Email: neill@outloudculture.com
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Damani Sease had the opportunity to live in numerous states, including Delaware and New Jersey, before his family relocated to Pennsylvania. He attended Pocono Mountain East High School and then went on to attend Lycoming College to play football. While in school, Sease discovered that acting was his true passion and decided to leave college to pursue an acting career. Damani immersed himself in the industry by extensively researching the careers of other actors, taking background roles on numerous shows and films, and enrolling in acting classes to refine his natural talent.
Damani’s first industry job was a stunt part for the Wu-Tang series, and then in 2019 he auditioned and booked the series regular role of ‘U-God’ for his first acting role. Damani is proud be a part of telling the story of one of hip hop’s most iconic groups in history.
Photographer : Tyler Patrick Kenny
Wardrobe Stylist: Gloria Johnson
Hey Damani welcome to OLC! You star in the popular series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, for anyone that hasn’t seen it can you tell us a bit about it and who you play?
Well, thank you for having me. For those who haven’t seen it, Wu-Tang: An American Saga is a biopic series based on one of Hip-Hops greatest rap groups the “Wu-Tang Clan”. It chronicles the history & formation of the group. I portray U-God who is known for his based-filled voice.
How did you get the role on the show and did you want to play any member in particular from the Wu-Tang clan?
I got the role on the show by auditioning. It was really a manifestation for me because I had already been working on it before they even got done with season 1. Thanks to my pops for bringing the character to my attention when he found out that U-God wasn’t in the season, and no. From the jump, it was always UG.
How did you prepare for the role?
A lot, a lot, and a lot of YouTube. I think I’ve watched almost every video there is of him and the clan altogether. I wanted to get down the mannerisms, how he talks & tone of voice which was very important for me. I also read his book a couple of times which really gave me an idea of who he was & made me realize how much I’m already like him in a lot of ways.
What’s it like being on set, do you have any memorable moments you’d like to share?
Being on set can be a lot sometimes from the late nights & early mornings but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I will forever be blessed & grateful for the opportunity to have this gift. Being around so much great talent is really inspiring and pushes me to go even further in everything I do. Do I have a memorable moment? I think just being a part of this is just something special & I’ll never forget, truly.
You went to college to play football, so how did you discover acting and how were you certain this is what you wanted to do?
Yes, I did play college football, during that time I begin to realize that I didn’t really have a love for the sport anymore, I just would never go 100 percent in practice or games, even in high school. So I had a talk with myself one night about what I really wanted to do in life and I remembered since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to be in entertainment. Whether that be singing, dancing, acting, or whatever, I wanted to do it. I always had a passion for acting but never pursued it. I didn’t want to make the same mistake I did with football and waste my talent, and another dream. So I dropped out and began pursuing that dream, so here we are. I knew I was certain about acting because I booked my first co-star the same month after dropping out of college.
How did you get your first acting role?
I started off doing stunts, thanks to my pops & that’s how I booked my first acting role.
Are you still passionate about football and do you still play?
I am still passionate, just not as much as I use to be. I don’t play but hopefully, I’ll book something in the future to get that opportunity. I think that’ll be a dope experience.
Do you have any upcoming projects you’re working on that you can tell us about?
I am currently working on something, I can’t say as of right now but once I’m able to, you will for sure know.
What does the rest of 2023 hold for you?
Much success, peace, opportunity, wisdom, love & just hope for a lot of blessings. I’d love to do another series regular or a lead in a film. Both would be insane but I like to dream big so I’ll leave it at that.
Damani D. Sease (@damanidsease) • Instagram photos and videos
