Marcel Jones wanted to be on screen, but instead found himself at home on the court

Marcel Jones has had his share of media interviews as an Oregon State basketball player.

But his two seasons as a forward for the Beavers isn’t the only time he’s been in front of a camera. In fact, he’s been used to it for some time.

Jones, a sophomore from Los Angeles, spent several years of his childhood following in his father’s footsteps in the acting world.

Most of his time on television and movies was spent as an extra, filling in the backgrounds of classrooms or playgrounds, but he did get a speaking role or two.

“My dad was an actor, so it was just kind of an easy transition,” Jones said. “It was just something that I wanted to do as a youngster.”

His father, Michael Jones, had been an actor for more than 20 years when he decided to take it easy after Marcel’s birth.

Michael Jones acted in movies such as “Stripes,” “North Dallas Forty” and “Airport ’79” and appeared in episodes of “Highway to Heaven” and “The White Shadow,” among others. He was typically credited as Glenn Michael Jones.

One day during the filming of “Stripes,” Michael Jones took Marcel to the set to audition for a part.

“We were here in L.A. shooting and they needed a kid,” Michael Jones said. “He didn’t get the part that day, but he did some work after that. He was kind of bright-eyed about it all. I think he was absorbing how it was done. He had a lot questions. He didn’t appear nervous at all.”

There were quite a few auditions to come. Michael Jones not only got Marcel into the business, but helped Marcel’s younger brothers, Matthew and Mason, to get some jobs as well.

They all had the look that worked for TV and the movies. Even today, Marcel retains the soft features often seen onscreen.

“My brothers and I, we got with an agent and for three or four years there we did a lot of acting and I did a little modeling in there,” Marcel said. “It was just something fun to do. As a youngster, you always have dreams of being on the big screen.”

It wasn’t long before Marcel landed a gig.

He auditioned as a dancer for a cartoon promotional and got the job. He quickly started getting other parts on television.

Jones said he caught on quickly to the auditioning process.

“You go in and there’s a lot of people there,” he said. “If they like your look and how you go in and present yourself, then they call you back and keep calling you back. By the third call-back, you’ve got a job.”

He said it was a little nerve-wracking when he first started, but his dad was by his side to give him hints and pointers to make it through the dozens of sessions.

“You’ve got to have a certain confidence about you,” Jones said. “You’ve got to just go in there and act like you can actually do it and not be timid. He told me that acting is a lot of pausing. There’s a lot of pausing involved in acting and taking time and making sure you pronounce every single word and not slur your words together.”

Jones was on Disney’s “Even Stevens” and “Smart Guy” and UPN’s “One on One.” He also worked on the movies “Princess Diaries,” “Beautiful” and “Big Momma’s House.”

He met stars such as Daniel Stern, Mandy Moore and Tahj Mowry and other Hollywood elite, such as producer/director/actor/writer Garry Marshall.

Jones honed his acting chops in a children’s acting class taught by former child star Todd Bridges’ mother.

Nearly all of the acting was extra work. When Jones was in a shot, he was typically a student passing by in the hallway or sitting in class or he was outside shooting baskets or kicking a soccer ball.

He said he had a few lines on an “Even Stevens” episode and had a big part on a show put together by Stern. Jones did the pilot episode, but the show was not picked up.

When Jones was not on the set, he did some photo shoots as a clothes model.

Then a growth spurt hit. While he wasn’t in any danger of outgrowing potential television or movie roles, his extra height gave him a push on the basketball court.

Michael Jones heard Marcel’s acting and modeling could jeopardize his athletic career once he got into high school, so there were no more trips to auditions.

“He was upset when I wouldn’t let him do it anymore,” Michael Jones said. “He had a knack for it, being around the sets and stuff, he enjoyed all of that.”

It was tough, but Marcel Jones is happy playing basketball. For the near future, anyway.

“(Acting) was something fun to do and after my basketball career I could see myself doing it again,” he said.