Episodes
Mack Wilds is known for a plethora of roles, including his roles as a younger actor in projects such as 'The Wire' and '90210.' With a bevy of projects coming soon including Apple TV+'s 'Swagger,' 'Thoughts of a Colored Man' on Broadway and his own short film premiering at Urbanworld, he chats with us about his career moments both past and present.
Published 09/09/21
Michael Evans Behling has taken the world by storm as one of the stars of The CW's hit drama series, 'All American.' He spoke to us about the series, his start in Hollywood, career goals, what he hopes to explore in the time to come as Jordan Baker and much more.
Published 08/26/21
The iconic Erika Alexander is always booked and busy. Recently seen in 'Wu Tang: An American Saga,' 'Run The World' and more, she's also busy producing behind the scenes under her Color Farm Media banner. Through this, she's produced projects such as 'John Lewis: Good Trouble.' She spoke to us about activist art, NFTs, the key to longevity, what 'Living Single' may look like if it comes back and more.
Published 08/06/21
Fresh off of his Emmy nomination of the Disney+ TV film version of ‘Hamilton,’ David Diggs is also one of the minds behind the ‘Blindspotting’ television series, which is a sequel of sorts to his critically-acclaimed film of the same name. Diggs talked to us about those two projects, early moments from his career that have stuck with him, playing Frederick Douglass in ‘The Good Lord Bird’ and much more. 
Published 07/22/21
Primarily known solely as a singer and a performer earlier in his career, Luke James has since made a huge move into television and film from ‘The New Edition Story’ to ‘Star' and much more. Currently seen on 'The Chi' and making his debut on Broadway in the fall, the triple threat talks about why he decided to get into acting, working through the pandemic, the importance of his romance storyline on 'The Chi' and much more.
Published 07/08/21
Keith Powers has indisputably been one of Hollywood’s rising actors — from ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ to ‘The New Edition Story,’ to ‘Famous in Love’ and much more. As he takes on Amazon’s summer blockbuster ‘The Tomorrow War,’ Powers revisits his very first on-screen gig and he takes us through some of his biggest roles so far and previews Netflix’s ‘The Perfect Find’ with Gabrielle Union. He also dishes on how he deals with fame, career ambitions, why he wants to do a comedy ser
Published 06/24/21
Tiffany Haddish became a household name after her scene-stealing role in 'Girls Trip' and has been booked and busy ever since. Leading up to her role opposite Oscar Issac in potential awards contender 'The Card Counter,' Haddish talks about one gig that continues to pop up for her — host. We dive in with the actress-comedian to chat about 'Friday Night Vibes' on TBS her 'Star Search' dream and making room at the table for others.
Published 06/10/21
After becoming a writer, director and producer on FX's 'Pose,' Janet Mock has gone on to do the same thing for several other shows and even signed a groundbreaking Netflix deal. With 'Pose' in its final season, the history-maker talked about moving from journalism to working in television and film, gatekeeping, the future of accurate representation, her upcoming projects and more.
Published 05/27/21
Over the past couple of years, Angel Bismark Curiel has established himself as one of the breakout stars of FX's groundbreaking ballroom drama series, 'Pose.' He talked to us about how his high school experience shaped his decision to pursue acting, representation for Afro-Latinx actors, reconnecting with his father and learning how he's in the industry, how he manifested a greater role on 'Pose' and much more.
Published 05/13/21
Kelvin Harrison Jr. has been one of the most in-demand actors of the past several years, starring in buzzy indie hits like 'Luce' and 'Waves.' He's now in the Netflix film 'Monster' and will be starring in the second season of 'Euphoria' on HBO. The actor talks about his always being booked and busy, taking on deep and dark material and his expiration date on playing teens.
Published 04/29/21
Jill Marie Jones is known for her iconic role of Toni Childs on the equally-as-iconic and classic Black comedy series, 'Girlfriends.' She talks about the show's impact, the representation she provided for young Black girls of darker complexions, what she's learned on her journey in Hollywood and more. She also talks about what drew her to her current role in OWN's 'Delilah.'
Published 04/15/21
Trevor Jackson takes us through his career, from getting his start on Broadway in ‘The Lion King’ to his current starring role in ‘grown-ish.’ Not only does the actor and singer revisit ‘American Crime,’ ‘Superfly,’ and more with us, but he talked about dealing with rejection and gives advice for those seeking validation as a creative. 
Published 04/01/21
Amber Riley captivated audiences for years as Mercedes Jones on 'Glee.' She talks about that long-running series, her work on stage, her 'RILEY' EP and much more. She also dishes on producing and the series that she has in development.
Published 03/18/21
In 2017, actor and comedian Jermaine Fowler made history as the first Black lead for a CBS sitcom in a decade. He's gone on to star in films like 'Sorry to Bother You' and nabbed a key role in 'Coming 2 America,' playing Eddie Murphy's son. He walks us through his first jobs, a TRL gig that almost happened, his 'RuPaul's Drag Race' appearance and why he dares to not give AF.
Published 03/04/21
Kyla Pratt is a legend for '90s and '00s babies, appearing in so many films and television series, including her starring roles in 'The Proud Family' and 'One on One.' Pratt reflects on those roles and much more with Shadow and Act's Trey Mangum. She also talks about her new show, Fox's 'Call Me Kat,' as well as the upcoming 'The Proud Family' revival series at Disney+.
Published 02/25/21
Tyler James Williams is perhaps best known for playing the titular role in the iconic, Black 2000s sitcom, 'Everybody Hates Chris.' Now starring in Hulu's 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday,' Williams chats with Shadow and Act's Trey Mangum about his career ― from his first on-screen credit in 'Sesame Street,' to coming-of-age in 'Dear White People,' to those deathly NDAs on 'The Walking Dead' and more.
Published 02/11/21
Opening Act is a podcast hosted by Shadow & Act’s Deputy Editor, Trey Mangum. Each week, Trey sits down with some of Hollywood’s biggest talents to discuss their introduction into film and television. On Opening Act, actors recount stories from their very first gig, whether big or small, and share how that single opportunity made them who they are today.
Published 01/27/21