Family Matters
EDEN DUNCAN-SMITH ACTRESS AND ACTIVIST
W
hen her agent, Shirley Faison (mother and former agent to Donald Faison), first sent Eden Duncan-Smith out on
an audition over ten years ago, no one would have expected this playful tyke would be one of the most sought after teen actors on the stage or big screen. The reason: Eden wouldn’t read the lines. In fact, several of the casting directors told Faison, that the bubbly little girl was more interested in creating art on paper (with the glitter they had in the office) than au- ditioning. “It simply was not the right time for her” one Sesame Street associate would tell her mom. But eventually, Eden changed everyone’s minds.
“It was really about when I was ready to do it.” Eden says firmly. “So many people had pushed my mom into getting me into commercials, I just shut down. Even though I didn’t know it, I think in my spirit I knew that acting was a giving of yourself and I wasn’t ready to give that part of me up yet.”
Wise words from such a young girl. Her mother, Nicole, even remembers young star’s first big break at 1 years old. Eden was cast as the first Baby Phat Girls model. “Apparently, she hated when people would point at her on the billboards or in the ads in magazine. Her mom reflects, “Eden has always been shy. Many of the greats are humble and shy!”
Is it too early to compare her to the greats?
Well at 16, Ms. Eden has already done what many career actors have only wished to do.
At 10, Eden was cast as Denzel Washing- ton’s daughter, Raynell Maxson, in August Wilson’s Tony Award winning play, Fences. Two weeks into the rehearsal process, she was invited to star in the coveted role of Young Nala in Disney’s Lion King. Eden’s parents turned down the opportunity. The rationale was that Fences was so chock full of brilliant actors like Washington,
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Viola Davis, Mykelti Williamson, Chris Chalk, Russell Hornsby, Stephen McKinley- Henderson and Jason Dirden and under the amazing direction of Mr. Kenny Leon, that it would be a huge mistake to bow-out. Lion King would wait. And they did. Less than a month would pass after the show ended and Eden found herself back on Broadway in her dream role.
“I always wanted to be Young Nala. Actu- ally, I was auditioning for it before I got
Fences. My friend, Aubrey Joseph, had been casted as Young Simba and I was like if he could do it, I could too. After that, I really did a lot of readings, workshops and com- mercials.”
While in Lion King, Eden started to hear about the other dream role. Will Smith had decided to remake the movie Annie with his daughter, Willow, as the lead. Eden knew that she wanted one of the parts in the movie. She didn’t quite know which
Photo: Stella Magloire
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