Jeremy Suarez Says Finding Roles Was ‘Tough’ After ‘The Bernie Mac Show’

The Bernie Mac Show entertained audiences for five seasons and made the main cast recognizable stars.

Yet Jeremy Suarez, who played mischievous middle child Jordan Thomkins, says he struggled to land roles in Hollywood after appearing on the hit sitcom. The former child actor recently sat down with Comedy Hype to talk about his life and career.

“It was a little bit tough because I was in this age bracket. I was, I looked like lower to middle high school age but at that age they’d much rather hire somebody who’s like 19 to play that age because they don’t have child actor laws,” Suarez told the outlet. “Not only are they not restricting you working 9 ½ hours a day, they also don’t have to hire a teacher. So, it’s vastly cheaper to hire an adult.”

Related Story: Jimmie Walker Says ‘Good Times’ Cast Members Were ‘Never Friends’

After failing to get callbacks and questioning whether he was doing something wrong, Suarez decided to take a break from acting. He said he told himself, “If they’re not ready for your greatness right now, Jeremy, OK that’s cool. ‘Cause you can be using your time valuably and going and learning not only about yourself but learning about life.”

“I went out and lived a normal life and that was really cool because I had never done that before, I’d never had a normal job,” he explained.

To test how “tough” he could be, he said he worked in construction, retail and with boilermakers.

The now 30-years-old, he still picks up sporadic roles from time to time, including his most recent part in the 2017 film The Fix.

The Bernie Mac Show aired on Fox for five seasons between 2001 and 2006. The series starred late comedian Bernie Mac, Kellita Smith, Dee Dee Davis, Camille Winbush, and Suarez.

During his time on the series, Suarez received several award nominations including for two Image Awards and a BET Comedy Award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.

Watch the interview clip with Jeremy Suarez below.