You may have seen actor Jacob Hopkins in the TV show “The Goldbergs” as Chad Kremp or heard his voice as Axel Finke in Dragons: Rescue Riders. Continue to read on and learn more about Jacob, the best advice, and what his future goals are.
Relate. Tell us about yourself and how you got your start acting?
Jacob: All of my passions are a reflection of who I am. I love Taekwondo because of how it disciplines me and teaches me how to be a man of honor, chivalry, courage, and mercy. I am presently close to a third-degree black belt. I love drumming because of the emotional rhythm it provides. It’s a medium for me to express my inner self and relieve any tension. I love drawing because I get to express my creativity and allow people to see my thoughts. And of course, I love acting because I get to further express my creativity by becoming different characters and adding my own personal twist and flavor to them! I started acting when I was about five years old. I was running errands with my dad, who at the time was also an actor, and we stopped to see his agents. They looked over their desks and saw little old me and asked, “Does he want to act?” Without hesitation, a jumped up and exclaimed, “Sure!…. what’s acting?” And the rest is history!
R. Tell us about your animated series Dragons: Rescue Riders, and about your character, Axel Finke.
J: Dragons: Rescue Riders, a Dreamworks cartoon that’s streaming on Netflix, takes place in the How to Train Your Dragon world. On the island of Huttsgalor, the Rescue Riders, a duo of humans and a group of dragons, perform heroic services like rescue missions and fighting off evil…. and that evil includes me, Axel Finke! Axel is like the Deadpool of Huttsgalor: sometimes he’s bad, sometimes he’s good, and sometimes a little bit of both! More often than not, he follows his own agenda and disobeys both his evil genius uncle Magnus Finke and the Rescue Riders in the process. He’ll always keep you guessing what he’s up to next!
R. Can you tell us anything about Carolina’s Calling and your character, Zack?
J: Carolina’s Calling, which will be released sometime in 2020, is about an engineer (Antonio Sabato Jr) who develops continuous energy, and in a humongous lab explosion, an alien ship is knocked down from space into rural South Carolina. My character, Zack, plays the love interest of Antonio’s daughter, actress Savanah Moss, and also helps her family send the alien back to space.
R. You are also on The Goldbergs and your character Chad Kremp. Also, what is it like working with the cast?
J: The cast of The Goldbergs is like another family. Everyone is super kind, fun to be around, and incredibly supportive of one another! I always love working on set because of all the 80’s nostalgia that I become enveloped in! I play Chad Kremp, Adam Goldberg’s best friend and the son of Charles Kremp, who is actually played by the real Chad Kremp! So that is something super unique!
R: Do you have any up and coming projects you would like to talk about?
J: I’m actually going to start filming more Goldbergs episodes in August, so you can expect more Chad Kremp later this year!
R. You have done on camera roles and voice over work. What is your favorite to do?
J: I love both equally! When I’m on camera, I get to play a realness with my characters, and it’s always fun to play off of other actors! When I’m behind the mic, I get to be bigger than life and become a vast amount of characters solely through my voice. There is a lot of technique behind the microphone that has to do with tone, quality of voice, timing, range, pitch, and for sure how fun it is to embody an animated character outside of yourself is pretty cool too.
R. What is the best advice you have ever gotten?
J: “Always stay true to yourself and keep persevering.”
R. What do you like in a girl and what would be your perfect date?
J: I’d like a girl who is true to herself, is confident in her abilities (as she should be), loving, kind, intelligent, faithful, and grounded. I don’t think there is a “perfect” date; I would just want a time with a girl where we get to truly be ourselves, get to learn about one another and what her interests are, and genuinely enjoy one another’s company.
R. Tell our readers about being a Celebrity Ambassador for The Jonathan Foundation.
J: I’ve been a Celebrity Ambassador for The Jonathan Foundation for seven years now! I’ve always cherished working with them because their mission is incredibly important to the future of education systems. The Jonathan Foundation works with families and individuals affected by learning disabilities and special needs (including behavioral/emotional/physical/cognitive needs) to obtain the proper assessments, IEP’s, and educational placement that will help them reach their true potential. Unfortunately, children and youth with learning disabilities and special needs are often neglected in schools, which is exactly why The Jonathan Foundation exists. Raja Mahabra, the Founder, strives endlessly to not only get the best education for these children, but make a difference in school districts so they’ll never get left behind. In fact, a documentary on The Jonathan Foundation is out on Musicbed! If you go to https://www.musicbed.com/challenge/submissions/the-jonathan-foundation/IWINa9 and vote for The Jonathan Foundation, whereas the film makers have a chance to win $100,000 dollars that would go straight to funding this important documentary which would give greater public awareness to children with special needs and learning disabilities. Shining light on true stories that could potentially even turn into a film and help so many children and their families.
R. Who is your biggest influence and why?
J: As a person, my parents are my biggest influence. They have played a major role in who I am today. As an actor, Jack Nicholson and Christopher Sabat are my role models. They’ve always inspired me to better my skills as an actor/voice actor!
R: What are your future goals?
J: This year in the Fall, I have a scholarship to attend college majoring in Mechanical Engineering, more specifically in robotics and nanotechnology. I am very interested in building/designing prosthetic limbs that will enhance the lives of those who are in need of them. Plus, a lead role in an anime series and Marvel movie wouldn’t hurt!
Written by: Jill Sheets