Actor and singer Ryan Michael James chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing New York in the 2025 Mister USA competition.
2025 Mister USA competition
Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held annually, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the Mister Universe competition. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment. They believe in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants.
“I am really excited about Mister USA,” he exclaimed. “I am definitely looking forward to the adventure of it.”
Repping New York
On repping New York, he remarked, “I am so excited to be repping New York. Obviously, I was up for Florida (where I got second place in the fan vote) and I was really excited for that, but I feel that New York is more true to who I am as a person. I grew up going there with my mom to visit my family out on Long Island. My first time to New York City was on a school trip because I grew up going to an arts school.”
“Getting to go see theatre and the culture was such a rewarding experience, which made me really fall in love with New York City,” he admitted. “My years in New York have been the best years of my life, and they have really shaped me into who I am.”
“Being able to represent what that dream means to me is really exciting,” he added.
Daily motivations
On his daily motivations, Ryan said, “My daily motivations right now is to find peace in the stillness and peace in routine. I think I’m someone who is really energetic and always on the go. I want to pull back and discover that less is more, and find solitude in that routine.”
“I love working hard and hustling, but there is just as much to be said for breath, stillness, and meditation, and really finding the power in that and letting it support your work on a larger scale,” Ryan added.
Advocacy for Mister USA
On his advocacy for Mister USA, Ryan stated, “I really want to break the stigma that people should have things figured out all the time. I know for myself, that it is okay to not always have things figured out. There are so many days when I doubt myself, and I’m not really sure what I’m doing next.”
“It’s just about having the strength to pick up and keep moving. So many people can relate to that struggle,” he added.
Why he feels he deserves to win Mister USA
When asked why he feels he deserves to win Mister USA, he responded, “I don’t know if I deserve to win it… there are a lot of really great candidates. I don’t even represent all of the USA; that’s the beautiful thing about the USA. We are so diverse and there are so many different cultures out there. While I represent one sector of that, I am not representative all of the USA.”
“I don’t know if I deserve it over anyone else because every single person in this competition is very qualified, and that is what makes the USA so interesting and so cool. All of us together make up the USA,” he noted.
“Should I make the Top 20 would be really exciting and really validating. We all want to put our best foot forward, and we know that resonates with people. That would really excite me and it would challenge me to keep moving forward. It would be a cool opportunity to grow in my career,” he said.
“I would love to win it and represent the USA because I still hold onto the ideals that anything is possible with hard work and a dream, and that is essentially what the American dream was founded upon many years ago,” he added.
Advice for hopefuls that wish to go into reality competitions
“My advice for people that wish to go into such competitions is to learn who you are at your core; authenticity is what resonates,” Ryan said.
“Learn how to get in touch with who you are, and learn how to let that loom and grow, that is what people are going to want to see. That will carry on in many places in life,” he elaborated.
Changing one law in this country
If Ryan were to change one law in this country, it would be to “change laws that restrict people from their human rights.” “We are in a very politically divided time, but I don’t think that people’s humanity and right to exist and right to care should be politicized. Any law that specifically prohibits people from that kind of access (the right to be and the right to exist), I would change,” he explained.
Success
Regarding his definition of success, Ryan said, “Success, to me, is taking pride in what you are doing, and doing it with integrity. If you wake up every day and want to be the best person that you can be, and you strive for something greater, and you try to do it with integrity, and you go to sleep at night feeling proud of what you’ve done, then that’s success.”
To learn more about Ryan Michael James, follow him on Instagram.
