Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Barrington.
Hi Stephen, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Perseverance! My life has been a deliberate journey of seeing the lowest the world has to offer to finding myself a product of my environment and then realizing I can be whatever I want to be… Physically abused from 5-10 years old. Homeless at 10 and living in a car with my mother brother and pregnant 14 years old sister. I ended up in alternative schools which were basically day prisons for kids. After getting into a lot of trouble I was sent to Florida to live for a year. I was able to get into regular high school and found football to be my outlet for some of my traumas as a child.. Football gave me a shot in a different direction I started visiting colleges. I attended North Carolina Central University where I received a Theater Performance degree. I was still very lost in that time. Although I got a degree in acting I never actually see it as a career it was just something I loved to do. My family is Jamaican we don’t exactly view the entertainment field as a job/career that one would make a living from. I went into a depression and almost committed suicide at age 27. A friend of mine saved my life that day. Told me if there is nothing I can do about my situation give it to God. But as long as you have your life you are Undefeated!!! I prayed until I fell asleep and when I woke up the next morning acting was the only thing on my mind. I made a decision I would share every once if my gift with the world. That is when the journey really started for me. 11 years later. I now have over 50 movie/tv/commercial credits. I’ve appeared on Netflix, Showtime, ABC, NBC and more. I’m currently shooting an AppleTV show with Tom Holland. I think that is a nice little intro to my story. Of course, there is a lot more.
Alright, 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?
I lived in my car for 4 years. Not exactly because I couldn’t afford to get a place but simply because I wanted to go wherever acting took me. I found refuge at 24-hour gyms. Idk it’s weird I found extreme gratitude when I came out of the suicidal depression and man just having a car to sleep in was more than enough. But of course, yea things cost so I was waiting tables for immediate cash paying for any and every acting class/event around the city.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an Actor but I prefer to be called an artist. I do a lot of things in my industry but performance is mainly the heart of my craft. I’m also a Director, first and second AD, casting director, acting coach, and I’ve been a director of Photography on a few projects but I’m definitely still a novice in that arena. With over 50 Film/television/Commercial credits. Some of my film credits include Netflix “Jezebel” as well as “All Day and A Night”. “Kidding” on Showtime, “The Blacklist” on NBC, “Alone Together” on ABC, a host of projects on Amazon Prime and currently shooting an AppleTV show with Tom Holland.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Do not f*cking quit!! The hard days are the most important days on the journey to success. Don’t believe in yourself but Instead know in yourself that you can do anything you put your mind to and it may not happen immediately In fact it probably won’t but if you wake up every day and put your 2 feet down with a purpose towards your dreams and goals I can promise you that you will only have regrets if you stop chasing whatever your heart desires.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @stephenbarrington
- Twitter: @stephenbarringt
- Youtube: StephenBarringtonTV
Image Credits
Zachary Iziah Smith @zacharyismith Alex Kasparian @akasparian.photos
