Shannyn Sossamon
Shannyn Sossamon
Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon, popularly known as Shannyn Sossamon, is an American actress and musician. After graduating from high school in 1995, she moved to Los Angeles to study dance; instead, she started working as a model mainly for television commercials. Her first movie role was in A Knight's Tale, a vehicle that brought her mainstream attention and several MTV Movie Awards nominations. It was followed by appearances in comedies such as 40 Days and 40 Nights and The Rules...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth3 October 1978
CityHonolulu, HI
CountryUnited States of America
I was more wishy-washy in the first 12 years of my career, just because that was my personality.
When I sign on to a television show [Mistresses], I have to love that show and character so much, but this was in and out, for seven episodes. And it was nice to be able to make some money again because I hadn't work in a year and a half. There were a lot of pluses.
If money is the only plus, I will always say no. But, if there's more, than I'm down.
Televisison is like a factory line. You need discipline and focus. You have to hit your mark and know your lines. It's not that I don't know my lines when I do a film, but the pace of discovery is always a little bit more relaxed and nurturing and almost babying, in a way. Television toughens you up, and I like that, but I don't want it to toughen me up too much.
I did short film with Damian Lewis from Homeland, that was a really incredible experience. He's one of the best actors I've ever worked with. Even though that's a short film for Jaguar that's really, in essence, a commercial, it didn't feel like it, at all.
I did a film called The Jesuit, which was an independent film. I did that shortly after Mistresses. I was still feeling soft and I was nursing, but it was a character I'd never played before. That was a Paul Schrader script, with an up-and-coming Mexican director, named Alfonso Ulloa. That has Tim Roth and Paz Vega in it, and I enjoyed that, as well.
I was very soft. I gained a lot of weight with my second child and was very on the couch. And [me manager ] said, "You know, this is a softer role [in Misteress]. She is a softer character. She's a lesbian that's always the passive half of the relationship."
Most of the auditions I went on, I passed up the projects because I just wasn't interested. When I read A Knight's Tale, that was that. I knew I wanted to do this movie.
But I'm trying not to be cynical - I don't want to be one of those people who has a cool opportunity and blows it. It's really amazing what's happening to me.
I was always interested in doing it, but I was so content with my life that I didn't really go after it.
I see in my friends that don't have kids, when they come over, and the amount of times our conversation gets interrupted by my children. It's almost jarring.
You know when there's someone new on the rise and there's too much hype? I didn't want that to be me.
Someone pays me a hundred bucks every Tuesday to DJ. I don't think I'll ever give that up.
I'm a film doll. But I'm enjoying it. So I'm gonna keep doing it.