The key word in the quote above
is “lucky” but it took more than luck
for Kevin Johnson – who goes by the
professional name of Lucky Johnson
– to get to where he is now. It took
skill, know-how and, above all, determination
to succeed in his highly
competitive profession, which is
acting, directing, producing and teaching
those skills to others at his own
performing arts academy.
After nearly 40 feature films and
television episodes, plus a number of
original stage plays he wrote and acted
in, Lucky Johnson is a New Orleans
success story. He has appeared on
screen in major roles with some of the
top names in Hollywood, worked under
some of the leading directors and had
some of his own works produced by
major studios.
And, adding to an already impressive
list of accomplishments, Lucky is also
a philanthropist, giving back generously
to the community that has been
good to him. “I have been very blessed
in my life and now I enjoy sharing those
blessings with those who are less fortunate,”
he said.
So how did such a prolific showbiz
career begin for this 43-year-old, longtime
New Orleans East resident? “My
inspiration came from my cousin, Tyler
Perry,” Lucky proudly stated. “Me and
him would be the entertainers of the
family at little parties and stuff like that
COVER STORY
when we were growing up.”
But Lucky’s acting career didn’t
happen right away. While Perry
ascended into a stellar career on
screen, Lucky went into music, especially
New Orleans bounce music.
He started his own label – Big Face
Records – and one of his artists was
Big Freedia before he became the big
name he is now.
“He and I did a bunch of stuff
together,” Lucky said. “I was on the
scene when bounce originated and
we did a lot of concerts and toured
around the region, especially after
Katrina. And then Freedia and I did
a stage play together in 2008,
along with 10th Ward Buck, who
was also one of my (recording)
artists.”
The play, “Catch that Beat,”
was written, directed and
produced by Lucky, who also
acted in it. The work premiered
at the Ashé Cultural Center and
was a big hit with its audiences.
“We sold out every night,” Lucky
said. “It got to where we couldn’t
let anybody else in.”
However, post-Katrina, Lucky’s
professional focus shifted radically. As
he explained, “The music did good for
the few years I was doing it but then
I found myself being drawn back to
my other passion which was acting and
performing.”
Lucky’s on-screen acting career
began with “Da’ Block Party,” a 2004
video that was followed up by “Da’
Block Party 2” (2007) and “Block
Party Madness the following year. His
“breakout role” came in 2012 with
“Contraband,” the story of a former
smuggler who heads to Panama to
protect his brother-in-law from a drug
lord while scoring millions of dollars in
counterfeit bills. The film starred Mark
Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale.
“That’s the one that did it for me,”
Lucky said. “It catapulted my career
to a larger scale; to a mainstream audience.
Playing with Mark and Kate and
those other stars allowed my career to
go to another level and, after that, all
the roles I’ve been playing have been
with major players,” he added, naming
Denzel Washington, Halle Berry,
Matthew McConaughey and numerous
others.
When the HBO “Treme” series was
being shot in New Orleans from 2011
Lucky Johnson
Denzel Washington, Lucky Johnson, and
Lucky Johnson, Emma Roberts, and Mark Wahlberg
Dwayne Johnson PHOTOS COURTESY OF LUCKY JOHNSON
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