Charlana Brown

Go-Getter Charlana Brown By Tobbylola Oniga

Actress and athlete Charlana Brown has been dominating the acting scene lately. From starring in commercials for Nike, Gatorade, Honda and working with top celebs like Serena Williams and Gabrielle Union, Brown is a force to be reckoned with. Her go-getter personality and determination to stay positive and keep working is pushing Brown ahead of the game. Bronze Magazine: You are originally from Detroit, Michigan but you grew up in Los Angeles. How was it adapting to a big city like L.A.? Did the move inspire your acting career? Charlana Brown: I moved to L.A. with my mom and my brother when I was a kid. My mom wanted to get away from Detroit and our tennis coach was moving to L.A., so we decided to make the move as well. As far as my acting career, I didn’t know at the time that this was what I wanted until middle school.”

Bronze Magazine: Growing up, you were very athletic. What made you decide to start taking acting classes? Charlana Brown: I went to a performing arts middle school in the center of Hollywood, so we had a lot of productions and film that would come through at our school, and I got to be a part of one, that’s when I knew I wanted to act. When I moved back to L.A., I was pursuing acting but I had a sports agent, so a lot of my bookings went through my sports agency. I started off doing both but I did more athletic scenes because there was a huge need for it.

Bronze Magazine: You attended Florida A&M University on a full tennis scholarship. How was it working with a tennis legend like Serena Williams? Charlana Brown: She is someone I always looked up to, so when I worked with her I was a bit nervous. I have worked with her about 3 or 4 times now. She’s a professional and an athlete, and she’s very much into what she does and she does it well. So it was just a great experience for me.

Bronze Magazine: Talk about your journey of getting to where you are today. What are some obstacles you faced along the way? Charlana Brown: For most of us, it takes a long time to get to where you want to be in this industry/career path. Having the consistency, motivation, and drive to do it when sometimes you don’t have these things can be challenging, especially when you thought you got a job but you didn’t. But when it’s something you really want, you’re going to have the motivation.

Bronze Magazine: You have starred in major brand commercials for Honda, Apple, McDonald’s, Nike and many more. How do you still remain so humble in this industry? Charlana Brown: I guess one part of it is who I am and how I was raised. The second part of it is it’s just one job, you have to keep working. I don’t believe in having a big head, I believe in being thankful and blessed for every job I book because in this business you might have a good year and then next year it’s not that great. I haven’t reached my ultimate goal yet, so there’s no reason for me to be walking around with a big head.

Bronze Magazine: Congratulations on landing your new Gatorade commercial. How was the experience? What was your favorite part about shooting the commercial? Charlana Brown: It was a great experience. I actually worked with Gabrielle Union’s body double and Dwyane Wade for that commercial. It was a good experience because those two are role models for a lot of us. Dwayne Wade is one of the best basketball players and Gabriel Union is such a beautiful black woman. When I worked with her, I knew she was beautiful but she looks so young! I was really nervous about working with her. I’m not really a star-struck person but when I work with certain people I get shy. But she was nice and welcoming and I took a picture with her. Dwyane is nice too, it was a great experience. My 2019 ended well by being able to work with them.

Bronze Magazine: The Amazon Prime series “Cycles” is about a group of black successful millennials who moved away from home to build a life for themselves. The storyline resembles your own life. Tell us about your character Nina and how it was playing a character that is relatable to you? Charlana Brown: She’s definitely a hard worker and I can relate to that because I am too. I had a friend recently who told me I work too much (laughter). Nina is not only a hard worker, she’s like a boss and she runs the relationship with her boyfriend, who doesn’t have it together and she pays his bills. She’s at the point where she’s tired of supporting him financially and she wants him to be able to take care of himself. She feels like he’s relying on her too much. Now, when It comes to me, I’m the type of person to go and get it. I will make my money; I will work hard even if that means working three or four jobs before I’m in a financial situation like that and I think that’s where we relate. We’re both hard workers and bosses in our own way. Bronze Magazine: Tell us about your recent guest-starring on Will Ferrell’s digital Network (Funny or Die) series “Black Coffee” and how that came about. Charlana Brown: I worked with the cast and I had a small part as a coffee shop customer. It’s a comedy and it’s about these four guys who have opened a coffee shop and they are having a hard time running it well. My character comes in and orders and she sees some craziness on the board and she goes off on them. It was just really funny and I had fun. I hope I can go back one day.

Bronze Magazine: What is some advice you would offer to up and coming actors? Charlana Brown: I would just say to keep going, work hard, make your connections, surround yourself with good people and go after what you want. Bronze Magazine: What are some productions we can look forward to seeing you in this year? Charlana Brown: I’m currently working on my project called “Sponsored.” I have been auditioning a lot and I just have to wait and see what’s to come.

Bronze Magazine: What are some goals you have this year? Charlana Brown: Positivity, lots of prayers and motivation. God knows what my intentions are and he knows what I want. I have written it down, and we’re just going to go from there.