Growing up in South Philadelphia, obsessed with movies, dressing up and writing stories, it seemed inevitable that Jaeden Martell would pursue a career as an actor.
Those creative passions were born in Philadelphia, where Martell studied at Independence Charter School, and have been strong ever since. Martell’s father, Wes Lieberher, was the executive chef of Midtown Village’s Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro but decided to take a leap of faith and move his family to Los Angeles when his son was 8.
“I like to think that I would have found this purpose in art and filmmaking somehow, any way. “But eventually I realized that the love of performing was always in me, even in Philly, but all the opportunities came when I moved,” Martell said.
At 10 he made his debut St. Vincent2014 critically acclaimed comedy-drama starring Melissa McCarthy and Bill Murray. He went on to star in the 2017 film Andy Muschietti Thebased on the Stephen King novel; The 2019s Knives Out; and this year’s arcadian together with Nicolas Cage.
“I spent a lot of my teenage years very worried about the next thing and realizing that I’m not in full control of this profession. I went through the world with a lot of fear that acting is a great thing, but what if I can’t do it tomorrow ? What if I don’t book anything? What if no one wants me anymore because I grow up? “At this point (in my life) I’ve realized that my value is not connected to the next job or I’m working.”
Martel stars in the new Kyle Mooney horror comedy, Y2Kwhich follows two high school teenagers who crash a New Year’s party in 1999, only to find themselves fighting for their lives when Y2K becomes a reality.
The film gave Martell the opportunity to collaborate with one of his comedy heroes, Saturday evening Live alumnus Mooney. It was also a chance to test yourself in the comedy genre.
“Stepping into comedy was scary. It was the perfect introduction because (Kyle) made me feel comfortable in this new world,” Martell said. “For me, comedy is not so much a craft that I’ve been working on but more a social thing. Feeling comfortable with Julian (Dennison) and Kyle, feeling like I can say whatever comes to mind and trying to make them laugh all the time was a privilege because it didn’t feel like there was too much pressure. “
The opening half of the film is reminiscent of high school coming-of-age films such as Super bath – one of Martell’s favorite films. The lead actor from the 2007 classic, Jonah Hill, served as executive producer for Y2K.
“There’s a pressure because those movies are so funny. It’s almost too much pressure to think about and I had to stay away from Super bad and other comedies that I enjoy because you can’t imitate them,” he said.
The film is set in 1999 during Y2K but there are also moments that speak to modern issues, such as the rise of AI and the potentially damaging effect this can have on art.
Martell is optimistic that human artistry will always triumph over anything AI can create.
“People will always be able to tell the difference between something that’s manufactured and something that has heart,” he said.
‘Y2K’ is in theaters now.
