Rising Star Shane Marriott On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry

To let go of what you can’t control. You aren’t cut out for every role and that is okay, just keep working there is always room to improve. All of these points would’ve made me not be so hard on myself and enjoy the whole journey in its entirety from the beginning but I do appreciate all that has happened.

As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Shane Marriott.

Shane Marriott is a fast-rising actor based in Toronto, Canada whose credits in major film and television productions include Titans, Grand Army, Awake, and In The Dark, to name a few. Shane will also be starring in the new drama series The Porter about the journeys of an ensemble of characters who hustle, dream, cross borders and pursue their ambitions in the fight for liberation — on and off the railways that crossed North America. Coming up next, Shane can be seen appearing in the upcoming American science fiction horror film Firestarter starring Zac Efron as well as the crime thriller series Reacher based on the book series Jack Reacher.

Outside of acting, Shane enjoys time with close friends and family, street fashion and culture, listening and discovering new music, travelling, and basketball. He is also an avid cook and tries to add a new dish to his personal archive every month.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born in Scarborough, lived there for 8 years then moved to Ajax. I am the middle child of 3 (older sister and younger brother), raised in a Caribbean household by both parents. I was always an active kid playing sports, spending time with my friends and cousins. In my family, we grew up pretty close to one another, so I was introduced to a lot of movies, television shows and stand-up comedy through my sister (she controlled the remote) and older cousins. I was the independent child in my household, didn’t give much trouble at school, got my first job as a paperboy in grade 6 and upgraded to the fast-food world in high school. Drama was something I took throughout high school and I was told by my teacher, Ms. Smith, to continue with it in post-secondary school. That did not end up happening because theatre was not a ‘career’ in my household so I ended up taking chemistry, completed my Bachelor’s Degree, and sometimes took acting classes outside of school. 2016 was when I took my official leap, decided to follow my dreams and bet on myself!

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was heavily influenced by my favorite television show ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. If you knew me you knew I memorized that series from back to front, line by line, word for word. That show was my first unofficial acting coach, not necessarily the best way to study but it kept me interested, on my feet and active. The amount of hours I put into watching that did contribute to my interest and success.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I’ve never had the opportunity to travel within Canada-only abroad, but fortunately one of my roles brought me to Newfoundland. I was able to visit and explore a new province within Canada, but I was also able to witness the 44th and first black President during his event ‘A Conversation with President Obama’ at the Mile One Center in St. John, Newfoundland. That only happened because I went to a shuck‘em seafood bar, tried oysters for the first time and mingled with strangers that informed me about the event, good times!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting?

Those that know me know that I love food! One of my first mistakes was treating Craft Service and Catering Service like it was a buffet- boy did I eat!

Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The ‘Itis’ will creep up and get you, but you still have to work. You may get time to rest when waiting for your scene(s) but the overindulging can take away all your energy. I learned to pace myself so that I don’t burn out.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Several in the works right now. I am currently wrapping up an episode for Mayday, Amazon Prime’s ‘Reacher’ (Alan Ritchson) set to release this month, Steven King’s remake ‘Firestarter’ (Zac Efron) coming this summer and a new television series coming to CBC & BET Plus called ‘The Porter’ (Aml Ameen, Ronnie Rowe, Alfrie Woodard & Olunike Adeliyi). A drama inspired by real events that depicts the history of Black Canadian and African-American men who worked as Pullman porters in a period following World War 1, leading to the 1925 creation of the brotherhood of sleeping car porters as the first black-led labour union. A must-watch for all highlighting Canadian history that isn’t taught or even mentioned in schools.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

If you don’t fail in this industry you will never learn. If you don’t love it, don’t do it. It is not easy and it is not going to go how you plan, especially if you do not have tough skin for it. Every role isn’t for you so get used to the word “No”. Your acting career is a journey, you have to enjoy every moment from no auditions, to being placed on hold, to bookings. Take classes, keep a positive mind and do not compare your path to anybody else. Focus on what you can control which will include reading, studying film, other actors work and experiencing life because that’s where the real acting lessons occur. Everything you do from here on out will contribute to your art so approach each day like with an open mind and continue to be a sponge, soaking up all of life’s lessons. The best things in life are on the other side of failure.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

