254: JON SNOW | Actor & Advocate Talks Healing After the Trauma of Abuse
Preacher Boys Podcast
Eric Skwarczynski
4.6 ā¢ 701 Ratings
šļø 20 August 2023
ā±ļø 70 minutes
šļø Recording | iTunes | RSS
š§¾ļø Download transcript
Summary
[This interview was recorded prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.]
Jon Snow is an actor and writer, but he is first and foremost the survivor of both a cult and of sexual abuse.
Raised primarily in St. Louis, Missouri, Jon ran away from home and the cult when he was just 17 years old, between his junior and senior years of high school. The cult, the sexual assault, and the physical abuse endured by his mother left Jon feeling powerless. A young man without a voice.
Not long after running away, acting came calling in the form of a mostly paid-for tuition at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. But even that was no walk in the park. He promptly failed out of college during his freshman year, after which he sheepishly returned to St. Louis.Ā
Four years later, Jon returned to Dallas, and SMU, determined to pursue acting. Initially, he was rejected on the grounds that the theatre department did see enough evidence of growth. Not to be deterred, Jon fought for his spot and was readmitted to the acting program, graduating in 2002 with a BFA in Acting. Next came the move to Los Angeles and the pursuit of the Hollywood dream.
But 15 years later, without much to show for an acting career, Jon realized he'd only been running away from his past, and that if he ever wanted the future he dreamed of, then something had to change.Ā
Through hustle and hard work, Jon was able to find a coveted position as a reader for multiple casting offices around Los Angeles. And now, having been a participant in over 10,000 auditions to date, he has started teaching other actors the insights he has gleaned during his time as a reader.ā
Today, Jon's larger mission is to continue to find ways to deepen the connection to his voice and to reach back out to those who feel powerless, voiceless, alone, and afraid. Having walked that path, Jon can think of no better way than to shine a light in the darkness for others to follow. Even if it's just a single person, he knows it's all well worth the effort.Ā
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Trigger warning. This podcast contains descriptions of various abusive situations. Listener discretion is advised. |
| 0:09.2 | You are listening to the Preacher Boys podcast, a podcast shedding light on decades of mental, physical, and sexual abuse within the independent fundamental Baptist movement. |
| 0:20.3 | The testimonies shared on this podcast are told from the personal experience and perspective of the survivors. |
| 0:26.7 | Not all legal outcomes are known or final. |
| 0:29.7 | Any suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. |
| 0:34.3 | Now, here is your host, Eric Squarsinski. Hey, everybody, and welcome back to another episode |
| 0:40.5 | of the Pridja Boys podcast. I'm so excited to share this conversation with my friend, |
| 0:45.0 | actor, and advocate, John Snow. Just two quick notes before we get into today's topic. First, |
| 0:50.9 | this episode was recorded a while back prior to the actor's strike. And second, |
| 0:55.7 | this episode goes in depth into the topic of sexual abuse involving minors from the perspective |
| 1:01.3 | of a male survivor. So I wanted to give you just a quick content warning before we dive |
| 1:05.7 | into the episode. It is an extremely heavy conversation, but there's a lot of valuable insights |
| 1:10.8 | throughout that I think are going to be ultimately really helpful. |
| 1:13.9 | I just want to help you get the right frame of mind before diving in. |
| 1:17.8 | John is an actor and a writer, but he is first and foremost the survivor of both a cult and of sexual abuse, who is raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and ran away from home and the |
| 1:28.1 | colt at around 17 years old between his junior and senior year. The cult, the sexual abuse, |
| 1:33.4 | and physical abuse endured from his mother left John feeling powerless, a young man without a voice. |
| 1:38.7 | Not long after running away, acting came calling in the form of a mostly paid for tuition |
| 1:42.6 | at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, but even that was no walk in the form of a mostly paid for tuition at Southern Methodist University in |
| 1:44.5 | Dallas, Texas, but even that was no walk in the park. He promptly failed out of college during his |
| 1:49.2 | freshman year, after which he returned to St. Louis. Four years later, John returned to Dallas and |
| 1:54.5 | SMU determined to pursue acting. He was rejected on the grounds that the theater department |
... |
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