The first time I met Carlin James was back in March 2023 during the principal photography for ‘A Sweet Tooth,” a short film that I Executive-produced and directed by Filipino American filmmaker Presley Paras. My first impression of Carlin was that I thought he’s an “actor’s actor.” There was a level of intensity in him, and I think it’s indicative of his passion for his work. We had a brief chat. Carlin was friendly, and exuded a warm vibe even though he was playing a hammer-wielding character in a bloody thriller flick.

Once the camera started rolling, Carlin brought his A-game. We wrapped production after a few days, and then, seeing the actual film in November, at the inaugural Fil-Am Creative Film Festival where it premiered and where it also won the Audience award, validated what I already knew about Carlin—that he’s a talented young actor with a profound view of the world and an immense pride for his Filipino roots and identity.

I had gotten to know Carlin a lot more during the promo period for the short. We even recorded this podcast. And now, in 2024, I’m ecstatic to be writing a feature on the young actor. He’s what I call a ‘HOLLYWOOD FIL-AM STAR ON THE RISE.’

Growing up in Long Beach and raised by Filipino parents, Carlin recalls watching movies all the time. “My dad owned an auto-shop,” he says. “There was a video store next door, and I would literally spend hours picking the one right movie to watch,” Carlin adds.

The actor says he was “babysat” at his dad’s auto-shop where, “My dad set up a space for me to hang out, and that’s where I would sit and watch movies everyday” he adds.

I asked Carlin what drew him to acting, and his response was both inspiring and intriguing: “I liked to perform, I guess.” What’s fascinating about his remark is that it was great to see a young man already knew, at such an early age, what he was passionate about. “I would watch a Leonardo DiCaprio movie and I would end up repeating the lines,” he adds.

It was Carlin’s delivery of the phrase “I guess” that made me think of yet a different layer of complexity that most actors face, including, presumably, Carlin. There was confidence in his aura, and absolute dedication to the craft, without a doubt, but there was also a sense of vulnerability and fragility, knowing there’s a lot at stake in pursuing this career.

“My family didn’t even know about it,” says Carlin, when asked about how they reacted to his pursuit of acting. “I didn’t even tell anybody until I got an audition for a movie and knew I was further along in the process.” However, it would seem as if it was a well-thought-out plan on the part of the young actor, because Carlin revealed that he had already been secretly taking acting classes even prior to that pivotal point in his life.

“I was at a Philippine Expo event where I was approached by Oliver Carnay, a Filipino talent manager based in LA,” recounts Carlin, on how his acting journey began. “Soon, I started taking acting classes and then I guess I caught the acting bug,” he adds.

Carlin even remembers making somewhat of an ultimatum to his parents. “If I’m offered this role, I will drop out of school,” he reflects, albeit amusingly on his youthful exuberance. “I remember my mom saying NO,” Carlin adds.

“I was afraid to be vulnerable. It was a mixture of impostor syndrome, too,” says the actor, ruminating on some of the challenges that he’d faced along the way.

Ultimately, it was Carlin’s determination, along with his dedication, that paved the way for his eventual success. His first big break was booking a small role on “How to Get Away with Murder” in 2016. That was also the same year when he would end up joining SAG-AFTRA. “So, after years of auditioning and getting nothing, I finally booked that role and within two months, I got three more gigs, which was kind of a windfall at the time for me,” Carlin concludes.

I asked him what he wants to see for his career in 2024 and his response astounded me for its profundity. “It’s to, hopefully, create stability and longevity,” Carlin responds. “I realize it’s somewhat of a big ask, because as an actor, you’re always going from job to job… but having longevity is the objective.” As the actor continues his thoughts, he affirms how much he has learned to be patient, especially given how tough this industry is, and how to “just grind it out, sometimes.”

Aside from working on “How to get Away with Murder,” Carlin has also worked on NCIS New Orleans, NCIS Hawaii, Better Call Saul, and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Carlin’s upcoming projects include appearing as a GUEST STAR on an episode on “GOOD TROUBLE” which will air this month of February. He also has a project with Nickelodeon where he would play a recurring character for a cartoon show, and another with Amazon which will air sometime in the summer.

I asked Carlin if he had any favorite projects or actors that he had previously worked with. Without a bat, he lists Bob Odenkirk, whom Carlin had worked with on Better Call Saul, and Jon-Jon Briones, who played Carlin’s father in American Crime Story.

“Bob was great because he’s such a professional,” remarks Carlin. “He shares so much about his process, and he even took us out on St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Albuquerque to give us, a lot of us who were playing the young punks on the show, some good advice.”

“Then, I worked closely with Jon-Jon Briones, and it was amazing because I never worked with someone who looked like my Filipino family. And to watch him own the space, he taught me a lot about giving yourself permission, in the sense that you’re hired to do a job, to create life,” shares Carlin.

“What that taught me is, you have all the permission in the world to be as big and bold as you want, and you should take up all the space you can until you can’t anymore,” the actor concludes.

It was inspiring to hear a young actor talk about such reflective thoughts as creating life through art and taking up space. It was equally encouraging to see how much he has embraced his life, not just as an actor, but also as a Filipino American. “I didn’t always embrace my community before because as Filipinos, we were almost told to just fit in, to assimilate, or to be like others,” says Carlin.

“But when I found the Filipino American Entertainment community, I started to see people that had the same vision as me. I found my allies. It was inspiring to see that they don’t just look at me as the ethnic best friend, but as someone who could play a much bigger character, alive in the world,” concludes the actor.