Aleyse Shannon (born May 16, 1996) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Kris Waterson in the 2019 remake of ''
Black Christmas'', as Breanna Casey in ''
Leverage: Redemption'' and as Jada Shields in 2018's ''
Charmed
''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...
'' reboot.
Early life and career
Shannon was raised in
Stafford, Virginia
Stafford is a census-designated place (listed as Stafford Courthouse) in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population of Stafford County as of the 2010 United States Census w ...
. She graduated from
Colonial Forge High School in 2014 and was actively involved with the school's drama program. Her first role came with a mandatory part in an eighth-grade play. Afterwards, she developed a strong interest in drama, later enrolling at
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
and graduating in 2018 from the School of Drama. During her time at Carnegie, Shannon lived in the
Shadyside neighborhood of
Pittsburgh.
In 2019, Shannon starred as Kris Waterson in a second reboot of ''Black Christmas'', a contemporary interpretation of the
1974 horror cult classic directed by
Sophia Takal and produced by
Blumhouse Productions. Shannon has stated that the film was her first major shoot. She had not seen the original films prior, saying of eventually watching the original, "It was the first thing I did after shooting the movie. I'm one of those people that's like, I can't watch the old one while shooting the new one, I'm just going to feel inadequate. I fought it off for a bit, but I watched it and loved it. It was good..."
When ''Leverage: Redemption'', an
Amazon Freevee continuation of the 2008
TNT TV series, was announced in 2020, it was revealed that a main character from the original series Alec Hardison (
Aldis Hodge) would be reduced to a supporting role, with Hodge seeking to focus on other projects. It was subsequently reported that Shannon would be cast as Breanna Casey, a hacker and the younger foster sister of Hardison who would effectively replace him in the primary cast.
Aside from her film and television career, Shannon continues to act in plays. In 2023, she performed in
Thomas Bradshaw's rendition of ''
The Seagull'', first written by
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
in 1895.
Personal life
Shannon identifies as
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
.
Filmography
Stage
Recognition and awards
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, Aleyse
Living people
21st-century American actresses
1996 births
African-American actresses
American queer actresses
Carnegie Mellon University alumni
People from Stafford, Virginia