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Shareeka Epps
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Shareeka Epps (born July 11, 1989) is an American actress. She is best known for starring in the 2006 film Half Nelson, alongside Ryan Gosling. She won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in the film.
Key Information
Life and career
[edit]After being discovered in junior high school, Epps starred in the low budget, short film Gowanus, Brooklyn alongside Matt Kerr, playing the role of "Drey", a high school student. The short film won the Short Filmmaking Award at "Sundance Film Festival" in 2004.[citation needed]
The success of Gowanus, Brooklyn led to a full-length feature film, Half Nelson. Released August 11, 2006 the story concerns an inner city middle-school teacher who forms a friendship with one of his students after she discovers that he has a drug habit. Epps reprised her role as "Drey" and the role of the teacher was replaced by Ryan Gosling. The film also starred rising star Anthony Mackie.[1]
For Half Nelson, Epps won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor (2006);[2] was named Best Supporting Actress by the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (2006);[2] won the WFCC Award for Female Rights To Male Roles in Movies at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards (2006);[2] and Best Female lead by the Independent Spirit Awards (2007).[2] Epps also received nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association;[2] Alliance of Women Film Journalists;[2] Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards;[2] Chicago Film Critics Association Awards;,[2] Online Film Critics Society Awards;[2] St. Louis Film Critics Association, US[2] and two Black Reel Awards nominations.[2]
Epps graduated in 2007 from Binghamton High School in upstate New York,[3] and attended SUNY Broome Community College,[4] where she earned her associates' degree.
In 2007, Epps acted in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem as Kendra although her portrayal of Kendra was almost entirely omitted from the theatrical as well as the home video release. She has one scene left in the final cut, as an extra at the Gunnison Diner along with her onscreen brother Meshach Peters.[5][6]
Epps made her first TV appearance in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airing on April 15, 2008, titled "Undercover" as Ashley Tyler.[citation needed] In 2013 she starred in American Milkshake alongside Tyler Ross and Georgia Ford.[citation needed]
In 2009, Shareeka provided spoken word vocals on the songs "Intro" and "Werewolf Heart" from Dead Man's Bones eponymous debut album. Ryan Gosling, who co-starred in Half Nelson, is one of the two members of Dead Man's Bones.
Epps currently resides in New York.[citation needed]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Gowanus, Brooklyn | Drey | Short |
| 2006 | Half Nelson | Drey | |
| 2007 | Neal Cassady | Annie Gibson | |
| 2007 | Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | Kendra | Uncredited |
| 2009 | The Winning Season | Lisa Robinson | |
| 2010 | My Soul to Take | Chandele Brown | |
| 2010 | Mother and Child | Ray Lawrence | |
| 2011 | Yelling to the Sky | Fatima Harris | |
| 2013 | American Milkshake | Henrietta |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ashley Tyler | Episode: "Undercover" |
| 2020 | The Fugitive | Ronnie Lawson | 2 episodes |
Awards and nominations
[edit]- Black Reel Awards
- 2007, Best Supporting Actress: Half Nelson (Nominated)
- 2007, Best Breakthrough Performance: Half Nelson (Nominated)
- Boston Society of Film Critics
- 2007, Best Supporting Actress: Half Nelson (Winner)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
- 2007, Best Young Actress: Half Nelson (Nominated)
- Chicago Film Critics
- 2007, Most Promising Newcomer: Half Nelson (Nominated)
- Independent Spirit Awards
- 2006, Best Female Lead: Half Nelson (Winner)
- Online Film Critics Society
- 2007, Best Breakthrough Performance: Half Nelson (Nominated)
- St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
- 2007, Best Supporting Actress: Half Nelson (Nominated)
References
[edit]- ^ "Half Nelson".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Shareeka Epps | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos".
- ^ "Distinguished Graduates Program". Binghamton City School District. Archived from the original on 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "Theater - Past Productions | Liberal Arts". SUNY Broome Community College. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "Epps on Alien vs. Predator 2". 28 February 2007.
- ^ "Shareeka Epps | Filmography | MTV Movies". www.mtv.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18.
