lol It was so hard to keep me still in 2nd grade, my teacher would promise me 30 minutes to do whatever I wanted if I behaved. So, I would read to the class or do characters. I ran away from acting and became a grassroots organizer and joined corporate America only to accept my destiny at the age of 34 with The Met Opera.

Where did you study? Do you have any mentors that truly helped you become the wonderful performer you are today?

I studied at The University of Houston with a major in communications. I credit local playwright Vincent Victoria for randomly booking me as a lead in his play The Cousin Cleotha War. After that, I was addicted.

How was your time with the Film In the Heights? Are there any fun stories you can tell me about the experience?

Man! It was a transformative experience in many ways. I had just joined the union for doing background work and it was filmed 5 blocks from my house, so that was a dream. The day I was offered the role, my foundation was shaken. Earlier that day the BG was having fun with my name during the pool scene. It was a long rainy miserable day, but we kept our spirits up by rhyming my name to things like “Hugh do you think HUGH are?” “ExHUGHse me!” It was the end of filming (14 hours), and Jon Chu pulled me aside asked if I was in the union, and offered me the role! Of course, I called my mom crying and have been a cornball ever since.

Are there any recent projects (Film, TV, or Theatre) that you have done that stick out and will always be near and dear to your heart?

POSE changed my life. It melded my gay and straight persona which I always felt necessary to carry around. Living in Texas I taught myself to assimilate into straight culture. I was code-switching daily and was great at it. After POSE I found myself with “the dudes” plaything jail scenes, but the inevitable POSE character would be there too. After weeks of “Kiki-ing” on POSE, I couldn’t ignore them now. That’s fake. So I learned to embrace the ‘HEY SISSY BOOTS!!!” In public lol

What advice would you give any young performers wanting a career in the performing arts?

Do not EVER compare yourself to another, everyone’s acting journey is so different. “The world belongs to those who dare” is my personal motto. You have to learn to think outside the box, you can’t expect greatness by being like everyone else. Find out what makes you different and make that your brand!!! Lastly, NEVER STOP.

You can check out Hugh's Reel (In the Heights, 5thWard the Series)here -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJpWxbLuSXU