Meet Shaunii Arcé | Actress

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shaunii Arcé and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shaunii, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
The most difficult decision I’ve had to make was choosing to believe in my dreams and move out of my hometown to explore life goal to be an entertainer.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
From a young child I knew entertaining was my calling. I started out wanting to sing and had several groups growing up. I performed on stage at 16 in one of the world’s biggest festivals in my hometown, Milwaukee Wisconsin. That experience led me to wanting to become an A&R and find other talent. I knew I had an eye for spotting artists and tried to learn everything I could about the music industry. Several years later, motherhood halted my dreams but when I could I would sing background for local artists around my kids schedules, I sang in church and danced choreo. The performance bug never left my soul but balancing motherhood and the talent god had instilled in me was not an easy task until my children were older. My priority was to my children first so mom guilt always haunted me. Going to god, therapy and seeking out advice from many other performers who had children is what kept me believing in my self. I knew I would have a different path than my peers but it was attainable. On my journey, once I stopped comparing my process to others and journaling my thoughts, my mind was clear and I could see that I had the ability and all the tools I needed to create a full life as a mother and an actress. I wanted and still want mothers to know that you can have everything they said you couldn’t and that our kids are not a crutch but they are the reason that we have a little more spark than most because of our determination to succeed not only for ourselves but because of our children!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Moving from a small city where everyone knows everyone to Atlanta was challenging at first. There are so many beautiful sites it could be a little overwhelming at first. I would start off visiting the King Center and his burial site to be enriched in history. Next I would drive over to Little 5 points and check out other creatives and support other entrepreneurs. Atlanta is known for amazing food so of course I would check out the amazing pool of restaurants in Buckhead, which two of my favorite places to eat are The Cheesecake Factory and Another Broken Egg Cafe, then go shopping in Midtown not just for the businesses but the site at night is beautiful. Then, you must go skating at the famous Cascade Skating rink and end the night at the best lounge downtown, Suite Food Lounge for great food, drinks, music and entertainers who stop through occasionally.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother and Bigma are the biggest influencers of my work ethic but my children are my reason behind why I grind so hard to create a legacy that will affect change not only in my immediate family but throughout the world. Along my career, casting Director Brittany Passion who casted me in my first supporting and leading roles, took a chance on my fresh talent early on and Brandon Holland, the director has been my rock. Sonya Welch also took a chance and honored me with my first lead in her play and from then on I’ve realized the sky is the limit. There are so many more directors, producers, peers and acting coaches such as Silk White, Jared Wofford, Chantal Maurice, Jonna Naegele, Dennis White, Anthony Page, Keith Plummer and Jordan Marcel to name a few, that I will continuously be forever grateful to attributing to my success as an actress.

Instagram: @iamshauniiarce

Image Credits
Image credits to @theCamKilla (Raphael Simien) and Brian Jones Photography.