We recently connected with Michael Rishawn and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I think I’m still feeling undertones of this as I’m building my career. Recently, I closed out a very successful Off-Broadway play (Table 17) by Douglas Lyons in New York City. The world premiere follows a pair of exes with unfinished business and is a sweet open letter to love found, lost, and possibly reignited. It starred Tony award winner Kara Young, Biko Eisen-Martin, and myself.

A well known casting director asked to take a meeting based off my work, and while we were talking, they mentioned “how unique I was as the third wheel. That they had to check the program to confirm that, yes, there were only three actors in this show. That I was the perfect go-between of a leading man and character actor…which is a blessing and a curse.” The comment struck me, because I’m not one who likes being put into a box (of any kind). In short, I played three different people in the play (one of which is apart of the love triangle). To do that in 90 minutes was a gift because it allowed me to transform and show my range. But ‘leading man’ and/or ‘character actor’ aside, I see myself as just an actor.

However, that doesn’t mean I’ll always be received like that. For better or worse, I sometimes feel like actors of color aren’t afforded many opportunities to show the nuance & spectrum of humanity in the people they inhabit. Especially in today’s storytelling. And if they do so successfully, they’re viewed as some sort of oddity. That if they don’t fit a specific ‘type’ then the business doesn’t know what to do with you really. But I’m in the business of being human, and humanity comes in many different colors. Perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to actors like Jeffrey Wright & Colman Domingo, Sophie Okonedo–and of course, Meryl. They’re all chameleons who had to build a body of substantial work before Hollywood took notice of them. And they’re constantly shattering boxes that people placed on them. For me, they’re the blueprint.

And like them, I’ve learned to embrace my versatility as my superpower. It’s what sets me apart. And if the business wants to categorize me as the kid chameleon who can do anything, I’ll take that too.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Michael Rishawn is an American actor best known for his work on Broadway AIN’T NO MO’ (Produced by Lee Daniels), Off-Broadway, television, and film. He has originated roles in two world premiere plays, HANDJOB opposite “THE WEST WING’S” Steven Culp (Echo Theatre) & TABLE 17 (MCC Theatre) opposite Tony Winner, Kara Young. To date, Michael can be seen guest starring on shows such as: BUNK’D (DISNEY+/NETFLIX), FBI: Most Wanted (CBS), Raising Dion, Survival of the Thickest (NETFLIX, opposite Michelle Buteau), Crutch (PARAMOUNT+, opposite Tracy Morgan), And Just Like That (HBOMax, opposite Sarah Jessica Parker). He can also be seen as Craig in John-Michael Powell’s independent feature, The Send Off, which debuted at Cinequest (APPLE). Additionally, Rishawn is the face of various commercial campaigns currently running from Bose, Hennessy, Verizon, and Pepsi. His warm yet engaging voice moves effortlessly through many literary titles found on Audible, and has provided facial and motion capture performance for the WWE2K video game franchise. MFA, UCSD. He is based in both New York & Los Angeles. @michaelrishawn.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

That I get to tell stories for a living.
That the stories I’m apart of have a profound impact on the people coming into contact with them no matter what you look like or how you identify.
That I get paid the big bucks to tell those stories (haha, that’s pretty dope).
That I get to make my own schedule.
…& That I get to live a creative life.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yea, totally, I cycle through these on the regular:
“Conversations with God” – Neale Donald Walsh
“The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” – Joseph Murphy
Anything written by Eckhart Tolle

My mother instilled this within me as a child and it’s never left.
Write the vision and make it plain – Habakkuk 2:2

& I really love this quote by her.
“Write it down on real paper with a real pencil and watch it get real. Spelling is a spell” – Erykah Badu

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.michaelrishawn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelrishawn/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrishawn/

Image Credits

Sean Howard, Andrew Soria