There’s an inherent warmth to Jalyn Hall that immediately puts you at ease—a humility rooted in gratitude for every moment. At just nineteen, Hall moves through the world with a rarefied blend of self-awareness and modesty, shaped by a childhood spent on set and a village of family and friends who keep him grounded. He speaks about his commitment to his work and representation with the same passion he brings to lighter moments, finding joy in both the craft of acting and the camaraderie it fosters.

Hall’s life is defined by balance: discipline honed from growing up in front of the camera, a unique perspective gained from collaborating with seasoned actors, and a sense of purpose rooted in the impact of authentic storytelling. He seeks out moments of escape—whether basking in the sun on a trip to Puerto Rico, dreaming of tropical adventures in places like St. Lucia or Bora Bora, spending time in his native Atlanta, or finding joy in music—especially Drake.

As he navigates the demands of a public career, Hall maintains a sense of wonder and resilience. He embraces the unpredictability of life on set, approaching each day with curiosity and a readiness to adapt, viewing every circumstance as an opportunity for self-discovery. This open-mindedness allows Hall to find meaning in the unexpected, meeting each new experience with optimism—whether stepping into a dramatic role, exploring comedy, or enjoying moments of quiet reflection.

Through it all, Hall remains steadfast in his purpose, never losing sight of what matters most: staying true to himself, spreading joy, and using his gifts to uplift audiences. He is quick to absorb the influence and energy of those around him, seeing each project as a chance to learn, grow, and evolve as both an artist and a young man.

How are you feeling about everything right now? It's an exciting moment in your career.‍

I'm feeling amazing, truly. Like, watching the episodes every Monday and then seeing how it's received by everybody is a great joy. When I first booked this project, I was just excited to see the story come to life and what that would look like, and I'm enjoying it. Just watching TV brings back that home feeling of waiting for something to come on and then genuinely just laughing while watching it with family, and that's been the reception from a lot of people that I've talked to or seen online.

In The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, you portray Carmelo, the son of Reggie, who is managing his personal identity while also dealing with the pressure of his father's legacy. What specifically about the role of Carmelo drew you to him and made you want to bring him to life on screen?‍

The duality and diversity of what he's going through as a teenager—I want to be based in realism and relatability. I feel like sometimes you have characters on TV shows that could really reach out and touch people in their lives. This is a person that I know, a person that I can call up. I know someone going through this situation. I'm a teenager; we're close to the same age; we're still figuring things out about ourselves every day while also trying to balance life. The coming-of-age story, growing up, and figuring out your identity as a teenage boy in this world. Having to be there for your family in such a consistent way to make sure everything is going smoothly and also to make sure he's doing his part to rehabilitate his image for his dad—not only in the eyes of the public, but for his dad himself.

‍This role lets you lean into comedy. What has been the biggest surprise of doing a comedy role that has surprised you that you haven't done in previous projects?

I would say one of the most fun parts about it has been the atmosphere on set. A lot of times, when you're doing a drama, the moment before they yell, “Action,” you want to center yourself, gather your thoughts, really step into the role, and step into the mood.

Being in the atmosphere with this show, there have been countless times where we've all just been joking around, laughing uncontrollably, and then we're like, “Alright, we gotta film.” But then it rolls over into the scene, and I feel like that's an amazing aspect of learning how art really imitates life, in the sense of us just being ourselves, enjoying, and having fun. Tracy says, “The root word in funny is fun.” If you're not having fun, it's not gonna be funny.

‍You started acting at a very young age, landing your role on All American when you were just 10 years old and growing up in front of the public. How did spending your formative years on the set of All American shape your discipline and prepare you for future roles?

It really showed me the fundamentals of not only acting, but the industry in general—the type of mindset you wake up with going into work, the process of getting into character, camaraderie, and collaboration with your castmates. In All American, I had the comedic side of things, which was the start of getting comfortable with comedy and timing. By the grace of God, time passes, and you roll over into something like The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, where I can now take little bits and pieces of before, refine it, let it grow, and perfect it. So I owe a lot of my confidence and creative process to All American.

‍You’ve played a wide variety of characters throughout your career and seem to shift between roles with ease. Was there a moment in your life when you realized this talent came naturally to you?

When I started, I was taking these performing arts classes, and I was actually doing triple threat. I remember one time a musical came around, and my mom told me about it, and I didn't want to do it because I was scared. At a young age, just the thought of messing up got to me. I remember practicing and practicing and practicing, and we were backstage before the show, and I'm doing everybody's character, I'm saying everyone's lines. They recorded me, and it was like, “Wow. He's actually putting on a one-man show.” That was the moment, and I ended up doing the musical.

In retrospect, when you look back on your time portraying Emmett Till, you won an NAACP Image Award and were nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for the role. How did playing this young boy impact your approach to acting and change your outlook on life?

It showed me the severity of being involved in what's happening. I feel a lot of times we can live in our own personal bubbles of what affects us, which then decides how conscious we are. Going through it was a wake-up call to history and what's happening. There's nothing more relevant to today's actions than Emmett Till, which should be a grave wake-up call. The actor's capacity was enough to give me that jolt of enlightenment and not squander the gift I've been given. Which is not only acting in my creative abilities, but life, the appreciation of it, and wanting to prolong and prevent anything like that from happening in whatever capacity I can as a creative. That's why we were so adamant about people watching the story, not to remind you of a horrible tragedy, but to inspire you to act against it happening again.

Reflecting on your experiences across various projects, can you share the most monumental lessons you’ve learned?

I would say humbleness is the biggest thing. You gotta stay humble, especially when you're around these titans and huge megastars. Then also knowing that you have a gift you're trying to share with the world. It's an obligation out of love, and that just breeds more humbleness. The next thing is remembering who you are. This is definitely one of those businesses where you always want to adapt, but you don't want to go through a complete change in your identity; sooner or later, that'll catch up to you.

‍Can you describe the most surreal moment you’ve experienced in your career so far?

One of those times that will never really leave me and still gives me butterflies to this day is when we were touring for Till. We showed at the New York Film Festival, and there were kids from different school districts in this big auditorium. They showed the movie and brought us out for the Q&A, and there was applause. It was just earth-rumbling screams, applause, and cheers. I had this big, dopey smile on my face, and my cheeks hurt from smiling too much because it was a sense of love and appreciation for something that I had done—something I had never quite felt before in this capacity. I was just soaking it all in and thanking God.