“I Was Ready to Quit” – Trevor Jackson on Rejection, Superfly & the Role That Saved Him

At 15 or 16, Trevor Jackson was ready to quit acting due to constant rejection, wanting to focus solely on music. His last audition before quitting was for 'American Crime,' which he approached with a detached mindset, throwing away the script. This unburdened performance led to him booking the lead role, reigniting his love for acting by observing the dedication of co-stars like Andre 3000 and Regina King.

Jackson states, 'I was going to quit acting cuz I was sick of being told no. I was like 15 or was like uh 16… that was like the the last audition before I was going to quit and I threw away the whole audition… they were like this is the best thing we've ever seen in our whole life.'

For the film 'Superfly,' Jackson initially auditioned for a secondary role but insisted on reading for the lead, a rare instance of him speaking up in a room. He also fought for specific character details, such as having straightened hair, believing it was essential to the 'Superfly' aesthetic, even though it damaged his hair.

Jackson recounts, 'They additionally wanted me to initially wanted me to audition for Snow Patrol… I like I want to audition for the lead. And I told them, man, that was like kind of the first time I ever spoke up in a room.' He also mentions, 'I fought for that because… I have to have straight hair. If it's not long, it's still got to be straight.'

Jackson highlights the significant difference in demands between Broadway and film/TV. Broadway requires eight shows a week, intense physical and vocal performance, and constant craft refinement with little rest. Film/TV sets, while demanding, offer more breaks and a 'pampered' environment.

He states, 'Broadway is hard work… eight shows a week, you know, seven eight shows seven days a week… people are singing every day. They're dancing every day.' He contrasts this with movies where 'you have time to sleep. you go home and you're a little more pampered.'

If forced to choose, Jackson prefers music over acting because music is created 'inside out,' stemming directly from his personal experiences and emotions. Acting, conversely, is 'outside in,' requiring him to take external material and make it his own.

Jackson explains, 'I would choose music. just because I create it from inside out and acting is outside in, right? I take the outside material and I try to make it me, but everything musically is here and then it comes out.'

Jackson attributes his stability and level-headedness as a child actor to his strong family support system, particularly his mother, who also serves as his manager. Their constant love and presence meant he never felt the need to seek external validation or fall into common child star traps.

He states, 'My mother, Cam Baxter, who's my manager, and she I owe her my life… She made sure that I was in it for the right reasons and made sure that she was always there… they've given me so much love that I never felt like I did I didn't really need things cuz I always had them.'

His album 'I Love You Goodbye' is described as the 'greatest breakup album of all time' by Jackson, inspired by a six-year relationship ending, followed by an Achilles tear and back issues. This period of forced inactivity prevented him from distracting himself, allowing him to process his pain and channel it directly into his music.

Jackson explains, 'This album that I created was because of a breakup… two weeks after the breakup I tore my Achilles… I just couldn't walk for at days… I couldn't go out. I couldn't I just had to sit and whatever was happening.'