Tuffy Questell: “Everything I do is about being inspired in order to inspire others.”
As a New York native, Tuffy Questell has been in the entertainment industry for over thirty years as an actor, producer, casting director, and musician passionate about increasing the expansion of the New York film market.
His career started in 1971 after starring in his first commercial with Mattel Toys when he was only two years old. He recalled loving being on set and always enjoyed every acting opportunity he had. He remembered how his parents recognized his big personality at an early age by giving him opportunities to perform, whether singing or acting.
Tuffy Questell comes from a musical home. Growing up, his mom was a lounge and wedding singer, and his dad was in a doo-wop group. Throughout Tuffy’s childhood, he sang and performed an array of music, loving all genres.
Because of his parent’s artistic and musical influence, he said, “Music, acting, and entertainment have been my life goal, my life’s energy.”
Tuffy was able to grow his love for music after landing a position as a talent coordinator in New York City, working for 20 years at Video Music Box, an American music television program primarily featuring hip-hop videos. He remembered being a young teen watching this program, so it was rewarding for him to be able to use his talents to interview and recruit local artists.
When talking about the opportunity to interview these amazing musicians, he said, “People loved the reviews of my interviews. I was a different interviewer than Ralph. I was extremely honest and straightforward, but I treated them like my friends, not celebrities. That's what made the difference, so my appeal became very big. I stayed with Video Music Box for almost 20 of their 37 years.”
In addition to his involvement and impact on hip-hop music with Video Music Box, Tuffy has always been passionate about his acting career. Tuffy loves acting and is so grateful to have the opportunity to inspire people through his career. He also talked about the differences between television and film acting.
He loves that TV shows are accessible to so many people but explained how rewarding it is working in films that have been accessible worldwide. He said, “When you do film, it reaches parts of the world where they have little to no access to the Internet. When you get an opportunity to do a film that reaches the world, even if it doesn't sell, it still gets seen.”
Tuffy explained how rewarding it is to meet fans who have been impacted by his work, both locally and internationally: “There's nothing like running into someone who saw you in a film, and they get touched by that vibe of Hollywood. It's a beautiful feeling. I’m not an Oscar winner. I'm not an award winner, but I have done the work, and they know that,” he continued. “That is where the appreciation comes in, and I love what I do.”
Tuffy Questell has no doubt shown his expansive active talent by working on a variety of films including Bamboozled (2000), Cayman Went (2009), Inside a Change (2009), Going the Distance (2010), Arthur (2011), Trophy Kids (2011), You’re Nobody ‘til Somebody Kills You (2012), Peeples (2013), Bert and Arnie’s Guide to Friendship (2013), A Miracle in Spanish Harlem (2013), Condemned (2015), Hot Air (2019), Wheels (2020), and Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story (2020).
In addition to his acting career, Tuffy also has also worked as a casting director and producer building his companies River Red Casting and 1 Umbrella Production. “As an actor, I get to be inspired, but as a casting director, I get to inspire others to aspire to greater heights,” Tuffy explained. “That’s a beautiful feeling. I love people, and I’m a people person. Everything I’ve done over the years is about people.
“Even my posts today are about encouragement and about helping people find their way through things,” he continued. “So, I've always been that person. As a casting director, I get to help others find their way through this business.”
In our interview, he mentioned that the two people who really helped him get to where he is today as a casting director and producer are his mentor Jacki Brown and his sister Cheryl Questell.
Tuffy Questell has worked in the casting department for several television shows and films including titles like Summer of Sam (1999), Bamboozled (2000), 100 Centre Street (2001-2002), Paid in Full (2000), 25th Hour (2002), Brother to Brother (2004), Messengers (2004), Preaching to the Choir (2005), Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), Freedomland (2006), Blackout (2007), The Naked Brothers Band (2007-2008), Notorious (2009), and The Harder They Fall (2021).
Questell has also starred and been featured in several commercials with big-brand names like Xfinity, Pizza Hut, Progressive, Visa, Time Warner, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, and Sprite, to name a few.
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