The Actor Behind Elijah Baran in The Great and Powerful Genie
Who is Eric Guilmette, the actor playing Elijah Baran in The Great and Powerful Genie? His background, awards, and other vertical drama roles.
If you've been watching The Great and Powerful Genie — also released under the title Djinn Under Contract — you've seen Eric Guilmette play Elijah Baran, the genie whose calm exterior hides centuries of restraint. Here's who he actually is.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Eric Taylor Guilmette |
| Based in | Los Angeles, CA |
| Representation | Zero Gravity Management, BRS/Gage |
| Known for | Leading 50+ vertical drama series |
| Awards | 2024 Vertical Legend & Best Actor In A Drama (Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards); Sapphire Vision Award (Vertical Awards, September 2025) |
| Also known for | Romance novel cover modeling (200+ covers); poetry — debut book sex and oatmeal hit #1 on Amazon New Releases for Poetry in August 2025 |
From cover model to vertical drama lead
Before he was Elijah Baran, Eric Guilmette had already built a career on the covers of more than 200 romance novels — titles like Liars Like Us by J.T. Geissinger and Blood Day by Lexi C. Foss carry his face before you ever read a word inside. That's a specific kind of recognition: readers know the look before they know the name.
The shift into vertical drama built on that same audience. Guilmette has now led over 50 short-form series across nearly every major platform in the space — ReelShort, Pocket FM, Vigloo, ShortMax, DreameShort, DramaBox, and more. It's a genre that rewards a very particular skill: making a viewer feel something in a 90-second episode, over and over, fast enough to keep them tapping "next."
The role that keeps coming up: playing trapped, powerful men
Elijah Baran isn't Guilmette's only genie-adjacent role, but it might be his most fitting one. The character spends most of the series absorbing disrespect he could end instantly if he chose to — and that restraint, played straight rather than campy, is exactly the register Guilmette has built a following on.
Other credits that show the range: You Belong With Me and Love & Blood on ReelShort (the latter he also produces), Chosen By Fate on Pocket FM, and Campus Rivals on Vigloo. Outside the vertical space, he appeared in the feature film Tails of Christmas, which premiered on Great American Family and Amazon Prime in December 2024.
Recognition in the vertical drama industry
The awards aren't incidental. Guilmette was voted 2024 Vertical Legend and Best Actor In A Drama at the Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards, then won the Sapphire Vision Award at the Vertical Awards in September 2025. In a genre built almost entirely on audience retention, those wins reflect real, measurable viewer loyalty — not just industry buzz.
He also writes
Guilmette's debut poetry collection, sex and oatmeal, released in August 2025 and reached #1 on Amazon's New Releases chart for Poetry — with the audiobook and Kindle editions holding the top spot for several weeks. It's an unusual second act for a face best known from vertical drama thumbnails, and it's part of why his fanbase follows him beyond any single role.
Where to watch Eric Guilmette as Elijah Baran
All episodes are already out, so there's no waiting between updates. The show's full details and episode list are the place to start if you want the synopsis and cast rundown before diving in.
If you already know the premise and just want to watch, jump straight into episode one and follow Elijah Baran's arc from the lamp to the reveal.