Jay Ellis is one of my favorite subjects. Yes, long before he was on Insecure or was in the movie Top Gun, I had the opportunity to photograph Jay Ellis. I also captured the video for his interview.
Who Is Jay
Just in case you have been living under a rock and don’t know who he is, Wendell Ramone “Jay” Ellis Jr., is an actor and a very attractive one at that. He was born on December 27, 1981 in Sumter, South Carolina. He is the only child of a father that served in the Air Force and a mother that worked in finance. During our interview he said their ability to work together is what has kept him grounded. Additionally, he believed they were the true definition of a partnership.
But his story doesn’t stop in South Carolina. He attended 12 different schools during the course of his 13-year education before enrolling at Concordia University in Oregon, where he played basketball. But it was acting that truly had his heart.
Working with Jay Ellis
I met him in 2013, shortly after he landed his role on the BET series The Game. Next he joined the cast of the HBO comedy Insecure in 2015 which catapulted his career. Since then, his credits have kept growing. He appeared in Top Gun: Maverick and plays the secondary antagonist in the 2019 horror film Escape Room.
However, on that sunny day in Los Angeles he was just a really cool guy that was willing to take chances to get a great interview. Not one of the people on our team didn’t love him. He is polite, funny and let’s not forget great to look at.
I love that he is so talented and famous but humble. He manages to get just enough press to stay relevant, but he seems to enjoy his privacy. It is hard to believe that 10 years ago when I met him, he was only 31 years old. Considering he hasn’t aged a day since 2013, it is hard to believe the actor will be 42 this year.
Want to check out more of my work? Check out my photo shoot with Jessica Sutta.
