The Little Things : Sheila Houlahan Speaks About Working With Denzel Washington & More – SB Originals

 

Sheila Houlahan is an Indian-American actress, model, singer, musician, producer, and mental health advocate. She has also trained for hand-to-hand combat and Krav Maga and is fluent in English, Italian, and Hindi.

In the recently released film, “The Little Things” she acts besides “Denzel Washington”, “Remi Malek” and “Jared Lato”.

Other prominent appearances include the Amazon Prime series “The Scottish Play”, “Z-Nation,”, “The Wonderland Murders,”, “Beloved Beast” and “Wallflower“.  She has also won the Metropolitan Opera Competition District Award and performed on Volta’s soundtrack “Cirque du Soleil” and  “Destiny 2

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Sheila Speaks to ScreenBinge About Her Journey Into the Entertainment World.

How was your experience working with Denzel Washington in “The Little Things”?

Sheila Houlahan: Wow! I mean it was incredible you know … it’s really hard, to… sum up, my experience. I’ve struggled with this every time I’ve talked about the project… because Denzel Washington is such a good kind and ultimately very spiritual man. And as is John Lee Hancock… so the experience was really transcendent.

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I remember distinctly there was one moment…where he felt conflict with what was written in the script so he went back to his own tent. And prayed and took some time to really feel what was right for the story. But it was beautiful and it… taught me so much about really kind of what energy you want when you are collaborating to create a film.

So Sheila you’ve been involved in such amazing movies and series like the Wonderland Murders and then you’ve been in Z-Nation as well and A Meal With Dad and so there’s a lot of stuff where your feet are in. What’s your real calling?

Sheila Houlahan: My real calling… you know I’ve always felt that…. we can think of storytelling as the oldest art form known to man right? Once so many thousands of years ago once mankind figured out how to eat and survive and we had that under somewhat of control.

The really first artistic creative medium was storytelling…true? And storytelling is the most beautiful, most pure way of creating. It’s what compels me and as an artist and… what I find the most interesting is storytelling that uplifts primarily marginalized voices or seeks to make a difference.

What are your upcoming projects?

Sheila Houlahan: I’m also a producer and a writer…and right now I’m actually really excited I’m producing a hybrid feature film, one of the first of its kind, that has official distribution you know! Academy Award-nominated cinematographer and a celebrity cast and director. And we have talked about a pretty legendary photographer who wants to come on and do the still photography for it.

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People are still suffering and we to this day haven’t… taken enough time in my personal opinion to really prioritize people in crisis. So as an …artist, actor, singer, producer, and writer I am inspired to tell and live and breathe and repeat stories that are…. centered around marginalized experiences.

You know… centered around empowerment if we think of storytelling as the ultimate medium to give any sort of message across whatsoever. Then I believe I want to be aligned with those stories that do make a difference that do touch a child anywhere all over the world and make them feel not alone.

How was it working on Z-Nation and uh movies like that and all your A-lister movies and umm…did you as a child ever imagine that Warner Brothers would sign you up or you’d be working for Lionsgate?

Sheila Houlahan: No!!! it’s beyond my wildest dreams as a child. I’m glad you actually asked that because it’s something that’s really important to me. Thank you… um, I think that as children we are too often pigeonholed and motivated by the fear of our parents right? And I want to honor that fear you know… So many of us have parents who have struggled through so much but sometimes that place of fear can limit a child. I’m lucky that I had parents who didn’t silence my own dreams.

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And I wonder how many others… like genius intellectuals or umm… academics we have accidentally silenced by telling them that dreaming is futile. We as a world must recognize that by silencing those voices, we decipher possibility. I think letting children be curious, letting them explore different passions or dreams is the most important thing that we can do. You have to foster innovation right rather than trample it down.

Due to her true dedication to removing the stigma around mental health problems, she is also a celebrity champion for the project HEAL, which works to help people with eating disorders for free.

She is also an ambassador for Ability Magazine’s platform “AbilityE”. The platform seeks to include and represent the differently-abled talent in Hollywood.

Sheila is producer and showrunner for a hybrid adaptation of Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning playnight, Mother”. The film will be available exclusively only on Twitch, Sheila will play the role of Jesse along with Ellen McLain who will be playing “Mother.”

Sheila’s film will be directed by John Patrick Lowrie. Cinematographer Trevor Roach will be taking on the visuals in a totally different way giving viewers an innovative visual treat! While Eli Reeds is in talks to take on the responsibility for still photography. Sheila being a true mental health advocate has set the story around the Covid-19 pandemic and the mental health effects it has had on a global level.

Check out Sheila’s complete interview, with all her childhood achievements till what she’s been doing until now. This young lady has accomplished a lot and is highly focused on creating meaningful stories and addressing mental health issues.

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Mohid Moosani

Moosani is a night owl who is either binge watching his favorite shows or scribbling on his notebook writing short stories. Often showing up late at work and gulping down 6-7 cups of coffee is his usual practice.

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