Exclusive: Akono Dixon Talks Starring in Hallmark’s Original Mahogany Movie ‘Spring Breakthrough’ [Interview]

Akono Dixon stars in Hallmark’s new, original Mahogany movie, ‘Spring Breakthrough,’ premiering on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on April 30th. 

The movie follows Shawn and Vivian, played by Dixon and Rhyon Nicole Brown, who are college sweethearts who decide to get engaged. The two bring their families together to celebrate their engagement at a resort in The Gulf Shores. Vivian’s mother, Monica Rollins, played by Keesha Sharp, portrays the role of a single mother who recently lost her job. After finding out about the engagement, she creates a plan to secretly break the couple up due to her not wanting her daughter to recreate the mistake she made when she was younger. During the trip, Monica begins to fall for Shawn’s uncle Clark Randall, played by Demetrius Grosse, and the two help each other discover what they truly want out of life while finding love along the way. 

Spring Breakthrough encompasses all of the known elements fans love and cherish about Hallmark movies. The characters are genuine, relatable, and uplifting, which allows the film to flow. The Knockturnal spoke with Dixon about his role and what he enjoyed about his character Shawn. He also discussed what it was like working with Sharp, Grosse, Brown, and the rest of the cast.

The Knockturnal: How did you get into acting? 

Akono Dixon: I started modeling when I was 17, I would travel to New York during spring and summer breaks. Three days after turning 18, I moved to New York. After working in New York, I decided to revisit home which unexpectedly turned into me attending University to acquire my PhD. However, my passion for acting kept calling, and I kept hearing “Akono you REALLY need to be in entertainment” from friends and strangers; little did they know, my biggest dream was to become a professional working actor. So, I paused my studies, and moved to New York, for good this time. Through networking, I found out how to apply for auditions, how to get the right headshots, and after my 3rd audition I immediately began working and haven’t stopped since! 

The Knockturnal: Which types of roles do you like performing most when presented with the opportunity?

Akono Dixon: So, there’s two contrasting roles that I enjoy performing most: The positive minded, ‘all american’, loving, positive, and inspirational ‘coming of age’ young man who faces great obstacles, yet his faith is so strong that his circumstances eventually change in his greatest favor; furthermore, I just love portraying upbeat characters who have LARGER than life personalities. I also enjoy portraying ‘the underdog’ type of characters, which their situations could tackle: sports, debate, politics, science fiction or anything that requires the character to undergo having a competitive edge over something that could be seen as insurmountable. 

The other roles I enjoy portraying are characters who are more emotionally complex or who see the world through more of a negative or ambiguous lense…one who is experiencing a “dark” or challenging phase or circumstance.

The Knockturnal: Tell me a little about your character Shawn? 

Akono Dixon: THE Shawn Norwood! Wow, what a magnetic, charming, positive, uplifting, contagious personality, caring, loving, compassionate guy he is! Shawn is literally the positive best friend that everyone dreams of having. When you meet him, it’s easy to think “okay, this guy is perfect”, but he’s vulnerable, yet strong, and soft at the same that it’s impossible to not fall in love with him. Shawn is not afraid to be human, what I mean by that is that he’s not afraid to show his heart as well as show his passion and his greatness; he’s a wonderful character that I’m really excited for everyone to watch. 

The Knockturnal: Without giving too much away, what was your favorite scene or moment from the movie?

Akono Dixon: Honestly, there are SO many throughout the movie for me that I can’t choose just one. Once you watch the movie, you WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN. 

The Knockturnal: What was it like working with Keesha Sharp, Demetrius Grosse, Rhyon Nicole Brown and the rest of the cast? 

Akono Dixon: First off, thank you for asking me this question because I’m glad that you’re also aware how special it was to share the screen with these three lovely people. Keesha Sharp is by far the sweetest and most professional human being I’ve worked with thus far. She is so GIVING and is filled with so much knowledge and experience! She’s also super open to just ‘trying things’ when filming a scene, she gave me the confidence to express that thing that us actors just love to explore, (by “us” actors, I mean myself. Haha) Demetruis is just so cool and interesting and an extremely supportive fellow actor, he was really relaxing to work with. Rhyon has been in the business since she was a kid and has learned a great deal about the ins and outs of acting and the nuts and bolts within our industry, so it was really nice to soak up so much knowledge from her. 

The Knockturnal: You’ve appeared in various films and television shows such as Euphoria, All American, Dolemite Is My Name, etc. How was this role different from others you’ve played? How did you prepare for this role?

Akono Dixon: Shawn has been extremely different from every character that I’ve performed in the aforementioned projects. For one, ‘Spring Breakthrough’ is my first leading role, so it’s the first time I’ve portrayed a character who’s arc is so extended! Shawn’s spirit is different from any other character I’ve portrayed. His energy is so uplifting, he’s literally a walking Hallmark card; filled with so much love, so much human connection, so much vulnerability. He’s just amazing. How did I prepared for this role? Well, I started with going through Shawn’s darkness to get an understanding of his “light.” I needed to figure out ‘WHY’ is he so positive’ ‘why is he so sweet’ ‘why is he so focused?’, but after going through all of my processes and with help from the director, Mykelti, and my coaches Choice Skinner and Carl Ford, I realized that Shawn was ‘Akono’, and it was that simple, but I think that going through Shawn’s darkness help me understand why his light shines so bright.

The Knockturnal: What’s something about you that most people don’t know?

Akono Dixon: I’m a physics, and space science nerd.

The Knockturnal: Who are your favorite actors and actresses and why do they inspire you?

Akono Dixon: River Phoenix (RIP) by far is my favorite actor. He was truly a spirit aware that he was having a human experience and that’s something that I whole-heatedly connect with. My favorite actress? Mhm…that’s a tough one! It’s between Viola Davis (her power and her confidence) and Nicole Kidman (her professionalism, and extreme attention to detail within the life that’s happening inside and around her.)

The Knockturnal: Where do you hope to be in your career in the next 5 years?

Akono Dixon: I hope to continue making movies with Hallmark. I hope to have been in 5 or 6 big major film and television shows that have caused an awakening in the human consciousness. I hope to have fully produced my feature film ‘Caterpillar’ which I’ve written and am starring in. And I also hope to be working with Marvel, portraying a superhero. I love Spiderman and Superman.

The Knockturnal: Anything else you’d like to share?

Akono Dixon: If you’re looking to feel inspired, to see that love comes in many shapes, sizes, and forms, then watch ‘Spring Breakthrough!’. This movie is filled with raw human connection, adventure, a rollercoaster of emotions, and lots and lots of smiles, giggles, comfort, and if i may say it again…a lot of LOVE.