Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
My name is Newton Mayenge and I’m an Actor who plays NBA Legend Jim Chones on HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
I enjoy acting because I help share stories that people can relate too.
What I want people to know is that most things I do are centered around inspiring and encouraging people to accomplish their dreams.
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
One thing that makes me unique is that I’m a first generation African-American.
My parents were born I the Congo, but I was born in the United States.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?Â
After my pro basketball career, I needed to find a new career. As long as I’ve been in Los Angeles, people would ask me if I was an Actor.
After being asked this question for years I decided to look into it. I audited Tasha Smith’s Acting Workshop (TSAW) and it was that very moment when I realized that acting was my new career.
It gave me the same passion that I had when I played the game of basketball, so I had to pursue it.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge that I’ve had to face was when I was 25, I was in a major car accident that ended my pro basketball career overseas.
It was devastating and the hardest time of my life. Over time I overcame it with physical therapy but also by making my mental health a priority.
I told myself that I could be successful in another field and that’s exactly what I focused on, hence Acting.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
Michael Jordan, Oprah and Denzel Washington
