Today we’d like to introduce you to Shacai O’Neal.
Shacai, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I never had an interest in acting before moving to Atlanta. I moved to Atlanta to take over the city as the hottest radio personality. I’m from Virginia. I went to VCU and studied Public Relations. While in college, I landed me an internship with Radio One Virginia & then after my internship was over, they literally created a job position for me so I could continue working there. I felt so honored! LOL!
There I learned all the ins and outs of radio and fell in love. I was even the co-host for the night show. It was dope! So after I graduated, I packed everything up & moved to Atlanta to pursue my dreams of becoming a radio personality. That didn’t happen! I couldn’t even get a job in radio and my resume was lit! I was qualified to do numerous positions! I applied to all of the stations, applied to all of the positions & I never received one interview. I was devastated.
During that time, I was following this girl on Instagram, I didn’t know her. I just liked her content she was so positive, inspired, & spiritual, but she was also an actress. I got this random urge to take an acting class, so I did and I loved it. I was never the type growing up that was just naturally good at something. You know how some people are just naturally good at sports, dancing, math, drawing, etc.? I was just okay at things. When I took my first acting class, I came alive, like I discovered pieces of me that I didn’t even know existed. Acting made me feel good like I can do this! Going to class was just get away for me; it was my time to be free without being judged. I treated it like a hobby until my teacher at the time suggested I get an agent and really do this professionally. So I did, I got my first agent four months later & the rest is history.
Looking back, I think God always intended me to be an actress, like the signs were always there; I just ignored them. In college, I was working as a waitress at a sports bar and I was serving this old man. He’s by himself and says nothing to me the entire time. In the end, when he was paying for his check, he handed me a piece of paper and says, “I want you to call that number. Her name is Erica Arvold and she’s my agent. My name is John & I’m an actor. I think you would be a great actress.” Did I call that number? Nope, I threw the paper away. Since being an actress, I found out that Erica Arvold is a big freaking deal!
Also, when I first started training to be an on-air personality the first advice I received was, “Being an on-air personality is like acting but no one can see you.” My senior year I took a class called “Yoga for Actors”, never heard of that class all of my years being at VCU but I randomly took it. So to me, I think God has been giving me hints for a while to lead me to where I am now. I am a working actress. This past year has been a breakthrough year. I booked my first TV Show, two short films, booked a modeling campaign (my face is on billboards), a commercial, and two feature films. I’ve been so blessed & I owe it all to God.
Has it been a smooth road?
This has not been a smooth road. The life of an actor is hard. In the beginning, being rejected was hard for me. I remember I had my first audition with an agency. My teacher recommended me to them, I went there did my audition & I was told no. I called my teacher right after crying! He was like, “Shacai in this industry you’re going to be told no a lot. So if you can’t handle it, then this isn’t the career for you.” I never cried since. Then I struggled with second guessing myself & wondering if this is right for me. Imagine getting 200 auditions and never getting a callback or booking. You start to wonder, is it me? Am I doing something wrong? I see this person booking why aren’t? Is this the right career for me? Should I get a backup job just in case? Just all this doubt. One of my acting teachers always said, being an actor is a journey; it takes time. I had to grow my faith and fully believe this was my destiny even if it didn’t look like it at the present time.
Another struggle was having a job. Look honey, these acting classes, headshots, & audition tapings ain’t cheap. In addition to rent and other bills, I needed to have a job. But having a job also got in the way of acting. I’d be scheduled to work and have in-person auditions & there were a few times I had to miss my audition due to work. I had to decide which was more important. My jobs were giving me ultimatums either them or acting. I wasn’t trying to serve tables for the rest of my life, so I quit serving and haven’t looked back since. Yes, I struggled for a few months trying to figure out how to make money. All I knew was serving, but that was also the problem. That’s all I knew. I was forced out of my comfort zone which I needed in order to grow. I was forced to figure out other ways to make money.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an actress & model. I’m known for being an actress. Some of my accomplishments include being on Black Lightning as well as being the model for African Pride hair. What sets me apart from others is the fact that I’m me. Nobody can ever be me & that’s what makes me unique. No two actors are going to read a script the same.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think over the next few years there will be more black woman on TV/Film in more dominant, lead roles. It’s already changing. You see more black actors in not so stereotypical roles which is good.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Shacai
Image Credit:
Ezra Ferguson, Amber Neukum
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