INTERROGATING JACK TURNER

The Jack Turner Interview

When I told Jack about this 'interview idea' he pretty much welcomed it with an open mind and appeared hyped to participate. I was slightly skeptical about whether Jack would turn up but he did and it led to a thoughtful and honest interview.

So for the sake of those who might not be aware yet, do you want to introduce yourself Jack?

Yeah, I’m Jack Turner, I’m 17 years old, I’m a skater been skating for 4 years now, love it! Just finished my first year of college.

So you’re from Coulsdon, how did you come across skating in such a small Town?

Well the first time I skated was when I was in year 3 at my local, Skaterham. I remember one day I just went there to check it out and I loved the atmosphere, seeing all those guys on the ramps and stuff it was just sick. So my mum let me go onetime and Ads the guy who works there introduced me to it and showed me all the basics and I loved it. Something happened though at the park and I had a gap and then came back shortly after with a few friends and just had so much fun, we just carried on skating. 

When I was away at University I heard you quit skating for a while, what was that all about?

Yeah, it’s easy to just stop skating, its so fun and when all your friends are doing it, it’s great. But at our age you can just get carried away with going to parties socialising with other crowds.  I swear I have two different wardrobes, skate clothes and going out clothes, you just get carried away with other stuff and you forget about skating.

For sure but you’re back on it now?

Yeah totally! Now it’s summer everyone wants to get back on it, I just want to get back on it for the atmosphere.

What's your current motivation to skate? Is there a crew you go out skating and filming with regularly?

Well I've always had the same main crew which is you (Tim), Juan, Jack and if I want to skate they are always on it to go skate. It’s a case of if I want to skate, I can and that’s the motivation and I've just been put on flow for a company, so I've got the motivation to make an edit.

Leading on from that, is there anything in the works, a Jack Turner 2014 street edit?

Yeah of course there is. Every time I've tried to film a part it takes so long. You get a few clips and you’re hyped but then you got too wait another week until you can get more.  If I’m as hyped as I think I am it’ll come out sooner rather than later but there most definitely will be a Jack Turner part.

Straying away from skating, what do you do when you’re not on your board? Do you have a job or any other pastimes?

I did have a job but I had to quit because it was so far away and I’m the worst in the mornings (laughs) but social wise, a lot of my friends just smoke a lot of weed (laughs) so I guess I've been drawn into doing that. I’m not 18 yet so there’s pretty much nothing else to do usually just go to a friend’s house and just jam. 

It’s pretty well known you have some overbearing friends; does it ever get to intense?

Yeah it does obviously get intense (laughs).  It can be annoying when I want to have a night in and they force you to come out. It feels like they are always making the decisions for you, that can get annoying. Sometimes though I’ll tell them straight but I can be a bit of a pushover (laughs), I just try and be nice to everyone and it just backfires.

Yeah, there was that time when one of your friends just turned up at your house at 3am.

(Laughs). Yeah to anyone that’s just a bit weird (laughs) but there’s two different perspectives, from his perspective he was naive enough to think that was okay but for me I was just shocked it’s a bit rude as well, coming round without notice at 3am but in the future I wouldn't want that to happen. 

You've got a girlfriends at the moment, is it a struggle juggling the overbearing friends with the girlfriend? Who wins?

There have been times when both have wanted to meet me and I've blown my girlfriend off for my friends but also blown my friends off for my girlfriend so it equals out. Shout out to my amazing beautiful girlfriend Hannah Judge who I will love forever.

You’re in 6^th Form at the moment but we were speaking earlier about you’re in danger of being kicked out, what's that all about?

Since year 11 which is when I started smoking weed. For this interview I’m saying weed is bad its cool everyone does it but it makes you tired and because of that I've been scraping through college. I've barely gone it but when I do I'm good.  I guess I don’t do homework, I hardly go in and it’s a shame because I could have done better and I’m ruining my time in education but If I get into my 2^nd year I’ll give it a good shot. If not I’ll just get a job, earn some nice money.

Do you have any plans for after 6^th Form ?

My dream plan is too hopefully get through next year and I’ll be so amazed if I do get through college. But I’d take a gap year out because I’m not sure if I want to go Uni as I’m not motivated enough to go yet. I really want to go work in a Ski chalet, not even as a skiing instructor but just behind a bar enjoying life. Experiencing something new for six months and just enjoy getting drunk with mates. I want to go by myself because if I went with my friends it would just hold me back. I want to go by myself and make loads of new friends and when I come back I feel I’ll be more mature and then might even want to go Uni. 

Its early days but it seems clear that you want to start working.

Yeah that’s the thing, for me as soon as I start working I want to carry on in that industry I don’t want to change jobs continuously.

Yeah so you want to get it right first time round?

Yeah, I want to specialise in something but before I do that I want to travel and enjoy my life before I settle down.

Do you have a profession that really interest you at the moment?

I've got a few on my mind my backup is the film industry because of my dad. I love films and have many links into that industry. There’s three sides to it; exhibition, distribution and production and for me I’d like to maybe give acting a crack which is production. I’m good at it and it’s one of my talents so at this age why not give it a crack because it could work. It’s so rare to get onto the big screen which is the only place I’d want to be. But I’m not obsessed with films but I’d happily fall back on that whole industry. I’d love to get into another passion like skateboarding but there’s not a wide range of things to do in skateboarding apart from setting up a company or riding for one. It’s just about finding something that I’m dedicated enough to do.

You mentioned how you’d perhaps be an actor, and we often joke about how you come from quite an attractive family (laughs) does anyone in your family have previous acting experience? We know your family is quite heavily involved in the film industry.

Yeah, my mum and dad met in acting school, my dad is such a charismatic guy I guess I get it from him but it’s just fun being over dramatic and just making people laugh, it has definitely come through the family. My granddad was also in the film industry so it is a generation thing, I think they’d be quite disappointed if I didn't follow that route but it’s not like I have too I know they are happy with me being open minded.

Sweet, that’s a good place to leave it. Any last words?

To the world?

I don’t know, anyone you want to thank?

I want to thank Tim for this interview it’s my first one of these types of interview and I think he’s done it well so shout out to Tim (laughs).