We got to chat with Sharon Blynn about acting, her role in Captain Marvel, her organization Bald Is Beautiful and more. Check it out!
Photo Credit: Alexis Dickey Photography
upfrontNY: What do you love most about acting?
Sharon Blynn: Acting is a form of storytelling that gives the audience an immediate, visceral response, and the effect can be anything from cathartic and thought-provoking to uplifting and hopeful to just purely entertaining and a release or relief from their daily struggles. I love the way bringing stories to life from the written word to the screen can connect people — to each other and also to themselves, and engender a deeper understanding and compassion across the spectrum of humanity.
upfrontNY: What has it been like to be a part of Captain Marvel.
Sharon Blynn: From the moment I booked the gig, I have been in a state of perpetual joy! When I auditioned for the role, I didn’t know it was for Captain Marvel, and I didn’t even know much about my part in it! So when I found out what the movie was, and learned more about my role, it was surreal. And the fact that the movie resonates so strongly with audiences all over the world means so much to me, personally and professionally.
upfrontNY: Can you tell us about your role as Soren.
Sharon Blynn: Soren is the wife of Talos (played by Ben Mendelsohn), who is the leader of the Skrulls. She is a strong and determined woman who cares deeply for her family and surrounding community.
upfrontNY: Had you been a Marvel fan before being a part of this film and if so what was it like to be a part of something you were a fan of?
Sharon Blynn: I have been a fan of Marvel and Stan Lee since childhood, and I never could have imagined that this would be happening in my life! I actually met Stan Lee a few years ago at LA Comic Con and that was a dream come true, but being in a Marvel movie — in particular THIS one, it being the first female superhero lead in the MCU and also featuring the first female director in the MCU — is beyond measure!
upfrontNY: What was your favorite memory of being on set?
Sharon Blynn: Every moment on set was my favorite! I genuinely feel that way. My first day in the make-up chair, and my first moment on set with Ben, Brie, and Sam. My first run-through of the main scene with Ben/Talos and directors Anna and Ryan. Working with so many talented artists on the Legacy Effects team. As an actor, being in a pivotal scene that also carries a bold and powerful message is incredible. Add in the fact that it’s a Marvel movie? Well, it’s just other-level amazing!
upfrontNY: What was it like to see the movie on the big screen?
Sharon Blynn: AWESOME!! The first time I saw the movie was at the cast and crew screening a few days before the theatrical release, and at that point, I wasn’t sure what of my scenes made it into the final cut! To see the parts of the movie I worked on so beautifully edited, and to hear my voice and see my Skrull face up there … it was like an outer body experience! I was so overwhelmed with excitement about the whole thing that night, so I actually went to see it a second time in the theatres on opening weekend. That’s when I really got to enjoy the movie as a fan and take it all in. It was a real blast!
upfrontNY: You fought Ovarian cancer and founded Bald Is Beautiful, can you tell us about this organization?
Sharon Blynn: With pleasure, and thank you for inviting me to share about it! I started Bald Is Beautiful after losing my hair during chemo, and ultimately also losing both of my ovaries. Because those things are inherently connected to how society defines femininity and beauty and womanhood, I had to face questions within myself of what it means for me and my identity to lose them (even if temporarily, in the case of my hair). And I met many women who felt more devasted about losing their hair than the fact that they had cancer, so I wanted to do something to create a shift in perception for how we define ourselves as women.
I could see and feel the power of TV and film and print media to shape how we perceive ourselves and even how we experience things in our lives, so I wanted to put the image of a bald woman out there into the mainstream consciousness so that women who need to feel seen instead of being made invisible or less beautiful and whole are given a positive reference to connect to.
upfrontNY: When did you know that you wanted to use your voice to bring awareness to this disease and how has this organization help you do that?
Sharon BlynnI was diagnosed while I was visiting my parents in Miami for a week (that one-week trip became a three-year life detour!), and a new theater there was opening with the play W;t, which is about a woman with ovarian cancer. I offered to shave the lead actor’s head since she is bald in the play, and one of the photos that was taken ended up on the cover of the Miami Herald Arts & Leisure section. This photo of me and the woman in the play — both of us bald and laughing hysterically, holding each other’s faces in our hands — got a ton of glowing response from all kinds of people. Friends of my parents reached out to let them know how the photo made them feel happy, or that they were sending a copy of the article to someone they loved who was in treatment because it would lift their spirits. That’s when the idea around the power of showing a happy, proud, vibrant young bald gal in the visual media in order to make powerful change in the world really sparked for me.
Since starting my Bald Is Beautiful organization in 2002, I have appeared in newspapers and magazines, as well as on TV and in films as a bald woman. I’ve gotten emails from people all over the world who have seen my work, and wanted to let me know that it moved them or inspired them or changed how they saw themselves. It’s not empirical evidence, but/and … I can feel the powerful and positive impact of what I’m doing and I want to do so much more.
upfrontNY: You have been recognized for your work. How does it feel to have others look at you as a role model?
Sharon Blynn: I’m deeply humbled and amazed when I hear that just sharing my story meant so much to a total stranger. Role models come in all shapes and sizes, so I’m thrilled that I can be part of expanding standards of beauty to include a bald woman, and to also redefine how the media chooses to depict the cancer journey.
upfrontNY: What advice do you have for others who are going through a battle with cancer?
Sharon Blynn: I encourage people to be open to all forms of healing methods and treatments. I took the “everything and the kitchen sink” approach by incorporating several different complementary therapies alongside the standard Western medical treatments, including Chinese herbs, acupuncture, overhauling my nutritional regimen, yoga, laugh therapy, and so on. Someone who has been diagnosed or is in treatment needs to take the time to do their own research, ask questions (lots of them), bring a buddy to all appointments when possible to be sure all of their questions get answered, and ultimately, do what feels right for themselves.
Also, it’s vital that we truly love ourselves, even on a cellular level, through every step of our cancer journey. This is not to say that we can’t feel and express pain or frustration or anger or fear — rather that we don’t have to attach ourselves or our identity or experience to those more “negative” feelings. We can’t necessarily control having cancer, but we can control how we choose to move through it.
upfrontNY: When not working, what do you like to do to relax?
Sharon Blynn: I have a few different ways I like to relax. I feel invigorated and mentally relaxed when I do some form of exercise, like going to the gym, or doing yoga, or going for a hike or bike ride. On the other hand, I also decompress by diving into a favorite TV show or binge-watching a Law & Order marathon (which I very often do!). And spending time with friends and loved ones, sharing good food and conversation is a priceless gift I enjoy as often as possible.
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