Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Girls5eva’s Jeremiah Craft

Similar to his character Lil Stinker in Peacock’s Girls5eva, Jeremiah Craft is an up-and-coming talent who has the industry buzzing. A must-see new comedy, Girls5eva follows a ’90s girl group that reunites in their 40s for a shot at a comeback.

Jeremiah’s character plays a pivotal role in the band’s reunion after he samples their hit song.

Pop Culturalist recently spoke with Jeremiah about Girls5eva, why this project has been a dream come true, and how he hopes the show becomes a catalyst for more inclusive and diverse storytelling.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Jeremiah: A big part of that was my mom. My mom always knew that I would get hurt playing sports. [laughs] I’m a pretty small guy. I’m 5’8” and might be 145 lbs. soaking wet. She was like, “He’s probably going to get hurt if he plays sports.” Eventually, I saw Will Smith play the Fresh Prince on television. I looked at the screen and I was like, “Mom, what is he doing?” She was like, “He’s an actor, son.” I was like, “Cool. I’m going to do that.”

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career, either personally or professionally?
Jeremiah: I’ll give you a couple of names. My mom has to be number one. I wouldn’t be an actor without my mom. She’s the one who inspired me to act initially. My dad has been a crazy supporter since day one. He’s been to every single play, whether it’s been ten people or three hundred. Anthony Bean was my original acting sensei. He’s a titan of theater in New Orleans, Louisiana, where I’m from.

PC: In addition to acting, you’re also a musician. How has your work in music made you a stronger actor and vice versa?
Jeremiah: Art is about expression. It’s about expressing oneself. The two coincide. I’m really happy that I get to do both in a single project. I’ve always said that’s my dream role—that or playing a superhero, doing an anime adaption. Anime is another passion of mine. I’ve gotten to do two of those already, so I’m really, really happy about that.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Jeremiah: Man, yeah. There are so many. Getting to play Louis Armstrong was really special. He’s the hometown hero of New Orleans. Our airport is named after him. To get to play him in any way, shape, or form was incredible. I got to play him right around my twenty-fifth birthday. I got to go home for that and sleep in my original bed back at home. I learned some stuff on the trumpet. It was really special.

Girls5eva

PC: You’ve got a new series out now. Tell us about Girls5eva, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Jeremiah: A one-hit wonder girl from the ’90s gets sampled by a young rapper. The members all reunite to give their pop star dreams another shot. The young rapper makes the original song, “Famous 5eva”, a hit again. Once he samples it, they blow up, and here they are. These wonderful women get another shot at their dreams. It’s a wonderful show about second chances.

I play that rapper, Lil Stinker. I was able to arrange his music, which was exciting. It was a really collaborative effort. I got to work with Sara Bareilles, who’s absolutely amazing. I didn’t realize she’s the one who wrote the song “Love Song”. I didn’t know that was her. I’ve known that song forever. I called everyone I knew. I was like, “You remember that person I said I was working with? The song that we heard on the radio? That was her!” [laughs] Everyone was like, “Yeah, I know who that is. She’s amazing.” It’s a great song. Sara is amazing.

There was a time when we were all sitting around and Ms. Tina [Fey] had to go do something—she’s always so busy. She walked out of her chair. Sara was like, “Jeremiah, come over here. Tina’s gone. Sit in the chair! We’re going to take a picture.” [laughs] It was great. Ava Coleman wrote the “Line Up” record. She killed it. “Line Up” is a bop. It was super easy to send samples back and forth with Hanan [Rubinstein], who also killed it. He’s worked with some titans in the industry. There were a lot of great minds coming together to make this thing flow.

PC: You were saying earlier that this is a dream role. Did that bring any pressure?
Jeremiah: I don’t think so. It was too much fun, man. As soon as they said, “Rapper. Tina Fey.” I was in. I’m so glad that I could produce his music. Lil Stinker is a deep guy, too. I hope I get to continue to explore that if we get picked up for a second season. He has some really profound things to say despite using bird calls as his ad libs. [laughs]

PC: The series is out now, and it’s been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Jeremiah: We live in a time where stories that may not have been told years ago can be told now, especially when you have platforms like Peacock. You have these platforms that are willing to take a bit of a chance on stories that may not have seemed like they could be popular. We’re seeing less visible people and stories become visible. Peacock hit the nail on the head with this one. They might’ve struck gold, and hopefully, you’ll see us again, and we’ll be able to continue to tell this story because it seems to be resonating, especially for people who feel they deserve a second chance in life. It’s a story about second chances, about things that aren’t perfect. That’s so worthwhile to tell. It’s a story worth telling.

PC: What has it meant to you to push these inclusive stories forward?
Jeremiah: It means a lot to me. I like that it’s centered on women. As men, we’re in everything. We’re everywhere. Our stories have been told a million times over, in every single way. I love that it’s centered on women. All the women on the show are lovely. I love Paula [Pell] on Big Mouth—that’s another favorite show of mine. I love Renée [Elise Goldsberry]. Obviously, Sara, and Busy [Philipps]. Everyone is absolutely killing it. I hope we get to continue to tell these stories of people who are less visible and make them visible. I feel like Hollywood is finally started to realize that these stories need to be told. I hope that trend continues.

PC: On the music front, if you had to select one song that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Jeremiah: I’ve been retouching my sound. For most of my career, I was stuck in the ‘90s. I’d hit people with bars, but now it’s more about a vibe. It’s more about feeling. It’s more about melody. I’ve sort of changed my sound. I love to connect more than one passion in one. I have a single on my latest album called “Nani”. It’s available on every platform.

“Nani” is the one I would choose because it’s different. It’s cool. It’s me. It intersects my other passion which is anime. It’s a trap song about Naruto, which is something you’ll never hear anywhere else. Anime has shown up here and there in rap music and hip hop, but it’s never really had legs. There’s never really been a guy who was like, “I’m going to champion anime. I’m going to champion fandom in music.” I want to be that guy that does that. If you’re a super nerd like me, check out my album A Loser is Brilliant.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Jeremiah: Big Mouth.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Jeremiah: Soul Plane.

PC: Favorite book?
Jeremiah: The Chronicles of Narnia.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Jeremiah: The Wiz and Anon(ymous) by Naomi Iizuka.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Jeremiah: Rage Against the Machine.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Jeremiah: That’s an amazing question. If I could get Jaden Smith to play me that would be interesting. We’re about the same height. He’s a bit younger than me; I’m about to be twenty-seven, and he’s like twenty-one or twenty-two. I’m a fan of him. I hope to get to work with him at some point. His father inspired me to act, so it would be crazy to have him play me.

To keep with Jeremiah, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Stream Girls5eva on Peacock today.

Photo Credit: Francis Hills