Lights,Camera,Madison!

The award-winning actress, Madison Shamoun, best known for her memorable roles on Hairspray and Lucy is fast becoming a household name. Following her graduation from UCLA, her acting career is on an upward trajectory. She let’s us in on her creative process, and we chat about her lead role on the popular Amazon series, The Lake.

Image: Allegra Messina @messinaphotos, Dress: miss circle, Jewelry: Sydney Evan

Madison’s meteoric rise to stardom can be traced back to her musical theatre backgroud. With two National Youth Theatre Awards for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Lucy on 13, and Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray under her belt. She says in restrospect, she realizes that she’s been acting her whole life. “It started out with performance based activities like dance, gymnastics, and ice-skating. Then I took commercial acting classes, joined local theatre groups, and got vocal training. Received my Bachelor’s degree in Acting from the school of Theatre, Film & Television at UCLA, and have been working ever since.”

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Image: Allegra Messina @messinaphotos, Dress: Maria Lucia Hohan, Earrings and ring: Candy Ice, Ring: Levian

Glamour: Please let us into your thought process behind choosing a role?

Madison Shamoun: The saying goes that an actor says yes to a part for 3 reasons - the script/role is amazing, the people on board the project are amazing, or the money is amazing. If you’re lucky enough to get all 3 that’s the dream.

Glamour: You are quite versatile, and we've seen you tackle different roles, what would you attribute this skill to?

Madison: I appreciate that, thank you. I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to experience all that I have so far in my life. I would attribute it to all the times I’ve moved, the traveling, the extracurriculars my parents put me in. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by people from all walks of life.

Glamour: Let's talk about The Lake...what would you attribute the success of the show to?

Madison: You know I can’t really say. For me, when I watch the show, it just feels like a warm hug. It’s easy to watch in that bingeable way. Everything in life right now feels heavy and hard, and I think our show is the opposite of that.

Glamour: Viewers were blown away by your voice in Season 1, how awesome is it to be multi-talented?

Madison: Oh my gosh I don’t know about that but thank you. I’ve always enjoyed singing but it isn’t something I’m pursuing. If the role requires it I’ll do my best, but I’m not actively seeking it out.

Glamour: Please share Billie's back story and your approach to portraying the character?

Madison: I play a character named Billie in The Lake. She’s recently reconnected with her birth dad over a summer in Cottage Country. She’s coming of age and figuring herself out. She’s based on a couple people I know, but she’s also a bit of me as well. The writing is all there for me, so I don’t have a particular approach to playing her other than just representing her the way she exists on the page and in my head.

Glamour: How would you describe Billie's relationship with her father considering the complexity of their relationship?

Madison: Their relationship in season 2 is great. They’re the closest they’ve ever been! She spent the holiday with him. I think she’s becoming more and more like him as time passes as well, which is both good and also kind of naughty. We get to see that come into play this season.

Glamour: What's Billie's role in driving the story forward in Season 2? And what can viewers expect with regard to character development?

Madison: I’m not sure how much I can give away, but Billie really went from a teenager to a young woman in between seasons. I think she grew up a lot. We get to see her explore herself even more this season. She’s juggling a lot, and for the first time ever - may not be handling it as well as she handles most things in her life. This is probably the least put together we’ve seen her.

Glamour: What sort of conversations emanated from Season 1 and what do you hope viewers will take away from S2?

Madison: I think we just wanted to see how these characters progressed over the past year. Or in some cases regressed, and stayed the same. I hope viewers walk away with a smile on their faces, having enjoyed the wild ride that is S2.

Glamour: What would you say are the main themes in S2 and why is this such an important story to tell?

Madison: I definitely think parental trauma is a big one. Growth is another. Love. I think it’s important to tell stories that reflect real life. That accurately depicts the world we live in, and The Lake has something for everyone in it.

Glamour: How would you describe your relationship with your co-stars? With Julia Stiles particularly?

Madison: I love my cast. They’re all the most generous, honest, kind, talented people, I feel so lucky that it’s them. I wish I had the comedy chops that Natalie had, or the effortless elegance of Julia. Jordan’s improv skills, or Jon’s laugh out loud one-liners. Declan’s work ethic and focus, Travis’ scene stealing face, or Terry’s spécial je ne sais quoi. I’m obsessed with each and every one of them. Can you tell?

Glamour: Your job requires you to pour into your characters. What's your approach to self-care?

Madison: Good question. Only this past year did I really start to understand that I’m in the business of emotions, and my body/face are my work. So I’ve been diving into self-care like never before. It felt like a full-time job at first, but long story short, I’m in therapy, meditate, do affirmations, eat clean, workout, work on my body positivity, nap when I need to, and I don’t do gluten dairy or sugar really. Even taking my supplements and skincare have become a part of my self-care.

Glamour: Which women are on your radar at the moment and why?

Madison: Greta Gerwig forever and ever. I’m also really loving Eve Hewson and Sarah Snook right now. I just think the work they do is phenomenal, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Glamour: What's your take on the conversation around mental health?

Madison: It’s just as important as physical health. I can’t justify spending 2 hours at the gym every day, but then make up excuses to not meditate or spend time outdoors, get vitamin D, or see my therapist a couple times a month.

Glamour: Do you have any other exciting projects lined up?

I can’t say! You’ll have to stay tuned.