We recently connected with Abyssinia Hammouri-Davis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Abyssinia, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I certainly wish I’d followed my instincts about living the creative life I yearned for sooner, but I’m so humbled by how it’s unfolding right now.

Growing up, my mom was an expressive art therapist and musician; so naturally she always had us in some type of artistic medium. Whether it was singing, dancing, or the Afro-Brazilian martial art of Capoeira— we were always performing something. I believe it was her way of making sure we were able to express ourselves even when we didn’t have words for the pain we were feeling; pain from the realities that single parenthood inevitably gave.

I remember when I was 5 years old, we put together a production of Annie at our Capoeira studio, and I was the Lead. There was an electrifying moment I had on-stage, and from that moment on I felt a sincere calling that I was placed on this earth to entertain people. It was a sudden flash of clarity that my life had a purpose, and this was it. My personality developed around this deep knowing-ness that I was born to put smiles on people’s faces and it was something that I carried with me always, even if I wasn’t sure what it all meant. The bumps and bruises of an unstable upbringing and the emotional turmoil it caused led me to question my worthiness to dream so big and boldly.

Even though I always knew I’d be an Actor, I didn’t realize I needed to give myself permission to actively pursue my dream and live the life I always envisioned. During the pandemic, everything was exacerbated and it became clear that the life-hack I’d used and abused for so long (tricking my brain into being happy by simply smiling) was actually a mask that had hardened into clay and was making it impossible to breathe. It felt like I was dying inside. Once I came across what is now one of my favorite quotes from Brene Brown, something shifted. She states “Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes.” That resonated with my internal world. My unused creativity had become a cancerous void eating away at me. I suddenly realized that my calling will simply NOT stop calling just because I keep ignoring it or putting it on hold. That just delays the inevitable answer to my life’s purpose.

I moved to LA at the start of 2021 and promised myself that I would get serious about my commitment to becoming who I’m called to be. This meant increasing my discipline, training and ultimately meeting my goals. By the end of 2022, I signed with my Manager. My career is just beginning and there’s a ton of work ahead, but I’m so grateful to be exactly where I’m at and excited for what’s to come.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure, so being the third of four children born to an eclectic family who never ran short of obstacles to overcome—my role was simple: find a way to make everyone smile, no matter the circumstances. Whether we were struggling to secure housing or going to bed hungry, there was always a joke to be made. Yes, seriously.

We were incredibly blessed and my mom always found a way to survive (and thrive!), but I understood early on that keeping my attitude and perspective positive when times were hard was the only way through adversity. There’s a big difference between crying yourself to sleep and crying from laughing so hard, and I’ve been lucky enough to learn how to turn one into the other from an early age.

In a few short years, I’ve become a Graduate of The Sanford Meisner Center; UCB and Second City Alum. My work has been featured in El Segundo’s Museum of Art and I had the privilege of working with an Emmy & Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker (Shahana Khan) while on set for that project, “Then Say That Then.” I’ve played the Lead roles in two proof-of-concept comedies, and have been listed as Upside Down Comedy’s “New Comics On the Rise.”

As an Actor I don’t want to be boxed into any one category. I know I’m cut from several different cloths, and can excel in all avenues I challenge myself in. Comedy is my North Star, and I aspire to be a Rom-Com-Queen myself, but I also have a knack for Drama and thrive with gritty material. Some of my biggest goals are to stretch my vocal cords in a Broadway Musical, and use my Capoeira skills to be in an Action movie (did someone say Cat Woman?) Yes, my name is literally a type of breed of Cat.

I jokingly call myself Abyssinia The Great not because I think I’m so great (lol who doesn’t), but because I know I’m meant to do Great things with my life– Great in the “Big Ol'” sense of the word.

For example: God blessed me with a Big Ol’ smile, a Big Ol’ name, a Big Ol’ personality, and a Big Ol’ heritage of multi-ethnic ancestry that I pull strength from every day. A lot of things about me are just BIG by nature– my talents are no different– and it’s my deepest desire to do Great things with them.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect about being an Artist and creative is realizing that my strange childhood and life experiences can actually be used for good. For so long I felt like a weirdo for being so different. I once felt ashamed for having an unorthodox upbringing, but I now see how what felt like a burden was actually a huge blessing.

I moved around a LOT: I was born and mostly raised on the islands of Hawai`i but spent ages 5 through 10 in Pompano Beach, Florida. By the time I graduated High School in my birthplace of Kea`au, Hawai`i I had attended 8 different schools in 12 short years. That averages a different school every 1.5 years. So, as you can imagine I had to learn how to adapt quickly to any and all environments I was placed in. This taught me to accept the inevitability of change that life throws at you and not question or bemoan it. It’s an invaluable life skill that I still draw from today.

As the daughter of a Palestinian-American mother and Black German father I learned what racism was pretty quickly, especially during those formative years in south Florida. Instead of being proud of my unique name, Abyssinia (which has many meanings and represents the ancient empire of Ethiopia) I went by “Abby” because it was easier (see: safer) and assimilated to the culture of whiteness that society deemed most acceptable. At home, my mom made sure we knew Black was Beautiful, but outside the messages were conflicting at best and dehumanizing at worst.

I was brought up in a multi-faith environment as well. My mom would stress the importance of Christian values; Muslim prayer rituals; the universal law of Karma; having the utmost respect for the `Aina (or Mother Earth); and the overarching principle of One Love through it all. As a kid, I can admit that it was confusing at times, but as an adult it’s given me a multi-dimensional view of faith, and the ability to see God in everything. A spiritual posture I’m forever grateful for, especially in my chosen career.

The beautiful thing about being an Artist, and especially in comedy, is that I get to draw from my lived experience to help people see the humanity in us all. Everything I considered odd or otherwise eccentric just sweetens the pot with what I can bring to any character and role I step into. The opportunity to be able to represent the complex and rich history that my people come from in an industry where not enough of our stories are told, is something I don’t take for granted. I hope more and more people from underrepresented backgrounds get to share their stories with the world, and am honored to play my part in making those stories come alive.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, several! To spread more love, empathy and understanding and to show the world that we are more alike than we are different. I think the powers-that-be have a way of highlighting our differences and weaponizing them against each other, and we live in one of the most polarizing times in human history. But if our differences are the one thing we have in common, I believe we can use them to connect us instead of driving a wedge between us.

Human beings are a meaning-making species, and the job of an Actor is to tell human stories, and those stories are imperative to how we see and feel about each other. Storytelling is simply the most powerful tool of influence, and being an Actor has the magical gift of alchemy wrapped within it. If I’m living truthfully under the given imaginary circumstances, and taking you (the audience) on the journey with me— you’re able to see what I’m seeing, and feel what I’m feeling! How magical is that?

Empathy is more than a trendy word. It’s how we find our way back to one another and truly connect; and connection is why we’re even here in the first place! It’s my mission to uplift my community by telling beautiful and complex stories about our shared humanity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @abyssiniathegreat

Image Credits
Headshot credit: Jeff Xander Photography