Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanya Thompson. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Tanya is a first-generation Caribbean American actress and producer, born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Tanya got her start in the performing arts at the tender age of five taking classical piano lessons as well as ballet and tap. The rush Tanya received while on stage was a feeling that would never leave her. Tanya took her first drama class in high school and it was then that she caught the acting bug! She did extremely well in that class, so much so that she received the coveted “Drama Award” at her high school graduation. This gave Tanya the confidence she needed to know that a career in film was her destiny.
Upon graduation, Tanya set out to find her first acting gig. She landed a background “extra” role in the FOX hit TV series “NY Undercover”! The feeling Tanya got on the set with the cast and crew was like no other. She knew she wanted to do this full time. However, being from a conservative family, she was encouraged to take a more traditional career path that would ensure stable salary and benefits.
Tanya took a step away from the spotlight to do just that. She went on to graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from Berkeley College. This degree helped her land a “stable job” as an Accounting Manager working alongside the CFO at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences aka “The Daytime Emmy Awards”. Tanya worked her way up to Director of Finance as well as the dual role of Director of Special Events. Tanya is the 1st African American Woman to be promoted to a Director title at the Daytime Emmy Awards”. One of the perks of working with the “Daytime Emmy Awards” is that Tanya was not only able to help plan the annual red carpet award show; but she was also able to attend. Every year Tanya would look at the actors of the various Daytime shows getting awarded for what she wanted to do, which was ACT! She no longer wanted to “play it safe”.
Tanya decided to take her career in her own hands and left the Emmys to pursue her acting career full-time. She studied at the prestigious William Esper Studio in NYC getting trained in the Meisner Technique. Completed a Shakespeare course on Othello at “Harvard University”. As well as studied with Mark Jones of “The Barrow Group”, celebrity acting coach Tracey Moore of the “Spirited Actor” esteemed acting coach Marishka Phillips at the “Marishka Phillips Theatrical Preparatory” and powerhouse acting coach Natalie Roy of the “Activated Actor”.
All of that training paid off as Tanya can now be seen on the hit network television show “New Amsterdam” on NBC, the Golden Globe nominated show “The Sinner” on the USA Network, and the powerful feature film PAPER SPIDERS (starring Golden Globe Winner Lili Taylor, Stefania Owen & Peyton List) which is now in select theaters and available on all digital platforms in the U.S. Tanya has also lent her voice to the voiceover world by being the Lead Narrator on the audiobook “Caramel Insides” (voicing over five different characters) which is currently on Audible.
Tanya can be seen in Guest Star roles in “Homicide City, Diabolical” & “Grave Mysteries” on the Investigation Discovery Channel. She starred in the first episode of the season premiere of TV ONE’s new hit series “For My Woman”. She’s played a detective in two (2) different shows on the Oxygen Network “Killision Course” and “Homicide for the Holidays”. You can see her playing a no-nonsense judge in the award-winning movie “Where Hearts Lie” on ASPIRE TV and on Amazon Prime. She also taps into her Caribbean roots by playing a loving yet protective sister speaking Jamaican patois in the hit movie “Diary of a Badman” out now on Amazon Prime.
Tanya’s work has garnered her many awards for acting and producing. She is the recipient of the 2016 “Best Actress in A Supporting Role” Winner of the Nollywood African & Film Critics Awards (Nafca) aka the “African Oscars” for the dynamic role she played in the Nollywood film “MUDA: When Time Is All That Matters”. She won the 2016 “Movie Actress of the Year” award at the Newsome Awards in Baltimore Maryland. She also received the 2016 “Recognition Award” for her work as lead actress and producer of the feature film thriller “The1Closest2U” at the Piton International Film Festival in St. Lucia.
Tanya has not only been in front of the camera but has worked “behind the lens” as well. Tanya has Co-Produced multiple feature films which includes the incredibly talented Clifton Powell (Ray), Malik Yoba (Empire), Taral Hicks (A Bronx Tale, Belly), Malik Whitfield (If Loving You Is Wrong, The Temptations), Claudia Jordan (Real Housewives of Atlanta), Omar Gooding (Baby Boy, Barber Shop, Smart Guy) and a host of others. She is using all of her experience she gained as an on-camera actress as well as her financial/business background from the Emmys to help other Directors bring their vision to life as one of the Producer’s on their projects. This makes Tanya a very valuable asset on any production she is a part of both in front of the camera as well as behind-the-scenes.
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?
