Lockdown opens world stage for determined teen

Like many other teens, 15-year-old student Jevan Sifrin found himself with too much time on his hands under the hard lockdown last year. But instead of spending endless hours watching Netflix, he decided to use the time to improve his fitness.

That little decision has led to astounding opportunities, showing that committing to a goal can take you places you never imagined.

“Jevan went from being bored to being selected to attend an acting programme in New York or Los Angeles this year, and potentially setting off to New York for modelling and acting next year as well,” says his mother Taryn Sifrin.

He started working out during lockdown because “I had been playing rugby at school and at Pirates Rugby Club, and I was motivated to work out to become bigger and do better at rugby after lockdown. I also had a lot of time on my hands,” he says.

“Jevan starting training with calisthenics. We helped to equip a home gym for him, and he trained for hours every day, totally self-motivated,” says Taryn. “Calisthenics is training using your own body weight, and anyone can do it, anywhere,” says Jevan.

“He decided to start an Instagram account featuring his training and fitness videos, and was eventually noticed by a scout for talent agency 33 & Me in Illovo.

“We scheduled a meeting for January when we were back from holiday. They were so impressed with his interview and look, they signed him up immediately and scheduled his first portfolio photoshoot,” says Taryn.

“It was there that he was noticed by Elsubie Verlinden, who is a director at the agency, and she suggested that he audition before directors of the New York Film Academy and apply to attend their summer holiday acting programme in July/August. He had a great audition, and we were informed that he had got into the programme and can choose to attend either in Los Angeles or New York. We have applied for New York. This is a huge achievement, and we are so grateful to Elsubie for arranging his audition.”

“It’s a three-week acting programme taught by lecturers who have taught many famous graduates in the field,” says Jevan.

He has also been accepted to perform in the International Art Talent Showcase in September, which is judged by a large panel of influential people mainly from New York. If he makes it through that, he will be back in New York in June next year for acting and modelling.

“I would never have imagined that working out during lockdown would’ve taken me this route,” says Jevan. “The first goal was to train for rugby, then aim to become a Navy Seal one day, or to go international with my calisthenics training. I would never have believed it would take me on the modelling and acting path.”

Fitting in training isn’t easy for a busy teen, but he makes it a priority. His daily routine begins with a cold shower, a healthy nourishing breakfast, and then he goes to school. He does most of his homework at school, so when he comes home, he can eat lunch and weight train for about two hours. He then researches and practices monologues, model walks, and poses. Then he does calisthenics and goes for a run for about an hour. “Most of the auditions are online these days, which helps save time,” Jevan says. “I can catch up school work on the weekends.”

His audition with the New York Film Academy “was nerve wracking and scary”, he says, “but I thrived under the pressure, and did my best. Normally, directors come out here from New York to interview potential candidates, but this year, we had to do it on Zoom. I’m hoping to be able to get to New York to attend the course in person, but if not, I’ll be able to do it online.”

His ultimate goal is to attend the New York Film Academy after school, learn all about film and the entertainment industry, and hopefully be able to play his dream role, the Joker.

His advice to other teens wanting to reach similar goals is “to work harder than others, do the same thing every day – eat, train, and focus the same way every single day. If done for hours consistently, it will bring success.”