Written By: Jayme Face
Madison Shamoun has been seen on Black-ish, #BlackAF and Syd
Photo Credit: Lowell Taylor
upfrontNY: You have already worked alongside very successful actors and directors in the industry, what have you learned from working with them?
Madison Shamoun: I guess I’ve mostly just learned to come prepared, but be ready for anything. Working on set is such a fast-moving environment and you never know what’s going to happen literally from minute to minute so just being prepared.
upfrontNY: Is there a particular actress you look up to or hope to model your career after?
Madison Shamoun: Oh my gosh, so many! Too many! I of course have to say my girl Zendaya. I love her! I love the stuff that she’s worked on and her versatility. I just think all the genres she has worked on have been so great and so different. Some older actors and actresses that I love of course are Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, and Daniel Day- Lewis. I’m also really into Saoirse Ronan right now too; she’s awesome!
upfrontNY: You have a couple upcoming projects coming out; can you tell us more about 7 Minutes in Hell and The Restart?
Madison Shamoun: Yeah. I actually don’t know how much I can say about this because I believe both are in post-production right now, but 7 Minutes in Hell is a horror film I worked on it last year and it was a lot of fun. It was all over night shooting which I hadn’t done before so that was super fun. Then The Restart is a pilot, a post-apocalyptic pilot, and I’m playing kind of the leader of the teenage group of people.
upfrontNY: You have been a vegan for ten years; can you give some tips to our readers that want to go vegan, but may be having a difficult time?
Madison Shamoun: Yes, absolutely. When I first started I actually started out being vegetarian when I was fourteen kind of on a dare. I spent two weeks with my friends going out to eat and trying to find stuff we could make at home. It was really difficult because ten years ago veganism or even vegetarianism weren’t big trends, but now it’s so much easier. Now we have access to so many great things, so many great products. I would say anything a carnivore can eat an omnivore can as well. So, just know that if you want spaghetti and meatballs you can have spaghetti and meatballs you just have to make it or go out there or google. I google so much. I follow vegan people on social media. That’s also very helpful, someone who has already done that research for me I can just follow them and take their recommendations. So, I would say follow vegan/vegetarian people for sure.
upfrontNY: Is there a particular influencer you turn to for things like that?
Madison Shamoun: One of the girls I follow on Instagram is @peanut.head her name is Saphira ,but her handle is @peanut.head. She started being vegan/vegetarian because she had stomach issues kind of like me, that’s kind of how it started. It started out as a health thing and then it turned into an ethical and economical thing. So, I follow her for tips on my gut health as well so she’s great. She has a dessert store that she just opened so I get all my desserts from her as well. You should definitely check her out!
upfrontNY: What is your perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement?
Madison Shamoun: It’s important work and I think that it’s unfortunate that we even have to say it, but that’s just kind of where we are right now. As far as the entertainment industry is concerned we’ve been shut down since March just like many other industries because of Corona. For me it’s just been a lot of conversations with my team at work, with my friends and family. I’ve been helping people do the research because it seems like there is a lot of misinformation about the movement; what it was, what we wanted or what we’re doing. I’m just trying to make sure that I’m not accepting or taking on any roles that I think are perpetuating negative black stereotypes. So, that’s kind of what I’m working on in my own personal work in the industry and then personally I’m working with my friends and family and educating them as much as I can.
upfrontNY: Having these difficult conversations with people right now is there a way you go about it, especially when people may not be understanding?
Madison Shamoun: It’s hard. It’s kind of case by case. Honestly I can only speak for myself. It’s kind of like what I’ve heard and checking the temperature with my friends and peers. It’s different with everyone. You just have to remember for the most part I don’t think people are malicious and they’re not out to get us or do anything wrong per say. They just are misinformed or they don’t know. It’s up to us unfortunately and fortunately to educate them. I just say go with grace, go with kindness. It’s not going to happen overnight; Rome was not built in a day.
upfrontNY: You have a lot of young fans, what do you suggest they do if they want to make a difference and be active in the movement, but may not know how?
Madison Shamoun: Yes, again so much is on social media nowadays. I think that’s how a lot of people have been sharing petitions or sharing donations or sharing links to donate, that’s how I’ve been going about it as well. I’ve been following pages like @inthistogether_la and @blm. That’s how I stay up to date. So, follow pages that inspire you and make you feel like you can get out there and advocate. It’s mostly social media.
upfrontNY: You mentioned earlier about conversations with those you work with and although there is a bit of a halt in the industry have you seen shifts in the climate or changes to come?
Madison Shamoun: Definitely, which is great. I feel like this industry in particular is constantly changing, just in general. I always say new levels new devils. Every few months I feel like things are moving. The changes that I’ve seen thus far range all over the place. A few weeks ago, we had some big celebrity actors stepping down from animated black roles to give opportunity to people of color to play them authentically. That’s just one thing. I think it’s also going to be a bit before we see those big changes just in the industry over all with the union and Sag-Aftra and everyone, but it’s exciting and I’m really excited to see what’s to come in coming months.
upfrontNY: You also have other causes that are near to you; can you tell us about your involvement in those as well?
Madison Shamoun: Yeah, more recently since the start of lockdown in March with Covid-19 all the shelters in Los Angeles were closing because no one could work and they were closing their doors so a lot of animals were going to be euthanized. I know its precious and sad, but it’s great for me selfishly because I’ve gotten to foster all of these great animals. I just said goodbye to my last one for a little while, my little baby Chihuahua pal, he just went to his forever home. I love fostering. It’s heartbreaking and it’s bittersweet, but I really think that it helped me get through the past few months being able to just help and help little fur babies.
upfrontNY: I was going to ask what you have been doing during this time?
Madison Shamoun: Fostering! I’ve been fostering older dogs, younger dogs, and cats. Every time I get a new animal it’s a huge adjustment in my life. I’m getting up at 5 am with a puppy and taking care of the older dogs and bringing them to their vet appointments. It’s very time consuming. A rec center I used to teach theatre at is housing homeless people right now in Cheviot Hills and just stopping by there and bringing stuff. I was bringing water and wet towels and whatever else was needed to protest just in case there was teargas, just in case people were hurt and just trying to take the focus off myself and help people as much as I can or I go stir crazy.
Follow Madison
Instagram: @madisonshamoun
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