Hi Shawnee, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In my youth I grew up in a broken home where money was not very plentiful but distress and dysfunction were. I convinced myself at a pretty young age that having money would solve all my problems. After graduating high school and community college with various honors, I began pursuing a career as a doctor. I bounced around between dentistry and veterinary medicine. I was accepted into UCLA and other UC’s but after considering the financial obligation, recognizing the creative spirit I’ve always had inside, and after surviving a near-fatal car accident, I decided to follow a different path.
Since I was young, I’ve always loved and needed the escape that film and television provided me. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to be an actor. I’d make movies as a child and I certainly played pretend longer than any other kid I knew. I remember longing to audition for a speaking part in the first play I ever did, “Annie.” I wanted the part of the girl who would cry a lot, whom Annie would comfort. I was great at crying. But my environment wasn’t one that nurtured my creativity or my artistry. As a young adult, I found myself in a new environment and with a new mindset. So, I decided to take my first acting class. I remember being so nervous. For so long, I never felt empowered to use my voice. I didn’t even know I had one. I remember doing Shelby’s monologue from “Steel Magnolias” and running out of my first acting class sobbing. Around this time, I was approached by a friend about modeling professionally.
So, I stepped away from acting and decided to give modeling a try. Modeling gave me such confidence. And I didn’t need to speak or use my voice much, which, at the time, was exactly the baby step I needed to help me grow in the way I wanted to grow. Modeling allowed me to step outside of the quirky, sweet, people-pleasing, nervous, nerdy personality of my young adult life and become someone else. Someone sexy, mysterious and powerful. I became internationally published in Elle Girl Japan, Vogue Italia, Material Girl Magazine, Cake Magazine, Style Me Pretty, and more, worked with many acclaimed photographers and brands, and awoke another part of myself. Then, I got my dream job in entertainment at a theme park and shortly after that, somewhat randomly got involved in Bernie Sanders’ campaign for President in early 2015. It was through my job and my activism with the Sanders campaign where I really found my voice. You see, the issues that Bernie spoke about were personal to me and to the way I grew up.
After many months of volunteering on the campaign, I ran to be a delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention. I ended up winning the most votes of everyone and going to the convention. At the convention, I made lifelong connections, some of whom turned out to be Standing Rock activists. After convention, I decided to come back to acting and enrolled in a two years Meisner program that changed my life. Also post-convention, I became involved in doing anything and everything I could to stand in solidarity with water protectors and the First People of this land in stopping the Dakota Access Pipeline. I went to rallies and marches. Divested my money from Wells Fargo. And as quickly as I could, flew to North Dakota and stood alongside water protectors in the face of the violence and brutality of many law enforcement officers. After the 2016 Presidential Election, Donald Trump’s inauguration and his advancement of both the Dakota Access Pipeline and Keystone Pipeline, I realized the value of Democratic Party and electoral politics. So, I became involved in the local and state party.
Since my involvement, I have often found myself in “the room where it happens.” I have authored and passed historic resolutions and platform amendments, spoken truth to power, and demanded and helped to bring about change. This year, I also ran and won the most votes once again and served as a delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The most important thing I’ve learned in my activism is that even just ONE PERSON really, truly can make a huge difference and change the state or country. In regards to my acting, I have been doing a lot of theatre, starring as Polly in Neil Simon’s “The Gingerbread Lady” and the title role in “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl. During the pandemic, I’ve started my own theatre company to create opportunities for myself and others. We have put on many virtual play readings. I have performed as Catherine in our online performance of “Proof” by David Auburn, Laura in our online performance of “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams; and we have more shows planned through the end of the year!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has certainly not been smooth sailing to get here. I had to climb my way out of my childhood, which was a very deep hole to climb out of. As I mentioned, I was in a near-fatal car accident where I was rear-ended by a Hummer that was going 70+ MPH on the freeway, slamming into me while I was at a full and complete stop. In modeling, I’ve struggled with photographers saying and doing very violating things to me. Too many times for a young woman to have to go through and endure. In both modeling and acting, I have dealt with a lot of rejection. I mean a lot of rejection. I have, like most actors, struggled with not getting the audition or not booking the job. I have dealt with paying too much money for bad headshots too many times. It took me three attempts before I got my side job. I struggled with my decision to not go to UCLA and get a degree like they tell you to do. I still struggle financially. I still struggle with imposter syndrome. I still struggle with booking that job I really want. And of course, I’m struggling as we all are in the midst of this pandemic and what it is doing to our industry and our world. The path is clearly not an easy one. But I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I can’t. I love it and need it too much.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well, I do a lot of things and it’s probably my passion, drive and wide skill set that sets me apart from others. First and foremost, I’m an actor. I primarily have done theatre but also regularly audition for film and TV! I am trained in the Meisner technique. I started a theatre company during the pandemic called Dig Deep Theatre in order to create opportunities for myself. We have been doing online play readings throughout the year. With the lack of opportunity this year, it was so fulfilling to be able to create the opportunity for myself to play some of my dream roles in our online productions. It was rewarding to be able to create those opportunities for other actors, stage managers, and directors.
