Shannon Esra has become our favourite local TV lawyer but that’s not all she’s capable of. In her new role on MNET’s drama series, she shows us her diverse acting skills as she takes on the role of mother and wife, and ultimately portrays the true definition of a lioness!
We all know and love Shannon Esra as the bold, ruthless, and no-holds-barred lawyer Sandra Stein, who fights tooth and nail for her clients. This character started from SABC3’s Isidingo then moved on to soapies and telenovelas such as Mzansi Magic’s The River, The Queen, The Throne as well as Gomora. After her successful role as Candice on MNET’s Still Breathing, Shannon is still giving us unparalleled performances as she takes on the role of Samantha Hugo, on the new hit drama series, Lioness. This character is about a suburban housewife and mother of three who loses everything when she is framed for the fraud committed by her husband and is subsequently sent to prison for eight years.
Shannon shared what the true art of storytelling is and why we all need to tell our own stories.
THE FAMOUS ROLE OF SANDRA STEIN HAS BECOME YOUR SECOND IDENTITY, WHAT DOES SHE MEAN TO YOU?
South Africans have warmly embraced the role of Sandra in all the soapies and drama series such as Isidingo, The Queen, and The River. This is a huge blessing for me and I feel incredibly grateful for the way the audience has responded to this character. What is amazing about her is how she inspires people in their personal lives. I cannot tell you how many messages I receive when Sandra is airing, of people thanking me. Some people are motivated to go and change their degrees to study law, it’s such an incredible feeling to have an impact like that. It’s humbling to have such a positive influence on so many people’s lives through a character.
Related article: Catching up with Katlego Danke
Related article: Getting Real with Seputla Sebogodi
WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO ACTING?
I love people, and I’m incredibly fascinated by the mechanics of the human condition, human behaviour, and the choices we make in all kinds of situations. There are probable outcomes in every situation and I love that I can artistically explore that. It’s a fun and powerful place to be when you can play out the probability of a scenario and you can see which reaction is expected, which one fits the scenario best etc. I also love playing pretend, and with my job, which I love, I get to be a child every day. I’ve had an amazing upbringing, and when I think back to when I was a little girl, I used to love creating short plays with my friends. I was an imaginative child and I love that I can do that in my daily life.
WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR AN ACTRESS – TALENT OR TRAINING?
To be honest, you have to start with talent! You have to have some measure of skill. And then go and study to enhance that skill, engage that skill, develop it, nurture it and respect it. There are a lot of hardworking actors out there who are talented and work hard. But because of their work ethic, they’ll do more and keep enriching their craft. Whereas you can get someone who is just oozing talent with not the same level of commitment but when the camera and lights go on, magic happens. This is a very disconcerting thing for me to see. Because to me, it’s as though you waste talent because you’re reckless with your gift. I read something so beautiful the other day “The purpose of life is to find your gift, and the meaning of life is to share it.” I would say that it’s 80% training and 20% talent because you can build up that talent with hard work.
As actors, we’re not any more special or different than anybody else. We just have an extraordinary job to do because we’re seen publicly. We have a responsibility to those watching to honour the characters we play. More than anything we have a responsibility to stories; we need to respect the story. We often get all the credit, which is completely backwards because it takes an entire team to put these productions together. From the writers getting a really good idea, then to your production designers, people don’t understand that what you are viewing on screen is carefully thought out and executed consciously and brought to life. You then get the directors who guide, mold, and carve out performances and stories. Then there is wardrobe as well – there are so many elements to these shows that people overlook, and I would love for that mentality to start shifting.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS SAMANTHA ON THE LIONESS
What is so wonderful about Sam is that people get to see her vulnerability that they don’t get to see with Sandra. Sandra is quite enigmatic – we only see her in the courtroom and never behind closed doors. Some of the feedback I received about Sam is that people are enjoying seeing vulnerability on the screen. Even though she is so strong and tough, it goes to show that you can be vulnerable and strong at the same time. Samantha is also full of truth and she is seeking out the truth, to set her story straight. She wants to prove to her children that she didn’t do anything. No one is on her side right now. She’s a woman, she’s a mother and she’s being accused of something that she did not do. We get to see that vulnerability does not equate to weakness. Samantha is inspiring to me! I’m obsessed with her!
WHAT STEPS DO YOU TAKE TO GET INTO CHARACTER?
You need to do your research. Know the story. The story is your bible, it's your map. You need to stay true to what it is that you are telling, learn your lines, and know the intention behind them.
HOW HAVE YOU CREATED LONGEVITY IN THE INDUSTRY?
Work ethic, respect for your craft, respect for actors, and respect for the people that you are working with. Don’t forget to not take yourself so seriously, life is too short! We are telling stories. It's also about the simplicity of what we are doing, and what we are doing is playing pretend. We are creating worlds, which is the greatest job on earth.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHT?
My biggest career highlights would be the roles of Sandra Stein and Samantha on Lioness. I don’t believe in lowlights; everything happens as it should and is meant to. Everything is a process. My high school drama teacher always used to say “there are no small parts, only small actors”. So even if it’s just a walk-on and one line you can make an impact if you are fully invested in that, you don’t have to be the star of the show all the time. Of course, there can be experiences that feel ‘not so good’ because of challenges that you might face, but that’s life.
WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
I don’t believe in looking back in the past. There’s no point in looking at the past and trying to correct it, you can only try to do better in the present. I think the best advice anyone can ever give any child or adult is to ‘know your worth’. If you know that, you are going to navigate yourself in this world with integrity, respect, love, and kindness. If you know your worth you can honour someone else’s too.
WHICH ACTOR/ACTRESS OR DIRECTOR WOULD YOU LOVE TO WORK WITH?
I’ve never worked with Amanda Lane, and I would love the opportunity to work with her. I’ve been very fortunate to work with incredible people but Amanda is very high up on my list. I am also very passionate about the empowerment of women and building each other up and supporting each other.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING ACTORS & ACTRESSES?
You need to invest in being an actor. Go and study, even if you do little classes, go and find an acting coach. There are people out there who give out these opportunities at a fee, but you need to be willing to pay for it. It’s not just about paying for it financially but you have to be prepared to pay with your heart, your soul, blood, sweat, and tears. You need to know there are going to be so many no’s, but for every no, there’s a yes and it changes your life! You have to be willing to invest in it! Invest your time as well. Watch movies, watch television, watch what your favourite actors are doing, what kind of moves are they making and what are their career choices. Get inspired, read plays, read books, read poetry. We are storytellers, so get accustomed to telling a story. From the beginning of time, we have been sitting around a fire telling stories, it’s a sense of who we are. So, go out there and find the stories, learn, listen and tell the story. As an actor, you have to like people. You have to have a good sense of people. It is all in the details. How does this person breathe, how do they move…? Observe – you have to have a keen awareness of others.
MZANSI STORY-TELLING WITH SHANNON ESRA
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
March 29, 2021
Rating:
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
March 29, 2021
Rating:
