KILLEEN, Texas — It's a story of humbleness and perseverance. From experiencing prejudice as a young boy to moving around the country, a Killeen man is inspiring those around him one day at a time.
You might have seen him in films or on Vid Chronicles on YouTube. Acting was never a dream for Will Moleon, but that's where he landed after growing up in Haiti, dealing with prejudice and enlisting in the military.
"I was a migrant worker, both my parents, Haitians, came from Haiti," Moleon said. "They came on boat to the United States. I grew up in Florida, as a Haitian boy, in the Haitian community, not knowing anything about Americans. We would travel on the east coast up and down all the states and pick fruits and vegetables. That's how we made our money and the living for my parents. I would go to different schools, learn about different people but never got close because I always had to move."
He experienced disrespect along the way, he said.
"It's interesting to grow up with prejudice of your own skin color," Moleon said.
Many moves later, Moleon and his family planted their roots in New York.
"We ended up in this place called Red Creek with all white people," Moleon said.
In fifth grade, he was met with the same disrespect, he said.
"With my skin color, they didn't understand," Moleon said. "I couldn't speak well. I didn't know how to really communicate."
It wasn't until his teacher, Mrs. Hinkhouse, gave him a pep talk that changed his life.
"When I was really going through it, she saw me shut down," Moleon said. "She saw the vision more than I did."
Story after story, Moleon read his work to his classmates.
"They start laughing," Moleon said. "I'm like, 'Whoa!' and she said, 'No, Will keep reading. They are laughing at the story not at you,' so it was a little click."
Flash forward to high school, Moleon became a star on the basketball team. However, he slowly made his way back to the arts.
"I snuck in to just watch them act and do drama, not knowing anything about it," Moleon said.
Little did Moleon know, Hinkhouse was married to the high school drama teacher. This is something he later found out. Moleon ended up acting for a bit, then transitioned into the military.
"I ended up doing 10 years," Moleon said. "I did four tours in Iraq. A lot of things happened. They told me I had to get out because of the amount of things that I couldn't quite handle. I guess that came about with the PTSD and stuff like that."
After, Moleon decided to go to college.
"I just wanted to get a degree, do what everybody do," Moleon said. "I ended up getting an elective, and it was acting out of everything."
He continued to excel in every part he played but quit acting for a year.
"I said God, if acting isn't for me, please let me know," Moleon said. "A week later, I get a phone call to do a stage play."
Lead role after lead role, success started rolling from here. Moleon went viral on Vid Chronicles, with one particular video garnering millions of hits.
"That broke everything," Moleon said. "It comes back to me every week."
Moleon ended up winning the best male lead in the film, Divided We Stand.
"To get an award of such," Moleon said. "The same people who make the Oscars and Emmy Awards made this award for me."
Now Moleon sits back in Killeen full of awe, giving all the glory to God, he said.
"I did get discouraged at times, but I bounced back," Moleon said. "The Lord never fails me. No matter what your color is, no matter where you came from, no matter what you've done, as long as you have breath and you can find understanding, it's worth living there. It's really worth living."
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