Later this year, we will do readings of All My Sons by Arthur Miller, in which I will play Ann, and Skylight by David Hare, in which I will play Kyra. Before the shutdown, at the beginning of the year, I got the lead role playing the title character in Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice.” What was really coincidental and cool was, we opened at the same time as the LA Opera’s showing of Eurydice, when Sarah Ruhl collaborated with the LA Opera and produced “Eurydice”the opera. I got to see the opera and meet Sarah Ruhl, which was unforgettable. She signed my copy of my “Eurydice” script and noticed how worn it looked. She asked me if I had been a part of a production of “Eurydice” and I told her we were actually doing it now. She signed my script and referred to me as Eurydice in the dedication. It was definitely a highlight of my 2020. Last year I also got to play Polly in Neil Simon’s dramatic play, “The Gingerbread Lady.” I think storytelling is the greatest thing we can do to change the world and “bring comfort to the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
I’m so proud of all my work as an actor. I’m also an artist; specifically I’m a 3rd generation (however, I’m completely self-taught) painter. I work with acrylics, watercolors, and gouache. I have an ETSY shop called Pigment of your Imagination (pigmentofimagine) where I sell my work. I did an observational art class in community college but I have really learned and created most of my work while being at home during this pandemic. It has been very therapeutic and rewarding to paint nature scenes because I’m a very outdoorsy person and passionate about the environment. I have summited a mountain, climbed an active volcano, seen the northern lights and deeply love hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, ice skating and doing pretty much any adrenaline junkie thing I can in nature. I’m also, as mentioned, an environmental justice, animal rights, and human rights activist. Some things I am proud of are that I made history in California when I authored and passed a resolution through the Los Angeles County Democratic Party and the California Democratic Party about animal agriculture and the devastation it causes to our environment and the value in the education and promotion of plant-based living. This resolution was the first resolution discussing veganism to pass a major political party in the country. It led to my authoring and passing similar language into the California Democratic Party Platform, which now makes the California Democratic Party’s platform the first major party platform in the country to mention this issue. My work then led to my friend, the wonderful Assemblymember Ash Kalra, to author and pass ACR 279 (a resolution which encourages Californians to adopt a plant-based lifestyle for their health, the animals, and the planet) through the California Legislature, making California history!
This year, I’m being honored with the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Democrat of the Year Award for my Assembly District, which is very cool and such an honor because FDR is one of my favorite presidents! I also love to intersect my interests and skills with my activism to bring about political change. During this year’s Black Lives Matter protests, in addition to joining activists in the streets, I wanted to help raise money for Black Lives Matter. My theatre company put up a cabaret night fundraiser where we elevated and showcased many BIPOC creatives. I also sold my paintings to raise money for BLM. And in both instances, 100% of the money was donated and we were able to raise almost $1,000 for BLM. This year I also wanted to use my new skill of painting to raise money for down ballot candidates running for local office by organizing and teaching paint night classes. I would create paint night kits complete with brushes, paint, and canvas and do contactless door delivery of the supplies to each participant’s house. Then we would get on ZOOM and paint a complete painting from start to finish together. I was able to raise thousands of dollars for down ballot candidates doing this. I even got to provide a free night of art therapy for many people who were laid off from their jobs during this pandemic.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
A quote that I love and live by every day, in everything I do, in the best way I can, is one by Shirley Chisholm, who, for those that don’t know, was the first Black woman elected to the US Congress and was the first woman to run for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. She said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” And I love that quote because that is what I’ve strived to do in my acting, in my artistry, in my activism, in my modeling career, in everything I do. I don’t give up. I choose to be bold and relentless. My last name isn’t “Badger” for nothing.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.shawneebadger.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawneebadger
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawneebadgerofficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shawneebadger