External links
[edit]
Shareeka Epps
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Early life and education
Early years
Shareeka Epps was born on July 11, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.[12] She was raised in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood.[13] Epps' interest in performing began during her time at William Alexander Middle School 51 in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, where she participated in school theater productions such as West Side Story and Annie.[13] She later recalled starting with theater in school, taking on roles in various plays that honed her skills and sparked her passion for acting.[14] It was during her junior high years that she was discovered by filmmakers Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden while they were scouting talent in a Brooklyn school.[15] At age 15, Epps made her screen debut in the 2004 short film Gowanus, Brooklyn, directed by Fleck, playing the role of Drey—a curious student investigating her teacher's apartment.[16] The low-budget project, set in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, marked her entry into film and earned the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.Education
Shareeka Epps graduated from Binghamton High School in Binghamton, New York, in 2007.[12][17] Following high school, Epps attended SUNY Broome Community College in Binghamton, where she earned an associate's degree. She balanced her academic commitments with acting auditions during both high school and college years, often managing coursework alongside her burgeoning interest in performance.[13] During her time at Binghamton High School, Epps participated in extracurricular activities related to performing arts.[13] These experiences provided an early foundation for her involvement in the arts while she navigated her educational path.Acting career
Debut and breakthrough
Shareeka Epps entered professional acting with her feature film debut in the 2006 drama Half Nelson, directed by Ryan Fleck and co-written by Fleck and Anna Boden, where she was cast as Drey, a resilient 13-year-old Brooklyn student who uncovers her history teacher Dan Dunne's (Ryan Gosling) hidden crack cocaine addiction and forms a complex bond with him.[18] The role marked a direct expansion from Fleck's earlier short film Gowanus, Brooklyn (2004), in which Epps had originated the character of Drey at age 14, earning the short a Special Jury Prize for Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival.[19] Filmed when Epps was 15, the production presented an early challenge in scaling her performance from the intimate short format to the demands of a full-length feature, requiring her to balance school with on-set work while delivering a portrayal noted for its authenticity and maturity beyond her years.[20] Critics lauded her naturalism and emotional depth, with The New York Times describing her work as a "lovely, discreet performance with power derived from restraint," where she maintained a stoic mask pierced by rare, genuine smiles that anchored the film's nuanced teacher-student dynamic.[21] Roger Ebert praised Epps as the "perfect foil" to Gosling's troubled character, emphasizing her subtle expressiveness and intuitive grasp of Drey's quiet wisdom without relying on overt dialogue.[22] Half Nelson premiered in competition at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, where it garnered significant buzz in independent film circles, with Epps topping indieWIRE's survey of critics and journalists as Best Actress for her commanding presence in the ensemble.[18][23] This exposure elevated her profile among indie filmmakers and audiences, establishing her as a promising talent capable of conveying profound vulnerability and strength in understated roles.[24]Film roles
In 2007, Epps appeared as Annie Gibson in the biographical drama Neal Cassady, directed by Noah Buschel.[25] In Rodrigo García's ensemble drama Mother and Child (2009), Epps portrayed Ray Lawrence, a tough and pragmatic young pregnant woman placing her child for adoption, contributing to the film's exploration of familial bonds, separation, and identity across three interconnected stories. Her performance was highlighted for its raw intensity and complexity, with critic Roger Ebert noting Ray as "a piece of work" who approaches the adoption process with shrewd negotiation and emotional guardedness, though some reviewers, like Brian Orndorf, critiqued it for occasional overemphasis on arrogance that strained narrative plausibility.[26][27] Epps took on a more prominent genre role as Chandelle Brown, one of the targeted high school students, in Wes Craven's supernatural horror film My Soul to Take (2010), which follows a group of teens haunted by a killer's reincarnated soul on the anniversary of his death. The film marked a shift toward commercial horror for Epps, but received mixed critical reception, with Variety describing it as a "dumb, derivative teen slasher" that underutilized its young cast despite their committed efforts.[28] Prior to these, Epps had a minor uncredited appearance as Kendra in the science-fiction action film Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), directed by the Brothers Strause, though most of her scenes were cut from the final release.[29] She also appeared in independent features such as The Winning Season (2009) as Lisa, Yelling to the Sky (2011) as Fatima Harris, Newlyweeds (2013) as Lynn, and American Milkshake (2013) as Henrietta, often embodying resilient young women in coming-of-age or dramatic narratives.[2] Her on-screen persona evolved from the introspective, grounded characters in independent dramas to more dynamic figures in genre films, earning praise for emotional authenticity in earlier works but facing varied critiques in horror entries for limited character development amid formulaic storytelling.Television roles
Shareeka Epps began her television career with a guest appearance as Ashley Tyler in the 2008 episode "Undercover" of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portraying a young rape victim whose case uncovers corruption within the prison system.[30] Her performance in this crime procedural highlighted her ability to convey vulnerability and resilience in intense dramatic scenarios.[2] Epps' most recent television work includes portraying Ronnie Lawson across two episodes of the 2020 Quibi miniseries The Fugitive, a modern adaptation of the classic tale involving a man framed for murder on the run.[31] As of 2025, Epps has no additional acting credits, having transitioned to a career as an FDNY Emergency Medical Technician while advocating for awareness of neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disorder she lives with. Throughout her TV career, she demonstrated versatility in gritty crime procedurals, embodying resilient young women who confront adversity with depth and authenticity.[2][11]Personal life
Family and relationships
Epps maintains a low-profile personal life, with scant public details available about her relationships or marital status, as she has not shared extensive information on these matters in interviews or profiles. She is a mother.[32][33]Health and advocacy
Shareeka Epps was diagnosed several years ago with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a rare autoimmune condition that primarily targets the optic nerves and spinal cord, leading to symptoms such as vision loss, weakness, and paralysis. She actively manages the disorder through medical treatment and lifestyle adjustments, while publicly embracing the identity of an "NMO Fighter" to highlight her resilience amid ongoing relapses and rehabilitation.[11] In addition to her acting career, Epps serves as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), embodying her commitment to public service as a first responder. Her role involves providing critical pre-hospital care during emergencies, and in 2020, she was recognized at the FDNY Medal Day ceremony for two pre-hospital saves achieved in 2019, underscoring her skill and dedication in high-stakes situations.[34] Epps leverages her experiences with NMOSD to inform her advocacy work, emphasizing patient navigation of healthcare systems, access to research, and emotional support for those facing chronic illnesses.[11] Furthermore, as an entrepreneur, she works as a full stack web developer, aiming to integrate technology with health advocacy for broader impact.[11]Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Gowanus, Brooklyn | Drey | Short film |
| 2006 | Half Nelson | Drey | [35] |
| 2007 | Neal Cassady | Annie Gibson | [36] |
| 2007 | Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | Kendra | Uncredited; scenes deleted |
| 2009 | The Winning Season | Lisa Robinson | [37] |
| 2009 | Mother and Child | Ray | [38] |
| 2010 | My Soul to Take | Chandelle | [39] |
| 2011 | Yelling to the Sky | Fatima Harris | |
| 2013 | American Milkshake | Henrietta | [40] |
Television
Shareeka Epps' television career spans guest and recurring roles in various series, primarily in drama genres. Her credits include the following:- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2008) – Ashley Tyler, 1 episode.[30]
- The Fugitive (2020) – Ronnie Lawson, 2 episodes.[41]