Wilmington, N.C. has been known as the Hollywood of the East Coast or as“Wilmywood.” Many actors and actresses can be seen in town filming movies, TV shows, etc. UNCW has an amazing Theater program, where many students get to be a part of the filming that is done in and around the Wilmington area. One up-and-coming film star, Josh Cohen, is currently a UNCW student.
Josh has worked with an extensive list of stars including: Robert De Niro, Kevin Kline, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough, Host of Miss America and The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison, Lil Romeo, Bachelorette’s Emily Maynard, Writer Nicholas Sparks, Danny McBride, Grammy Award Winning Elijah Chester, Food Network’s Robert Irvine and many more! He has been featured in three reality shows:ABC’s The Bachelorette, Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible and the Zombie Survival Show, Operation Z. He has also been in six commercials–in one commercial, Josh “married” Sydney Perry, Miss N.C. 2012. He was also featured in a national Pepsi commercial where he Swing Danced in 1940 Naval Apparel.
Josh is very committed to his acting career– he says his favorite thing about acting is, “the ability to play different people and being able to start a new adventure at any different moment.” For one of his roles he played as a stand-in for Josh Duhamel on Safe Haven. There, he asked Jullian Hough on a date, but she turned him down because she was dating Ryan Seacrest! The connections Josh has made on the different sets has not only allowed him to grow a strong network, but his experience has also allowed him to move up quickly in the acting world.
His biggest and favorite project to date is “Last Vegas” starring Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman. He plays a 1950’s Brooklyn Greaser named Jimmy in the very first scene. It’s set to release worldwide in movie theaters on Nov. 1, so look out for him on the big screen!
Josh has been acting for 13 years, but concentrated on film and television for about three years. He has, and continues to, study with the top acting coaches in the area including, Jason Alexander from Seinfeld, Peter Jurasik, John Stafford, Jackie Burch and Michele Seidman.
Josh even has his own website[www.iwantcohen.com]where you can find his resume, including a list of his projects, pictures of celebrities he has worked with in the past, as well as a link to his IMDB page. Add Josh on Instagram (@youmomsdad) to keep up with his upcoming projects and his daily life.
He is currently shooting two independent feature films, “Hollow Oak” which is a horror film and “Princess Cut” which is more of a romantic feature.
Josh is also in planning a reality show featuring himself as a college student trying to get into the film industry. His next step in his acting career is to book a recurring role in a TV series or a supporting role in a feature studio film. With his determination and motivation to reach his goals, there is no doubt that he will be able to achieve that dream.
When asked what his life goals were he stated, “to end life giving more than taking away from the earth.”
Hopefully acting will help him achieve this goal! Look out for one of our fellow Seahawks, Josh on the big screen Nov. 1, in “Last Vegas”!