ELIJAH MAXIMUS

One Step at a Time!

How did you get into acting?

I started acting when I was three years old (in theater). My parents always took me to see local plays and I kept wanting to get on stage until one day the director let me audition! After a few plays under my belt, my first big role was “Dolore” in Madama Butterfly Opera when I was four.

What has been your favorite moment as an actor?

My favorite moment as an actor is getting to meet all the people involved in the project—by the end of production we start to feel like one big family! I know this has been said by many, but it really is true; we spend so many hours with each other filming and (before Covid) even breaking bread together! When a project ends, I really feel it. I miss the crew, the cast—everyone!

What do you do to prepare for a scene?

Well the first thing I do is try to understand what is going on in the scene, then I work on memorizing my lines. Once that is done, I like to ask the director (or have my Pops ask sometimes) what it is he or she is looking for so that I make sure I am interpreting the character’s thoughts and actions correctly. Every director is different, so you never know what they are looking for!

What does a typical day on set look like for you?

This could take a while! It looks a bit different after Covid, but it is still very similar as before. For one thing, when I’ve been on location, we usually don’t get the call sheet until late the night before (after I’ve already gone to bed) or sometimes we even get it the morning of! Even though there is a schedule of where to be and what time with what scenes, you often need to be flexible because things can change, like the weather or a scene taking longer than expected. Sometimes I arrive for my call time but end up waiting an hour or more. There have been many times where a scene is changed completely, or they do a re-write and add new lines that I learn on the spot!

Sometimes we go to so many different locations that we might wake up, drive two hours to film all day, drive two hours back, pack and go to bed, then get up and go somewhere new the next day. There’s been times where we were in a different location every other day!

So far, my experiences have been shooting outside in extreme heat, cold, rain and of course beautiful weather too! Usually you shoot the same scene several times and it could be a couple of hours, or the

entire day. They need so many different angles and close ups and different character’s viewpoints. It motivates me to see the other actors giving their all every single take. They never let their tiredness show and I try to do the same.

Sometimes you are crammed in the smallest space with the crew and other actors and you’re all hot but you’re acting as if you’re comfortable near a warm fire eating a bowl of stew, or you’re outside and its super cold, but you’re supposed to be filming a summer scene. Luckily for me, production always makes sure I am cool (if it’s hot) or warm (if it’s cold). Before Covid, we would all break for meals and eat together, but since Covid, we have to eat at different times with our food in individually wrapped containers. Before Covid we could all hang out during filming but after Covid we need to be tested continually and be divided into different zones. Everyone must wear masks the entire time; the only time I could remove my mask was when filming a scene and then afterwards I had to put it right back on.

During filming I also manage to do my schoolwork! I either do it before call time, in-between scenes (if I have a long-enough break), or at the end of the day.

Then, we do it all over again the next day and the next until the film is finished!

So, despite what people may think, it is all work and in no way glamorous—not even a little bit! But I wouldn’t want to do anything else!

Do you have any projects in the works?

I do! I just finished filming a movie called Saturn (directed by Eric Esau). I’m excited about this role because my character had some really emotional scenes; I had to do them over and over and over again, because as you know, the director needs different takes and angles. I hope that I did the character justice and that this becomes my breakout role because I put my whole heart into it!

What is your favorite pastime?

I like to play Chess, listen to music and I really love reading! I find reading helps increase my imagination, writing and vocabulary, which also helps my acting as well.

How has your life changed since the Covid-19 situation?

I was homeschooled before the virus, but I went to a campus for some of my classes, so now all my classes are on Zoom at home. I also went to Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, basketball and church and now I do all of those at home the best that I can, but nothing compares to doing it in person!

Can you tell me a bit about your birthday party from this past year?

It was so different this year! Since we now live in Los Angeles, all of our family is either out of state (Brooklyn, NY) or out of the country (Colombia) and with the quarantine, I couldn’t really have a birthday party, so I had a virtual party at home, which was still fun, but not the same. So, picture my parents at home with me, while my friends and family are on Zoom watching me hit my very first pinata! It was a red ninja, and it was so dope! It was weird hearing people cheering me on to hit it harder and being the only one doing it! But it was definitely hilarious, and I got to keep all the candy!

Do you have any pets?

I used to watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a lot, so we got four Musk turtles and guess what I named them? If you guessed Leo, Mikey, Donnie, and Raph, you’re correct! Raphael is my favorite because he has an edge to him (and red is my favorite color).

What is your favorite movie?

That’s a tough one because even bad movies have good parts. I just really like movies!

What is currently your favorite food?

First of all, I LOVE food. If I had to pick just one, it would be pizza!! Of course, not just any pizza will do—it’s all about the sauce!

What is your least favorite food?

Broccoli—I’m still not a fan.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

That’s easy—I want to still be acting and one day become a great filmmaker!

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On set of “Barkskins”.