Cody Jones, one of the hottest new talents today, isn’t getting much sleep. He schedules his interview for 9:00 a.m. so he can “sleep in” because he worked late shooting the popular TV show Deadliest Warrior. Being an early riser can probably be traced back to his rural upbringing. Cody (Eastern Shoshone) grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. As a boy, he never dreamed of being an actor or moving to Hollywood. “I wanted to be like my grandfather. I just wanted to be a good cowboy,” said Cody. So, Cody learned everything he could about horses. Little did he know that his riding skills would launch his acting career.
From grueling stunt work on Steven Spielberg’s Into the West to a lacrosse player in the film Warrior, starring Twilight favorites Ashley Greene and Kellan Lutz, Cody is quickly making his mark in Hollywood. In Warrior, Cody was at an advantage since he played lacrosse in his youth. “They needed an actor who knew the rules of the game,” Cody said. From playing lacrosse as a child to playing with superstar Kellan Lutz, Cody’s career has certainly taken off.
It all started with a phone call from his cousin and stuntman Knobby Brown. “Knobby got me started in the business and gave me lots of advice on training horses,” Cody said. Knobby asked Cody to fly to Texas to do stunt riding for the History Channel’s documentary Carson and Cody: the Hunter Heroes, when several stuntmen dropped out. With some reluctance, Cody agreed to do the shoot. Cody was asked to use his own horses and regalia. This did create some issues, however, when Cody forgot his leggings. Cody, ever the handy man, cut leggings from animal hides in record time. “They were really authentic,” Cody laughed. He fell in love with the whole process and began stunt riding for a touring Wild West show.
His mother Margie Small encouraged him to follow his dream and even landed him a stunt role on Into the West, the epic mini-series directed by Steven Spielberg. Cody was also supported by friend and actor Steve Reevis who encouraged him to move to Los Angeles. Cody joked that he decided to move to California when he realized the life span of an actor was almost double that of a stuntman.
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Cody modeled for the sexy 2009 Native American Men’s Calendar which broadened his fan base. In addition to modeling, Cody has been working with an acting coach and recently landed a supporting role in the independent film Dawn of Conviction, scheduled for release in May 2010.
These days, Cody is working hard and answering fan mail which has come from as far away as Italy. His nonstop schedule will continue this month in Texas. He will be in Dallas appearing at the Texas Indian Market and then in Austin for a wardrobe fitting for the Coen brothers’ newest film True Grit.
With all of these projects, it’s no wonder Cody needs to “sleep in.” To keep up with Cody’s busy schedule you can visit his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/codyjones313.
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