Forever, on the other hand, is a darker film that focuses on how people cope with loss and how some people struggle with it. “This film features a majority of people who can’t deal with the loss they’ve had in the physical world and the choices they make because they are having such a difficult time,” she said. “I got to play a mother who lost her husband and baby in a car accident, so you get to go through her struggle.”
Since moving to Los Angeles in 2001, Hampton hasn’t been involved in theater shows, but this year, she participated in the seventh annual 24 Hour Musicals, an event where participants must cast, write, compose, rehearse, and perform a musical in 24 hours. “It made me realize how much I missed the theater. I knew I missed it, but I didn’t know how much I really missed it until I was there, so I’m looking forward to getting back on stage,” she said.
Aside from working on different projects, Hampton is focused on motherhood and spending time with her husband and 15-month-old daughter. “I have a wonderful partner who is very hands-on. There hasn’t been a lot of stress, and we have this philosophy of easy breezy living. It’s been really wonderful, and Cai is such a wonderful kid, so she makes it easy for us.”
Jumpsuit FOREVER UNIQUE, Shoes MANOLO BLAHNIKCurrently living in Los Angeles, Hampton said she wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else, though she does miss her family in the South, which is why they visit family around three times a year. One of the greatest parts about the South is being able to go to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and being served a delicious meal, Hampton said. “I miss being able to just run somewhere and get a full Southern meal by going through the drive-thru. There are no places like that in Los Angeles.”
Aside from visiting family, traveling is one of Hampton’s favorite past times. The family recently returned from a trip to Japan and has been to 11 European countries. “Greece was probably my favorite before this trip, but in Japan, the people were so nice. It was so unbelievably clean, and it was such a nice trip with a mix of history and a new world,” she said.
And at the end of the day, Hampton is a self-proclaimed TV addict, watching over 40 hours of TV a week on her DVR. She’s currently watching Scandal, Revenge, Love & Hip Hop, everything Desperate Housewives related, Modern Family, and Black-ish. “Now, we have a site like Netflix, so I can binge on series that I have been hearing about. This year, I plan on binging on House of Cards and Orphan Black. It’s how I caught up on Breaking Bad and Downton Abbey, so yeah, TV is an obsession. That, and since I don’t drink or smoke, eating cupcakes. I love me some cupcakes.”
Hampton will be returning to Shameless at the end of the summer and is hoping to add another film project, but for now, she’s focused on her family and catching up on her favorite shows.
See more exclusive photographs of Shanola Hampton in our June/July 2015 issue!
Read more Entertainment Interviews on ClicheMag.com
Shanola Hampton Interview: Photographer: Quavondo, Assistant: Linzy Slusher, MUA: Lysette Castellanos
