IN CONVERSATION WITH SHANNON GISELA
interview by JANA LETONJA
Shannon Gisela is stepping into the spotlight with a breakout performance in M.I.A., the highly anticipated new drama from Bill Dubuque, which premiered on Peacock on 7th May. Leading the series as Etta Tiger Jonze, Shannon anchors a gripping, high-stakes story told entirely through her character’s perspective, charting a young woman’s descent into Miami’s criminal underworld as she fights to protect her family and survive against impossible odds. With its neon-lit intensity and emotionally charged narrative, M.I.A. positions Shannon as a compelling new force to watch.
M.I.A. is such a high-intensity, character-driven series. What drew you to Etta Tiger Jonze?
Etta is such a dream of a role, and I’m still in shock that I am the gal lucky enough to play her. So much of who she is was already on the page. She was immediately so funny, badass, and full of life, but I think what attracted me most was her wit. Her wit gets her out of really precarious situations and is such a wonderful aspect of her personality. Knowing that her story was a revenge story, I thought it was brilliant that she still had this sparkle to her, and it was exciting to me that it ends up being her version of a superpower.
The story is told through your character’s POV. How did that shape your approach to the role?
Much of it was already in the writing, but I will say it was important to me that Etta still had her charisma. I tried to inject her charm wherever I could. I worked on that really closely with Karen Campbell, our showrunner, and there were a few times I found myself running to her office to make sure I was doing her story justice. Ultimately, we both were very much on the same page in that we still wanted Etta to feel like someone who, despite having lost everything and embarking on this intense journey, didn’t lose all of her humanity. At the end of the day, she’s still a young woman in her early twenties living in Miami.
Etta is thrust into a dangerous world. How did you tap into her survival instincts?
Something about being in the Florida heat, with the bugs and humidity, felt inherently like I was in survival mode already, and that’s coming from a native. Karen, Alethea Jones, our EP/Producing Director, and I talked a lot about Etta’s “Raccoon Energy.” She has this scrappiness to her survival instincts and is a total wise ass, much like raccoons. There were many times all they had to say was “Raccoon Energy” before a take, and that allowed me the freedom to tap into a more primal, instinctive side of Etta.
What aspects of her journey felt most personal or relatable to you?
Etta’s love for her family felt the most personal to me by far. I am from South Florida, and my family still lives there, so this experience has been a real homecoming for me. Living Etta’s reality of loss and grief during the weekdays and then spending time with my family on the weekends ended up having this residual effect, where I felt a deeper appreciation for them. I noticed all their little quirks that much more, and it made it so that I felt Etta’s loss that much deeper. Also, the idea of a chosen family was also something that resonated deeply with me. I moved to LA about five years ago, knowing no one, and it’s been such a special experience to find people who go from being strangers to being people I cannot imagine life without. An expanded definition of family is something I connected with deeply.
Miami plays such a vivid role in the series. How did the setting influence your performance?
I love Miami so much. Miami is a special place that is very difficult to replicate. I am so grateful that we shot there and let the city be an authentic character of its own in our series. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Miami growing up, so it really felt like I was learning about all the incredible pockets of the city alongside Etta for the first time. From eating and dancing at Cafe La Trova in Little Havana to strolling through Coconut Grove to getting some sun on South Beach and everywhere in between, it felt like discovering a whole world in one amazing city.
This feels like a breakout moment. How are you processing this stage of your career?
I am working very hard to stay present and truly enjoy this moment. For me, this time is a real celebration of our cast and crew’s hard work, and I am so proud of all the love that went into this project. It does feel very surreal, though. I went from having no TV credits to somehow seeing myself on a billboard on Sunset Boulevard in LA. I am so grateful that I got to work on M.I.A., am hopeful that we will get to continue to tell this story in Miami, and am looking forward to all of the filmmakers and artists I will collaborate with in the future as my path unfolds.
How do you approach choosing roles that push you creatively?
Full transparency, early on for an actor, it’s really beneficial that we say “yes” to most opportunities because of how hard it is to even get an audition, let alone actually book a role. That being said, as I move forward in my career, I want to work with people who inspire me in ways that require me to rise to the occasion. I want to take risks by working on characters that scare me, people from different places, time periods, and with different perspectives than my own. I want to work in service of stories that have something to say while being entertaining. Actors like Meryl Streep and Jim Carrey have this otherworldly ability to shape-shift and transform into whatever a story asks of them. And, they do it in both comedy and drama at the highest level. Those are my north stars.
How do you want viewers to feel after watching M.I.A.?
I hope people finish the series feeling like they’ve been entertained. M.I.A. has such a refreshing take on a revenge story in that it’s told through the lens of a young woman who has way more brain than she does brawn. The audience gets to witness her origin story, and my hope is that they finish this first season ready to embark on the next chapter of these characters’ journeys.
What kinds of stories or characters are you excited to explore next?
Etta really required me to rise to the occasion, both professionally and as an artist, and that feeling is so addicting. So, I’m on the hunt for more of that. I started in comedy doing improv so I’d love to work that muscle, but then again, action is so much fun. Maybe try something that requires me to speak Spanish to make my Venezuelan mom proud? Or a period piece? I’m obsessed with the 70s and 80s. I’m pretty open, honestly, but the idea of big curls, a disco ball, and a dance floor really excites me.
What keeps you busy and fulfilled on your days off?
When I’m not on set, my day-to-day might bore most people. It’s the usual workout, eat well, watch movies and read type-of-thing. But I will find any excuse to host friends at my place. I’m a sucker for hosting a game night or a watch party of any kind. I’ve been on a bit of a vintage store bender. Vintage clothes, furniture, decor, vinyls, obsessed with all of it. Nothing hits quite as hard as dropping a needle on a record and cleaning my space. I caught the travel bug and love going to new places. I went to Sydney, Australia, recently and I feel changed. Outside of that, beach bummin’ it and slinging a football around with my other half brings me the most joy.
TEAM CREDITS:
photography CAMILA NORIEGA
