Jonathan Pal
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jonathan Pal started his life growing up in Millburn, New Jersey-the same hometown as Anne Hathaway-and grew up just down the street from the iconic Paper Mill Playhouse. His first credit came in 1996 as part of a now-retired attraction at Walt Disney World's EPCOT. That same year, he saw Jurassic Park on television and immediately knew he wanted to become a director.
By 1999, Jonathan had his first on-screen role as a trick-or-treater on Freaks and Geeks, and just a few years later, despite not being Canadian, appeared as a student extra on Degrassi. Encouraged by a creative family, Jonathan was given daily access to DVDs-not just to watch, but to study, diving deep into bonus features to understand story structure and behind-the-scenes craft.
His love of theater began at age eight after seeing Grease performed by classmates. That passion was fueled by frequent trips to Broadway with his father, notably seeing Seussical 14 times-including the final performance. At age 11, Jonathan was discovered by Broadway actor Mr. Galde while performing in his fifth-grade production of Annie. That connection led to a formative backstage tour of Wicked in 2004, cementing his ambition.
After moving from Millburn to Colts Neck, he began formal training in 2007 at Actors Playground and Industry Film School in Eatontown, New Jersey. He soon ventured into photography and fashion, rising in popularity on LookBook before closing his account in 2011. Alongside his sister, he modeled in New York City and took part in fittings for J.Crew and GAP.
In 2011-2012, Jonathan took a gap year and worked on shows like GLEE and How to Make It in America. That fall, he set his sights on attending the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He began preparing for auditions with the coaching team at MTCA in 2012-2013. Although his heart was set on Michigan, he was encouraged to audition for additional programs and ultimately received offers from six out of eight schools. Unfortunately, Michigan was not one of them at that time.
Between 2012-2013, he collaborated with Silver Style Pictures on short films including Solar and Watch Over Me. He also made his "official" directorial debut with The Hunger Games: Poseidon's Son, in which he starred as Finnick Odair. The project garnered attention and led to his appearance as an Avox in Catching Fire, filmed in part at Atlanta's iconic Swan House. While on set, Jonathan formed a meaningful connection with Philip Seymour Hoffman. The two later crossed paths again outside The New School for Drama on Bank Street-Hoffman's theatre company, LAByrinth, was right next door. Philip expressed interest in becoming a mentor to Jonathan, a relationship that was just beginning to form before Hoffman's untimely passing.
In 2013, Jonathan focused on honing his craft and briefly attended The New School for Drama (formerly the Actors Studio). After working hard to demonstrate his passion and commitment, he transferred to the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 2014.
At Michigan, he focused on stage works. His first production was How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, where he played Tackaberry. He wore many hats during his time at school, including working in the scenery shop and serving as child supervisor on Les Misérables, directed by Joe Locarro. In Fall 2014, he understudied all male roles in Good Kids. He also penned a musical, wrote several plays, and directed for the WALL2WALL Theatre Festival in 2015.
After the back-to-back losses of his uncle in 2016 and his father in 2017, Jonathan took time away from the industry. He returned with a role in Happy Death Day 2U-a particularly meaningful experience, having been a longtime fan of director Christopher Landon's work.
In 2023, he rejoined the film world with work on the Mean Girls reboot. Today, Jonathan continues working steadily, primarily in voiceover and motion capture-much of it in partnership with Facebook/Meta.
He will next appear in 2025 (though not seen), as a photo double for Jeremy Allen White.
By 1999, Jonathan had his first on-screen role as a trick-or-treater on Freaks and Geeks, and just a few years later, despite not being Canadian, appeared as a student extra on Degrassi. Encouraged by a creative family, Jonathan was given daily access to DVDs-not just to watch, but to study, diving deep into bonus features to understand story structure and behind-the-scenes craft.
His love of theater began at age eight after seeing Grease performed by classmates. That passion was fueled by frequent trips to Broadway with his father, notably seeing Seussical 14 times-including the final performance. At age 11, Jonathan was discovered by Broadway actor Mr. Galde while performing in his fifth-grade production of Annie. That connection led to a formative backstage tour of Wicked in 2004, cementing his ambition.
After moving from Millburn to Colts Neck, he began formal training in 2007 at Actors Playground and Industry Film School in Eatontown, New Jersey. He soon ventured into photography and fashion, rising in popularity on LookBook before closing his account in 2011. Alongside his sister, he modeled in New York City and took part in fittings for J.Crew and GAP.
In 2011-2012, Jonathan took a gap year and worked on shows like GLEE and How to Make It in America. That fall, he set his sights on attending the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He began preparing for auditions with the coaching team at MTCA in 2012-2013. Although his heart was set on Michigan, he was encouraged to audition for additional programs and ultimately received offers from six out of eight schools. Unfortunately, Michigan was not one of them at that time.
Between 2012-2013, he collaborated with Silver Style Pictures on short films including Solar and Watch Over Me. He also made his "official" directorial debut with The Hunger Games: Poseidon's Son, in which he starred as Finnick Odair. The project garnered attention and led to his appearance as an Avox in Catching Fire, filmed in part at Atlanta's iconic Swan House. While on set, Jonathan formed a meaningful connection with Philip Seymour Hoffman. The two later crossed paths again outside The New School for Drama on Bank Street-Hoffman's theatre company, LAByrinth, was right next door. Philip expressed interest in becoming a mentor to Jonathan, a relationship that was just beginning to form before Hoffman's untimely passing.
In 2013, Jonathan focused on honing his craft and briefly attended The New School for Drama (formerly the Actors Studio). After working hard to demonstrate his passion and commitment, he transferred to the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in 2014.
At Michigan, he focused on stage works. His first production was How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, where he played Tackaberry. He wore many hats during his time at school, including working in the scenery shop and serving as child supervisor on Les Misérables, directed by Joe Locarro. In Fall 2014, he understudied all male roles in Good Kids. He also penned a musical, wrote several plays, and directed for the WALL2WALL Theatre Festival in 2015.
After the back-to-back losses of his uncle in 2016 and his father in 2017, Jonathan took time away from the industry. He returned with a role in Happy Death Day 2U-a particularly meaningful experience, having been a longtime fan of director Christopher Landon's work.
In 2023, he rejoined the film world with work on the Mean Girls reboot. Today, Jonathan continues working steadily, primarily in voiceover and motion capture-much of it in partnership with Facebook/Meta.
He will next appear in 2025 (though not seen), as a photo double for Jeremy Allen White.
