Today we’d like to introduce you to Shea Stephens.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shea. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It’s interesting, as kid I was always interested in movies. One story my older sisters love to tell is about how at six I was very affected by Ernest Dickerson’s classic “Juice.” When their friends would come over, they literally would pull me out of my room and make me act out the whole movie. I didn’t mind because I liked telling stories and having an audience even though I was a very shy kid. Granted, I had to be sneaky because I wasn’t supposed to be watching films like this, but my sisters got a kick out of seeing their little brother playing 2pac…lol. Little did I know…this would set me on the path of becoming an actor.
From the age of 8 to 14, my mother was constantly making me participate in church plays even though I still didn’t really have the desire to perform but I was still an avid movie lover constantly always mimicking characters from films. It was legit one of my favorite activities. I believe it was a way to cope being lonely and shy.
In the summer of 2002, I was in Dallas, Texas with my family. My oldest sister had just had her first child and me and my mother was there for a week and we was on our back to my hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. What was supposed to be a week in Dallas end up being a month and a half. My mother had accidentally fell and broke her leg which we end up having to stay longer so she could recover. At this time, I’m 14 so being stuck in a one-bedroom apartment with three people and a new infant all we could do was watch movies. To me, it was the best. One movie that forever changed me was seeing one of my favorite actors Denzel Washington himself in his Oscar-Winning role of Alonzo Harris in “Training Day.” I was so hooked on his character because I felt like I knew him. Through the whole film, I’m thinking this character despite doing some of the most monstrous things imaginable someway he’s going to do something redeemable. I was wrong. This made me see the power of acting and I had never been this affected before. That’s when I said: ” I wanna do that.”
This new interest didn’t really set to well with my mother. She was aware of how hard the life of actor was and she just didn’t want me to get hurt and discouraged. Also as a kid, I had a painful stutter along with battling dyslexia. Acting didn’t seem like the way to go. However, my school was putting on a Theater showcase at the end of the semester where the drama kids would perform monologues and scenes. My piece was from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” I had worked on the speech day and night trying to get it right. The night came, I performed it and everyone had seen this kid who was known as the school stutter perform some of the most difficult language known to man and didn’t stutter not one bit. My mother came up to me. I asked her what she thought. She smiled almost in tears and she said: “You didn’t stutter…” That was her way of saying I support you.
During high school, I continued to perform and I was even accepted into the prestigious New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts. (NOCCA) Where I did my formal training. Afterwards, I studied theater at the Louisiana State University. While in college, I took an interest the life behind the camera. I started filming events for my fraternity “Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.” along with countless others. After graduating, I continued to work professionally in theater and film. I ended up making my way to Atlanta and continuing to work, but mostly behind the camera along with minor theater work.
As of right now, I am in graduate school earning my master’s in film from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I am also working on my first web-series (Price Tag) which will be out sometime this coming summer.
Being in Atlanta has really helped me to find my voice as an artist it has also shaped me from becoming an actor to now a filmmaker. I know it’s only the beginning. The journey is continuing to shape me.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When it comes to any path within the arts…the road is anything but smooth. For me, I’ve has a lot of success and failures. They both have taught me the meaning of persistence. I’ve heard a lot of “no’s” and that just part of the journey. The struggles has me develop tough skin along with not being damaged by no. I’ve learned through trials is to always believe in yourself and always tell yourself yes.
I am a young man who stutters and have dyslexia…so what? I can easily use that as an excuse. If you’re looking for an excuse, you’ll always find one. I choose to let it motivate me to be my best self. I have good days and bad days, but at the end the passion is what keeps me going.
Shea Prophecy Productions – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My production company specializes in photography and film production rather it’s scripted from short films, feature films or web-series. I started it a year ago. I wanted to share my passion for filmmaking with others. The dream is not enough if it’s all about you. We get there together.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment was getting to play the role of Gabriel Maxson in August Wilson “Fences.”
Contact Info:
- Email: sstephensclu6@gmail.com
- Instagram: directedbyshea
- Facebook: sheaprophecystephens
Image Credit:
Kelly Harris, Brian Jones, Cory Frank
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