Diversity is very important to have in films because it depicts what the world is and we aren’t being controlled by what “Others” paint the world to be. It would eliminate any stereotype people have towards others because the stories they’d tell would be truthful to all races. Inclusion for jobs and truthful characters to each role is also important, every actor is a talented storyteller no matter your race. We should all get a chance to audition and be considered based on talent, if the actor can tell the story trough their perspective and stay true to the character, they should be casted. Inspiration would be my last reason. For me growing up I gravitated towards what looked like me, I felt that I could relate to them and I believe we do the same for the younger generation. We are here to give back to others, I would feel like I’ve done something meaningful if I inspired a younger person to pursue their dream in the arts the way I was inspired by many greats.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

I wish someone would’ve told me that I won’t book everything. I came into this thinking I will land 80% of my auditions but boy was I wrong. It wasn’t until I started working with a couple of my mentors that my whole mentality changed as well as my point of view, what’s for you will not pass you. It will take time to land a role you really want, keep a side job. You want to make your life as easy as possible mentally, worrying about your next paycheck isn’t a good feeling so having a flexible side job to fund your day-to-day life and dreams will solve a lot of problems. Casting directors are your friend, they want you to succeed because it helps them do their job faster when prepared and ready to bring it. When I first started, going into the room would cause me to get anxious and there were times when I would even forget to breathe. Just knowing that you’re about to walk into a room with people cheering for you would have put my mind at ease. It’s a long journey, there will be many times where I’ll question if I’m even fit to be in this profession and doubt will creep up every now and then but it’s all a part of it so it’s better to enjoy your path so when you look back you’ll understand why you went through what you went through. My last point would be to let go of what you can’t control. You aren’t cut out for every role and that is okay, just keep working there is always room to improve. All of these points would’ve made me not be so hard on myself and enjoy the whole journey in its entirety from the beginning but I do appreciate all that has happened.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

I know we love what we do, but every now and then take a break to reset and recharge.

You will not do yourself any justice by not resting or taking a time out to observe and enjoy life because that’s where the experiences you need for work happen.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would end world hunger. The amount of food that gets thrown away that can be served to the homeless or families that don’t have is crazy. It just goes to show you we don’t really care for one another’s well-being, we’d rather toss it in the garbage than help end a serious cause.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

A lot of people have contributed to helping me get to where I am from acting coaches to colleagues. I have to give credit to one of my colleagues and mentors Dwain Murphy. There are many times where I’d be in my head or focused on the wrong things and he’ll give suiting advice for the situation I am in. He’s been in the industry for years so he knows about the good times and bad. Having real conversations as well as bouncing ideas off of him has helped tremendously with my career. The Porter audition is a good example for that. I remember I was working on Marry Me This Christmas when auditions were being held for The Porter. It was a project everybody wanted to be a part of due to its significance and truth in [Canadian] history. He helped me the night before the audition bouncing ideas off of one another and different ways to approach the scenes. There were times throughout the year where I’d even tell him I wish I booked a role on that show or even questioned my performance in the room. He’d always say ‘what’s for you brother will be yours’. Nine months later I got the call that I had landed the role for Sticks!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Let go of the things you cannot control and let God. This quote applies to many situations in my life, especially in my career which can make you stress yourself out. I had to learn to only focus on what I can control and that was to do the best job and professionally and prepared as possible. If it’s meant to be it will be because what is for you will not pass you!

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I would have to choose none other than Shannon Thorton from P-Valley (Mississippi). Not only because I just binge-watched that show during the pandemic or because she’s beautiful, but she just got her breakthrough. I would like to pick her brain, find out her process, how she’s adjusting to the fame and how her life has changed due to this role after years of hard work. I’d also like to find out the different projects she’s auditioning for and where she’d like to take to her career.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me online through my IMDb profile (Shane Marriott), Instagram (ShaneMarriott_), Twitter (_ShaneMarriott) and Facebook (Shane Marriott).

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!