I am an Undefined, Ambitious, Authentic, ACTOR
One Tuesday night I was at church and was feeling down about being an Actor. I wasn’t sure if it was the right choice for me because it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I prayed to God and asked him if this was the right path for me, and left it at the alter. Normally before service we always have dinner this night we had Chinese food. I opened my fortune cookie and it read “The simplest answer is just to act”. It was then at that moment I knew God had okayed my career choice and that’s all the confirmation I needed. God spoke so clear to me
Did you study acting
I’ve always wanted to be an Actor, ever since I was a kid I remember begging my grandmother to write Barney a letter so I could be on the show. Finally in 2012 I decided to take classes, a good friend of mine Nicole Stanley had taken a class at Marishka Phillips Theatrical Preparatory and was raving about how good it was. I decided to take a class and see if I too would walk away with something. Prior to taking the class I was merely existing. Acting saved my life and forced me to become aware of my true self and who I was before the world influenced me.
What acting technique do you use
For me it’s important that I use my own personalizations, doing that holds me to my truth. I also like sense memory because if I’m honest there is always something in my past aka my bag of tricks that I can pull from to make me relive a situation. I’d like to think of myself as a character Actor! I want to be the female Johnny Deep giving you something different every time I hit the screen/stage.
— Wadiah Brown (@MizzDiah) August 31, 2015
What wrong impressions do actors hold about acting
Prior to becoming a trained Actor, I was under the impression that you show up to set, tell a lie, and look good while doing. I didnt know that the reason I connected with so many different on screen characters was because they had exposed so much of their truth. I think that’s the beauty of acting, many people don’t respect that. I didn’t know that me exposing my truth and wounds would help heal someone else’s wounds.
Do you take courses to improve your craft
My acting coach/mentor is Marishka Phillips and I have been taking classes with her for four years now. I can’t think of a better teacher to have, Marishka is a master teacher she’s really in tune with every Actor that comes into the room. She offers so many different classes. I like to think of her classes as my own college, I plan on being apart of MPTP forever. Her classes are currently being held at Simple Studios located at 134 W 29th St New York, New York 3-4 Sunday’s a month.
What acting books do you read
My favorite acting books are Truth by Susan Batson, The Actor’s Guide to Creating a Character by William Esper and Damon Demarco, and A Challenge For Actor by Uta Hagden.
From the play “Can you Forgive” with cast
How do you keep fit as an actor
Mentally I talk with God and try to remain optimistic. I also watch a lot of interviews from the entertainment industry to keep me motivated and I read. I’m working on finding something to do to keep me fit. I’m leaning towards boxing, in the past I’ve done Ballet.
When you’re offered a role, what do you do next
I read the script to see what my character’s super objective and conflict is. I then do my character biography and figure out what I’m trying to say to the world through this character.
How do you take a character in a script to a honest, believable and breathing person
It all starts with the full understanding of the story. Its not a script. A set of lines. It’s a story. This character has a story and it has come from something. Believing in the characters story is what makes it believable. I have to believe before I can be bring life to what I believe.
How do you stay fresh on set
I normally stay in character by running lines with whoever I’m in the next scene with.
Describe a memorable character you played
In May I did a play called Can You Forgive Me written and directed by Maulvine Theatrical Productions. I had the pleasure of playing the lead, a woman named Rita who struggled with telling her boyfriend who wants to marry her and have kids that she can’t have any because she had a botched abortion. I truly believe that our characters find us, I too had an abortion at the age of 18. Not only was I able to forgive myself and get the healing I needed the audience was impacted and was able to get healing and forgive themselves as well. I also won an award for Best Actor.
Explain one creative choice you took on set
Last November I played a 7 month pregnant woman who was bleeding uncontrollably and was at risk for losing her baby. Not only did I have to have a Jamaican accent, I unknowingly picked the table with Jamaican women (intimidating) as well as being surrounded by over 100 physicians and nurses who ran to me once I fell and began bleeding. They had no idea it wasn’t real and started taking action, it was so real they even called a code 10. I had to lose myself and go to MARS!! This was complete Improv and I even had to go on stage and act out giving birth behind the screen. It was intense but I made the creative choice to make it work and it did.
Won award for “Can you forgive”
What do you want most from a director
I want the director to DIRECT me, let me in on their vision that way I can tell the story as they want me to. I love a director that pays attention to details, it only helps make the project better.
What actors do you long to work with
Viola Davis
Why
Viola is EVERYTHING!!! The amount of work she puts into her process of creating a character is amazing. Viola is the type of Actor that challenges everyone on set makes them bring their A game, she’s so direct when speaking it’s jaw dropping. Everytime I watch something with her in it my heart is racing and I’m all in I can’t wait to be on How To Get Away With Murder as one of her Law Students!
What advice would you give to actors
Make sure you find a teacher that doesn’t focus so much on the bad in this industry and keeps you honest at all times. Just like you can’t judge your characters , don’t judge yourself it doesn’t serve you. Trust yourself and your process, know that you matter. Acting is a faith based business and you have to believe in yourself and see things as if they were. Also find like minded artist, artist who can lift you up if you fall and encourage you to keep going and support you. In term you have to make sure you do the same for them. Remember God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called!
Briefly write about your career
I am an Undefined, Ambitious, Authentic, ACTOR. Since I started I’ve been blessed to play the lead in two independent films. One being Bout That LIfe written by Al-Jalil Williams and directed by him and Christopher Thomas it was released in 2013. My second film is Ryderz written by Shakil Strafford and directed by Christopher Thomas which will be released early 2016. In addition to that I’ve done two plays Can You Forgive Me written and directed by Maulvine Theatrical Productions, and I was featured in Lu Lu’s dance a 10 min sci-fi short written by Rebekah Lynn Price and directed by Marishka Phillips. Lu Lu’s dance is currently in pre-production we begin filming next month. [It was that good!] I often participate in the Simulation program with it’s Director Samantha Sighn at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. I play a patient for the doctors to help them improve patient survey scores and make the encounter as real as possible. She’s been a vital part in helping me gain my confidence as an Actor. Most recently I booked a supporting role in a film called Time Served directed by Will Coggins Sr. We start filming in January. Moving forward I just want to grow and challenge myself by doing the work.
