AFTER losing his parents to novel coronavirus complications recently, Jamaican actor Marcos James is determined to continue pursuing his dreams in Hollywood.

“Normally, I am quite good at separating my personal life from the professional aspect. Right now it takes a lot more effort and is something I have to consciously work on, for obvious reasons. I am aware that my parents were very proud of my achievements and I now use this as the foundation to inspire focus. To be honest, I owe them everything I have and am fortunate that I had their love and support. I am also grateful for the support of my present family and extended family friends,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

His father, Donald James, died on September 15 at age 79 while his mother Hyacinth James died on October 5, one month after her 76th birthday. The memorial service for the couple was held last Friday at St Thomas Ye Vale Anglican Church in Bog Walk, St Catherine.

The James’ union produced three children, including Marcos’s younger brother Dwyte and older brother Howard.

James points to the support of family, friends and associates as his driving force during this time of adversity.

“My family is a very tight-knit group and we have rallied around each other like an army. Even though I am in Los Angeles and feel isolated at times, my family here in the States, in Canada, the UK and Jamaica are constantly in touch. My cousin Peta Ann Hutchinson, my brother Howard, my aunt Beverly Banks, my godmother Eda Smythe and family friends Audrie McNab and Richard McNab have been particularly invaluable during this period. We have also had the support of Carreras, Seprod, the Jamaica Hockey Federation and other companies my parents were affiliated with,” he said.

James, who plays White Rat in the highly successful series Game of Thrones, is also known for his role as William French in Lifetime Movie Network‘s Keeping up With The Joneses, which premiered in July.

The actor is pleased with the response to that series, which stars Vivica A Fox.

“ Keeping Up With The Joneses was extremely successful for the Lifetime Movie Network and there is some talk about the series continuing. I’m looking forward to that possibility,” he said.

Marcos James was born in Kingston and got involved in the arts as a member of Cathi Levy’s Little People and Teen Players clubs. Moving to the United Kingdom in his teens, he earned a master’s degree in film production from the University of Bristol.

As he continues on his trajectory to stardom, the actor has multiple projects in the pipeline.

“I am presently getting ready to work on a project with Traci Rhone, the daughter of Trevor Rhone, and Emmy-nominated producer Mikail Chowdhury. I am currently in rehearsals for this; the project will be filmed in 2022 and I am a lead character in the film. I am also in talks with writer Lynda Edwards about her upcoming project entitled Friendship Estate. I am also looking forward to spending Christmas with my family and being personally close to them,” he told the Observer.