Meet Malcolm Minor | Actor/Singer/Poet/Public Speaking Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Malcolm Minor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Malcolm, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?

In June of 2021, I turned 29 and knew I needed to make changes in how I was approaching my career. I was tired, depressed, unhappy, and irritated all the time. I went through small periods of just silently giving up. I had what I called “Walking Depression”. Meaning I had too much going on to stop and fix what was wrong with me. I was willing to pick up any quick remedy that would help but I couldn’t lose time to do so. To me, my dreams were on a time crunch. I had blessings I was waiting on God to deliver and as an artist, all we have is faith, luck, and time. In those days, while a part of me was giving up, the other part made goals. I got serious about writing my solo show. A project I’ve wanted to do since college. My goal was to have a reading as a part of my 30th birthday celebrations. I knuckled down and practiced gratitude while trying to find some therapy. I got disciplined in going to the gym and losing weight. I even set a huge life challenge. I told myself when I turned 30, I had two years to start making my career look the way I dreamed it or move to Atlanta.  In today’s industry, with everything and everyone being hypervisible, it’s either adapt or die. I had to make a choice. No matter how irrational it seemed. Like many actors, I felt unseen and left behind. I refuse to not succeed. I have given my life to this art form. I am determined to have the career I desire.

So I would be lying if I said that I don’t think about giving up every once and a while. I don’t think there is anything wrong in giving up on things that refuse to or no longer serve my greater good. I will choose peace every time. However, my life had started to change. I got into therapy in the Fall after turning 30. It has been a huge game-changer for me in not giving up. I didn’t do a reading for my 30th but I did complete my first draft and now I’m on my third with the big reading on the way. I stopped looking for help everywhere else and focused inward and connected with God. Still working on the weight loss but my new body is on its way.

Now I’m nearing my 32nd birthday in a few months, which means I’ll be at the 2 year mark. We’ll see what God has in store for me. See I’ve been acting since I was 8 years old, dancing since I was 9, singing since I was 10, and writing since I was 15. This is a part of me. It’s a part of my blood. It’s hard to give up something that is so innately you. Nowadays, in hard times, as much as I want to give up I choose to keep going.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I am a craftsman. I have grown up being inspired by the artistry of the greats. Phylicia Rashad, Alvin Ailey, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, Marie Thomas, etc… I wanted to be as sure and as confident of my gift and my purpose to the art as them.

What sets me apart is that no one has a presence like me and can do what I do. As an Actor, I am all things Olvia Pope and Maxine Shaw, with a touch of Kyle Barker and Dominique Deveraux. I am most proud of the uniqueness that I bring. This is huge for me to say because as humans we have a natural tendency to want to blend in. However, since the age of 11, I noticed I was more drawn to people and characters that were really out there. Abstract, Crazy, Silly, on the brink of insanity if you will. Didn’t matter how out of the box, how quirky, how off-beat, or how loud they were. The more they leaned into their truth the more drawn I was and the more I longed to be like that. To stretch out in truth like that and live.

There’s a saying that states ” It takes a village to raise a child”. I am an example of what that village can do. Yet, as I grew older every village I encountered had fewer and fewer people to guide me along the way. I am not saying that I am where I am professionally because of me alone. I do acknowledge and am grateful for all those who have loved and poured into me. However, entering college I started feeling super alone and lost on my journey. No one I knew personally was pushing the way that I was. It was not easy being the only person in my scholarship program who was a Theater major. Or one of the very few black people in my department throughout my four years, Or one of the very few in the department who wanted to seriously pursue this career. I was the only one that wanted to go to grad school.

It was grad school that was the game changer for me. It opened my instrument in ways I never thought it could. It gave me the tools to go out and tackle any roles thrown at me. I was confident. I just needed a shot. This is why I want the community reading this to know that showbusiness doesn’t exist. Its Business then Show. Period.  To be an actor in 2024, you have to know and be everything. The more that is within your control, the better. For example, you can’t control if you get in to the top MFA programs but you can control how you prepare for them. How you select what monologues are your style. Hiring coaches to assist you with said monologues. You can control what schools you apply to because you want to go to the schools whose students are walking into every new production from a set with A24 to the rehearsal room of the Public Theater because of the networking.  I know without a doubt if someone seriously broke down the business of acting to me in 2010, I would have certainly made different choices.

This career is a long one with many twists and turns. I want the world to know that I am a multifaceted artist who has been here and did his best with what he had. No one handed me anything. It might have taken me years to break into this industry but I’m coming. So don’t be shocked when I get there because you’re gonna feel like I’ve been here forever.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are always fun things to do around Newark. However, it all depends on the budget. So I’ll say if budget didn’t matter then, I would certainly take them to some of the best food spots Like Swahili Village, The Yard, Tops, and Cornbread. Go by all the best art galleries from the Paul Robinson to Akwaaba, to the Newark Museum of Art. Hit up some bars like Bar Vanquish and Lit 21. Hang out at the Cryout Cave’s many open mics. Do some wine tasting at Divino’s Tasting Room. Since we are so close to the city we’ll have to hit up a few shows out there too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, there are so many people, schools, and organizations that I could shout out for being a part of my story today. However, I’ll keep it simple and dedicate it to my mother who has sacrificed the most. I thankful and forever grateful to be here son.

Website: www.malcolmminor.com

Instagram: @malcolm.minor

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/malcolm-minor

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@notyouraveragelead

Image Credits
Image credits go to : Emily Lambert Scott Wynn Joseph O’Malley William Armstrong