Career Q&A; with
Michael Shannon. Moderated by Jenelle
Riley,
Variety.
Academy® Award nominee Michael Shannon is making his mark working with many of the industry's most honored talents and treading the boards in the world's most respected theatres.
He currently stars as
Rick Carver in 99 HOMES. His performance has earned him a
SAG Award nomination,
Golden Globe nomination and an
Independent Spirit Award nomination among many others.
Shannon made his mark in an
Oscar®-nominated supporting role in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD playing '
John Givings,' the psychologically troubled neighbor's son. Directed by
Sam Mendes and adapted by
Justin Haythe, the film stars
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Kate Winslet and
Kathy Bates.
With over forty roles in film, Shannon's credits include Siofra
Campbell's thriller THE
PRICE,
Werner Herzog's
SALT AND
FIRE,
Matthew M. Ross'
FRANK &
LOLA,
Liza Johnson's ELVIS & NIXON,
Peter Sollett's FREEHELD,
Jeff Nichols' MIDNIGHT
SPECIAL and TAKE SHELTER,
John McNaughton's THE
HARVEST,
Jake Paltrow's THE YOUNG ONES,
Zack Snyder's
MAN OF STEEL,
Ariel Vromen's THE ICEMAN,
David Koepp's PREMIUM
RUSH, Liza Johnson's
RETURN Marc Forster's MACHINE
GUN PREACHER,
Floria Sigismondi's THE RUNAWAYS, Werner Herzog's MY
SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE and
BAD LIEUTENANT,
Sydney Lumet's BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE
DEAD,
Oliver Stone's
WORLD TRADE CENTER,
William Friedkin's
BUG,
Curtis Hanson's
LUCKY YOU,
Michael Bay's BAD BOYS II, Curtis Hanson's 8 MILE,
David McNally's KANGAROO
JACK,
Cameron Crowe's
VANILLA SKY, Michael Bay's
PEARL HARBOR,
John Waters'
CECIL B. DEMENTED,
Noah Buschel's THE
MISSING PERSON and
Shana Feste's THE GREATEST.
For all his roles on screen, Shannon maintains a connection to theatre. In
2012, Shannon appeared opposite
Paul Rudd,
Ed Asner, and
Kate Arrington in “
Grace” at the
Cort Theatre. For his portrayal of 'Sam,' a distrustful and lonely computer genius who had recently lost his fiancé in a car accident, Shannon was nominated for a
2013 Distinguished
Performance Drama League Award. In
2010, he led
Craig Wright's off-Broadway play, “
Mistakes Were Made,” at the
Barrow Street Theater. Directed by
Dexter Bullard, Shannon portrays '
Felix Artifex,' a small time theatre producer, who gets in way over his fast-talking head when he takes on an epic about the
French Revolution. The play received its world premiere at
A Red Orchid Theatre in
Chicago in 2009 with the same cast and director. The critically acclaimed production garnered numerous accolades for Shannon, including an
Outstanding Lead Actor Lortel Award nomination, an Outstanding Actor in a
Play Drama Desk Award nomination, an Outstanding
Solo Performance Outer Critics
Award nomination, and a Distinguished Performance Drama League Award nomination.
Additional theatre credits include “
Uncle Vanya” (
Soho Rep Theatre), “
Our Town” (
Barrow Street Theatre), “
Lady” (Rattlestick Theatre), “The
Metal Children” (
Vineyard Theatre), “
The Little Flower of
East Orange” (
Public Theatre), “
The Pillowman” (
Steppenwolf Theatre), “
Bug” (Barrow Street Theatre, Red
Orchid Theatre and
Gate Theatre), “Man From
Nebraska” (Steppenwolf Theatre), “Mr. Kolpert” (Red Orchid Theatre),
Killer Joe (
SoHo Playhouse,
Next Lab Theatre and
Vaudeville Theatre),
The Idiot (Lookingglass Theatre),
The Killer (Red Orchid Theatre), and
Woyzeck (Gate Theatre).
On television, Shannon's credits include
Martin Scorsese's HBO series, “
Boardwalk Empire,” co-starring
Steve Buscemi and
Kelly Macdonald.
Based on
Nelson Johnson's book of the same name, the series centers on an
Atlantic City liquor distribution ring at the onset of
Prohibition. In the series, Shannon portrayed '
Nelson Van Alden,' a dedicated senior agent with the
Treasury Department who has a strong interest in controlling bootlegging.
Michael Shannon grew up in
Lexington, Kentucky and began his professional stage career in
Chicago, Illinois.
- published: 29 Jan 2016
- views: 8195