Exclusive Interview with Actor Samuel Umoh: Unveiling Insights into His Career and Passion for Acting

Actor Samuel Umoh believes that anything is possible if you believe in God, yourself, and your abilities.

Photo Credit: Bjoern Kommerell

I started acting at age 20 and at the time, I didn’t consider myself a great speaker or presenter.  My first acting audition was for a movie, and I was terrified.  I pushed through by compelling myself to stay calm, so I didn’t appear to be as nervous as I was. -Samuel Umoh

Social Justice Warrior

Umoh has an interest in participating in projects that focus on social justice.  In 2019, he appeared in Guilty Until Proven Innocent, a short film about a wrongfully accused man who must rely on a public defender to prove his innocence that touches on the highly controversial topic of police brutality, written by Edward Goree.

He recently finished The Secret War, a short film about how mental health is stigmatized in the black community, written by Eddie Goree. His character is a patient struggling with mental health issues.

I enjoyed working on this film as it was challenging to play this character who goes through the spectrum of personal emotions. It was also an interesting look at the varying ways society views mental health. -Samuel Umoh

Photo credit: Jeffrey Paul

Shout Out to East London!

Umoh was born in East London and moved to Atlanta with his mother and sister at the age of eight. He attended Tallulah Falls, a private boarding school in north Georgia, and earned his bachelor’s degree in Theater at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.  Math and Science were two subjects Umoh excelled in throughout his education, but he knew early on that he didn’t want to pursue a career in medicine like his mother, a Certified Nursing Assistant, or his father, a Gynecologist and Family Practitioner.

With acting, I am getting history lessons and creating art, I have always found it much more interesting and motivating than numbers and science. -Samuel Umoh

Before settling on an acting career, he tried out modeling which he quickly discovered was not the path he wanted to take, but it did lead him to acting auditions. After college, he lived briefly in London and Los Angeles, but he ultimately decided to move back to Atlanta to explore the beginnings of the film industry boom in Georgia.

Umoh's acting career began on the stage with several performances to his credit including Dutchman (Aapact), King Hedley II (M Ensemble), and Knock Me A Kiss (M Ensemble). His films include Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Florida Man, the Fashion Film, Fate’s Destiny, Divide and Conquer, and he has several projects in the works.

This past December, Umoh was one of the featured actors on the Entertainment Industry Roundtable at Georgia Hollywood Review’s “Thursday Night Live” event. “Thursday Night Live” is a monthly networking event with a platform of diversity and inclusion for people working at all levels in the entertainment industry. The events are held monthly at Studio 135, a production and event space facility.

When asked who he would like to work with within the industry,

I would have to say Academy Award Winner Denzel Washington.  Over the last 30-40 years, Denzel has had an amazing impact on the film industry and the African American community. Most of his roles show us in a positive light and give us hope. The film industry and others have a long history of showing African Americans in a negative light. Denzel's roles and films are uplifting and show us what we are capable of – doctors, pilots, lawyers, actors and so much more.

Christopher Nolan is another film director that I would love to work with as well. I love his cerebral movies that challenge what we know, what we think is reality, and what we think is important. He doesn't provide endless details for his storylines or dumb the topics down; his work makes his audience think. -Samuel Umoh

Photo Credit: Brian Jones

Executive Producer Dreams

Umoh would like to explore the possibility of becoming an executive producer later in his career.

I love a challenge and with producing, I feel it would be like putting all the pieces of a puzzle together while also adding layers of complexity to create an overall great story that will resonate with audiences. Having my own production company is something I can see happening 15-20 years down the line. -Samuel Umoh

Photo Credit: Veronica Reaves

We hope that you loved Simply Amazing Living's “Exclusive Interview with Actor Samuel Umoh: Unveiling Insights into His Career and Passion for Acting” article. This article originally appeared in the Georgia Hollywood Review.

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