Disclaimer: The following interview was published in 2020.
“I kind of had to, for lack of a better word whitewash myself to some extent,” Shamoun, who is of mixed race, shared with RoyalTee over a Zoom call. “I would be up late straightening my hair when I knew I had an audition the next day, because that’s what they wanted, or that’s what I anticipated that casting wanted.”
The confession is little to no surprise. Just this past November, the United Postal Service (UPS) is just now allowing natural Black hairstyles and Black women in corporate and news industries are finally getting to a place where they can comfortably show off their coils and curls without discrimination. Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsome signed into law legislation banning discrimination in workplaces and schools against people wearing their natural hair.
Again, we are in 2020.
But that was then. These days, Shamoun is unbothered and unapologetic about her looks, and what you see is basically what you get. And what you get is gorgeous.
“I feel more than comfortable just going in as my authentic self with my crazy curly hair,” Shamoun smiles, telling RoyalTee. Her soft Black curls are bouncing as she speaks to us virtually. “I think the representation part in television and film has gotten a lot better but we’re working on it.”
Shamoun is a UCLA graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in acting. While in school she starred in lead roles as The Pupil in ‘The Lesson,’ and Olivia in ‘Georgia is Waiting.’ Her 2013 performance in ‘Lucy’ earned two National Youth Theater Awards for Best Supporting Actress.
View this post on Instagram
Today the breakout thespian has been spending less time on the stage and more in front of the cameras. She has been recently featured in Disney’s Sydney To The Max, as well as ABC’s Black-ish alongside Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson and Netflix’s BlackAF with Kenya Barris. Both shows in their quirky way represent affluent, successful Black people, which Shamoun says she didn’t see often as a youngster.
“That’s not what I grew up watching or seeing in my lifetime,” the San Diego native says about being part of the sitcoms. Growing up, her go-to shows were That’s So Raven and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
“So, I’m just grateful and honored.”
“I didn’t really see a lot of people that looked like me on the screen, which was a big part of why I wanted to act as well,” she says. “I feel that people, young people of color want to feel and see and be represented on screen.”
All facts.
Shamoun recalls one moment that taught her a lot about race in the entertainment industry. She had an audition for a project that she received good feedback on and even got a callback. In the end, the part was between her and a White girl. Shamoun ended up losing the part, which was fine; the alleged reasoning, however, did bother her.
“From my understanding, it was that they didn’t want to have too many African American girls in one scene, it was like a cheerleading team, high school scene. And there was one Latina girl, one African American girl, and they were looking for that third spot, and I lost it to a girl who was Mean Girls they didn’t think twice about having four white women play teenagers.”
She went on, “It just kind of blew my mind. I don’t know if I learned anything. But still, to this day, I’ll think about that.”
The cultural significance on air, no matter how minor or major, are never far behind in her head, because she is aware of the little black girls who are watching her every move.
“I’m sure there was a little girl who watched my Disney episode and was like, “Who was that girl with the curly hair?”
Shamoun says colorism is still an issue and her best remedy for it is being your authentic self.
“I think Zendaya or Zoe Kravitz, maybe both have said this, but they’ve said that they felt that their Hollywood’s acceptable version of African American which is like light-skinned, can straighten my hair, you know, tiny or framed, doesn’t stand out too much next to someone who is not a person of color. So, I think it’s incredibly important to just be yourself and be your authentic self. Because otherwise, we’re never going to move forward.”
But she also understands that the change we want to see in our society starts from within.
“Everything starts at home,” she says. “No matter what we do, whether you agree with someone or you don’t, you’re on completely opposite sides of the spectrum, no matter what you do, just do it with kindness.”
When she is not making an impact on camera, Shamoun is doing her part to bring change behind the scenes. During the summer, she spent her time involved in activism and demonstrating with the Black Lives Matter movement. And on her spare time, you can find Shamoun volunteering at local food banks and homeless shelters, both are pastimes she has enjoyed since high school.
“Rebirth to me truly means to begin again. It’s the start of a new cycle, a second chance at flourishing.”
