Today we’d like to introduce you to Mannere Hussein.
Hi Mannere, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Nashville-born. Ghanaian raised, with a total of six siblings ( 3 brothers, 3 sisters), and an Islamic atmosphere that I still maintain in my life today. I lived in Ghana for almost 11 years. During my amazing and eye-opening time there, I fully tapped into my innate creativity, and it presented itself in the form of acting and illustration. I always like to denote the odd way I kinda got into acting. As an infant, whenever the family got together for movie night, I would imitate or repeat what was being said or go so far as to predict the next line of dialogue. I was weird, haha. Fast forward to me now in Ghana, doing my first and only play in school, loving it, and then having watched a ton of episodes of classic Nickelodeon and Disney shows, realizing: I really wanna do this professionally.
For illustration, that was something one of my brothers technically got me into. He was amazing at making one-for-one copies of whatever it was he drew. When I moved overseas, I took that up as a hobby to maintain some distant connection, if that makes any sense. We both were into comic books and anime, so that was (and still is) the bulk of what I drew. That would later serve as the impetus towards my fervor for comic books as well. But as I kept doing it and got better at it, I realized: I really love this, too… and wanna do this professionally, haha.
When I came back in 2021, I immediately started taking classes and self-submitting, which led to my skills improving and obtaining more roles. Particularly in 2024, when I got a leading role in a short film called ‘Life of the Party’. That particular project cemented the real idea that Nashville is truly rich with creative heads, and I was grateful to be around them.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m very appreciative of this continuing journey. The highs and the lows. With that being said, I have faced a good amount of challenges with self-doubt, external doubt, lack of a support system, etc. Being in a country where the arts aren’t as popular or, dare I say, celebrated as they are here in America was a big one for me. My parents (who I still love), supportive as they were with my illustration, were not as supportive when it came to performing, and that was very difficult to deal with. Balancing a full-time job and other responsibilities can also be taxing on the mind and soul. I’m an actor by day, and a correctional officer by night. I will admit, I’m not the best at compartmentalizing, but I’m getting better. But all this to say, you have to love it and be able to power through all the punches and kicks this industry will throw at you. Rejection, costly headshots, classes, last-minute auditions, etc.
I’ve slowly recognized that the life of a creative is often a harsh one. Our trials and tribulations sometimes make up what we put on a canvas, speak onto a beat, or even emote on a screen. But I think our greatest asset in those moments is persistence; being that immovable object to that unstoppable force sometimes. There’s a saying in my religion: “With ease comes hardship, and with hardship comes ease”. Knowing that whatever rut we come across is temporary and that, in some way, we can still make it out alive. Thank you for listening to my TED talk, haha.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When it comes to the work itself, I always rely on training. Realistically, as a working actor, most of your time will be spent auditioning or in a class. Luckily for me, I enjoy going to class. One class I frequent is what I humbly and uncritically consider to be the best acting studio in the Nashville area. The Actor’s Parlour with Brad Carter. He is not just a phenomenal actor, but a spectacular teacher. I’d recommend any actor, new or experienced, to try out his classes.
When I can’t make it to class, I improvise by just reading scripts and absorbing writing material, or simply watching movies and studying performances. When it comes to projects themselves, I follow a simple metric by attaching myself to projects that I would watch, regardless of whether I’m in it or not. I like being a part of things that entertain, but give people a food-for-thought moment.
Recently, I went to a private screening of a riveting Psychological Thriller called ‘Help,’ which I was lucky to have a principal role in. Two Internet Sci-Fi Horror short films, ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Library of Eden,’ are also out for public viewing. Adding to that, I’m happy to report that ‘Some Kind of Justice, ‘ a Revenge Thriller, is now available on Tubi! I’m very grateful to continue collaborating with great Nashville talents, as it continues to fuel the artistic fire inside me that I only hope to reciprocate for others as I keep making my mark here in Music City.
What’s next?
Nothing big, nothing grand. I still consider myself a work in progress, so right now the plan is to stay the course, keep honing my skills, and make more wholesome connections with the awesome local talent. I’ve learned to slow my mileage a bit and appreciate how far I’ve come while climbing to where I wanna be. I think it’s essential to break away and do other things that aren’t so creative, to allow yourself to charge and come back stronger. But it also just helps you become a more well-rounded or better person. I know for me, it’s martial arts, learning a language, becoming proficient in firearms, and reading more on various topics, just to name a few.
Ultimately, my faith is what I’m always trying to sharpen. I have this belief that when my faith is resilient, I won’t need to worry about anything at all. I simply trust in the Almighty, and the car drives itself at that point. No GPS needed.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mannereplus/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@man_the_nere
- Other: https://www.backstage.com/tal/mannere-hussein/
