( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) Actor, Director, and Producer Shomari Love Takes on the Role of Shannon
ENSPIRE Contributor: Abigail Elcock
On July 8, Take the Night, a brand new crime thriller feature film, premiered starring Shomari Love. Take the Night is the story of a prank kidnapping gone horrifically wrong. Love portrays Shannon, whose career in basketball ended abruptly after an injury. When Shannon is struggling to make a living in a new career, an old friend reaches out with a lucrative yet criminal opportunity: a “fake” kidnapping.
Before taking on the role of Shannon, Shomari Love worked incredibly hard to get to where he is today. After graduating from Seton Hall University, Shomari Love began working in corporate America. Despite his professional success, Love felt he was still “wasting talent.” Shortly after this realization, Love started pursuing a career in acting. Regarding this abrupt career transition, Love told ENSPIRE it “was inspired by the thrill of the unknown. I wanted to challenge myself and take a leap of faith.” He took acting classes, traveled to gigs, marketed himself, and worked tirelessly. And all his hard work has paid off.
Today, Shomari Love is known for his work not only as an actor but also as an artist, director, and producer. Love has starred in TV shows such as Showtime’s The Chi (2018–), CW’s Black Lightning (2017–2021), and in feature films including Maya and Her Lover (2021). He is an actor, director, and producer of the short film Pulse, which received an Honorable Mention for Best Film of the Festival at the Spring 2022 Couch Film Festival. Now, Take the Night is the latest film project Love can add to his expansive portfolio.
In an exclusive interview with ENSPIRE, Shomari Love described his experience on set. Take the Night is director Seth McTigue’s first feature film. However, what makes this debut film even more unique is that McTigue stars alongside Love as one of the criminal kidnappers. Love said he enjoyed working with McTigue on set. “It’s not often you get to work on features that have the director involved in so many capacities. Overall, it was a good experience. Seth brought a different level of enthusiasm and attention to detail to the project, which ultimately helped us all meet our goals. Most of all, we had fun.”
Not only did Love have fun on set but he also had fun playing Shannon. He shared his favorite part of the role was “the work that went into preparing for this character. The more I got into Shannon’s backstory and circumstances, the less restricted I felt with choices I made for him.” Love’s preparation and character choices bring Shannon to life on the big screen.
Shomari Love’s approach to preparing for characters has helped him succeed in roles across widely different genres. While he has acted in thrillers, romantic comedies, dramas, and more, Love is excited to keep expanding his diverse repertoire. “Hopefully, Sci-Fi is up next for me!” he commented.
Shomari Love’s journey from corporate America into his successful entertainment career is inspiring for all who dream of reaching their potential. To anyone who may feel that their talent is being wasted, Love offers a simple, straightforward remedy: “Don’t waste any time. Take the risk. Do the work!”
Additionally, a quote by Nelson Mandela is central to Love’s perseverance. The quote? “It always seems impossible until it is done.” ENSPIRE asked Shomari Love about what significance this phrase had to him. “To me, it means belief in self. Many didn’t believe me becoming a professional actor was something that could be done,” he confides. “That’s what makes this quote resonate so well with me. Most of the times someone has told me I couldn’t do something, I did it. Because I believed in myself.”
After watching Take the Night, you can look forward to Shomari Love’s next upcoming role! He’ll be starring opposite Jordana Brewster in the feature film On Our Way. Love also told ENSPIRE that he’ll “be acting in a drama series later in the year.” You can follow Shomari Love on Instagram @shomarilove to keep up with all his latest projects!
Be sure to watch Shomari Love as Shannon in Take the Night in theaters or online via Vudu, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+.
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