The journey of an actor is much like a rollercoaster. Lots of ups and downs, highs and lows, excitement and disappointment. Some struggles that I’ve had to deal with was questioning if I was “good enough”, especially those moments when you’re going from audition to audition but not necessarily booking work. However, once I started training, that built my confidence in my skill as an actor and now I leave each audition very proud, knowing that I gave my very best.
Another challenge I went through especially, during the beginning stages of my career was being considered the “under dog”. I remember being cast as Harriet Tubman in an independent film very, very early on in my career and later on being re-cast because the Director said I was “too pretty” to play the role. That devastated me and honestly made me rethink even wanting to continue in the business. I remember crying when I got the news. However, Clifton Powell who is a legendary powerhouse actor in the business and has a resume I can only hope to have was also in the film with me. He became a mentor to me and told me that “this is only one film and one role and on my career journey there will be many more films and many more roles to come, so just keep going! Don’t quit! The right role will find me at the right time.” He was right. So many beautiful roles have come since then and his words of encouragement so many years ago has kept me going in this business, that is sometimes so emotionally taxing.
Some other challenges were, there were times that I was never considered for a lead role. So I would get cast in smaller supporting roles. However, when I’m cast and the Director sees what I have done with the material (even if it’s just a few lines), I always end up getting more lines, screen time, visibility and ultimately end up standing out. It’s a true testament to my work ethic and making the most out of every opportunity afforded to me. Treating each role with dignity and respect, knowing that every single character and every single line said in the production is important.
An example of this was very early on in one of my first films, I auditioned for the lead role. The Director did not see cast me in the lead but offered me a background extra role with no lines. Now most people would have been offended and moved on to the next. However, at the time I was still very new to the business and wanted the on-set experience so I accepted the background role. During rehearsal the Director asked me to give my background character a name, so not only did I give my character a name, I also gave my character a dialect. When I told the Director that my character was Jamaican he was surprised to know I knew how to speak the dialect. He asked me to do some improv as the character speaking patois (Jamaican dialect) and I did. He was so impressed that he had me create the lines my character would say in the film and I got bumped up from background extra to a supporting character with lines in the film.
I look at the example of one of my favorite actresses Viola Davis. She was only in 8 minutes of the movie “Doubt” but her performance was so powerful that it garnered her an Academy Award nomination. Her example showed me that it’s not the role or how much lines you have or how much screen time you have but it’s what you as an actor DO WITH THE ROLE that counts.
So all of these challenges and obstacles just show me that that’s all they are…a challenge and an obstacle. But both can be overcome with hard work, dedication, tenacity, willpower, and always showing up…no matter what! JUST SHOW UP!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a full-time working actor. I mostly get cast in dramatic roles of very powerful, authoritative women. Think judge, attorney, cop, principal, social worker, teacher. However, what most people don’t know about me is that I absolutely love comedy (especially dry humor) and would love to star in a comedic sitcom one day. Growing up, I was obsessed with shows like Frasier, Cheers, Seinfeld and I always have the “Friends” sitcom on repeat, even today.
One of the things I’m most proud of as an actor is my ability to never give up no matter how challenging the road has gotten for me. I’m also proud of the projects that I was able to not only act in but also produce because that gave me an opportunity to GIVE OPPORTUNITIES to other actors and crew members. I’m proud of the projects that I was able to cast, produce and have a hand in seeing its success through distribution in theaters, television and digital platforms. I’m proud of the acting workshop I gave in St. Lucia to young children interested in getting into the business. I’m also proud of my philanthropic efforts, specifically to an organization called the “White Dress Project” which focuses on raising awareness of women who suffer from uterine fibroids (which is something very personal to me as I am a fibroids survivor myself). My proudest moments are always those where I am giving back to others.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
During the Covid-19 Crisis, I’ve learned how important your health is. Without health, you have nothing. That experience was a wakeup call to many on where they stood health-wise. Health is the TRUE WEALTH.
The crisis also reiterated community and family. To see how everyone pulled together to get through one of the most devastating times in history (at least during my lifetime) was amazing.
I’ve also learned to take nothing and no one for granted. We can’t just “assume” that you’ll see someone again because it showed how fragile, unpredictable and short life truly is. If you love someone, tell them NOW. Give people their flowers while their alive to smell them. Do all the things….eat the cake, wear the clothes, go to the event and do whatever makes your heart happy because all we have is the present and the present is truly a GIFT.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tanyathompson1.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanyathompson11/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanyathompson11/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tanya_thompson/
Image Credits:
Professional Actor Headshots done by: Justin Clynes Studio Guido Venitucci Photography
