NBCUniversal stars Olly Sholton, Travina Springer, and Arlen Escarpeta served as panelists at last weeks CultreCon. The panel titled ‘Reality Check: NBCU TV Stars Shattering Mental Health Stigmas Onscreen’ highlighted how people of color tell impactful and nuanced mental health stories on screen. They discussed how their characters are shattering stigmas about mental and emotional health within the black and queer communities.
Olly Sholotan who plays Carlton Banks in Peacocks ‘Bel-Air’ is a modern twist on NBC’s 1990 Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Olly’s character who is raised in the sunny neighborhood of Bel-Air finds himself in a battle with his cousin Will Smith, Jabari Banks, when he moves to Bel-Air. Will’s arrival sends Carlton into a spiral as the pressure of being ‘ the ideal black boy of Bel-Air’ heightens. Carlton’s character finds himself in a damaging cycle over the seasons of drugs and violence. After being caught by his sister, Ashley, Carlton comes clean about his addiction and finds himself in rehab. Whilst in rehab Sholton’s character finds a girlfriend who’s also battling addiction and their trauma bond brings them closer. During our time on the red carpet, we got a chance to catch up with Olly to speak about mental health throughout his personal life.
The Knockturnal: You’re part of a remake of one of Black America’s most beloved classicals. How do you navigate the pressure of being compared?
Sholotan: It’s kind of about learning to block out the noise, it’s about focus, we live in a time wherethere are a lot of opinions and as a creative,e it’s important to make sure you know what your vision is and stick with your vision.
The Knockturnal: You’ve made some big moves – Georgia to Nigeria to Houston, all out of your control. How did you manage to stay mentally grounded through all those changes?
Sholoton: I’m not very good with chan… I have gotten better now. As an adult now it’s about embracing that nothing will always be the same. My mom said something to me once ‘real friends meet to part and part to meet’ and that’s gotten me through things.
Travina Springer stars in her first major Hollywood role by playing Kylie in The Irrational. The show follows the story of Alec Mercer, Jesse L. Martin, who teaches and does research in behavioral science at Wylton University. After a divorce,ce he moves in with his sister Kylie, a software engineer, who embodies the work-life balance. Kylie, who is described as a free spirit and creative individual is not afraid to take risks. We caught up with Springer on the red carpet at CultureCon to dive deeper into her character.
The Knockturnal: Your character is often described as wild, so what’s one wild or irrational thing you think your character hasn’t done yet but you’d love to see her do?
Springer: Get on a plane with no place to go…Probably does some cool undercover stuff where she assumes this personality that can probably put her life in danger.
Arlen Escarpeta plays Zeke on NBC’s Found, a drama series focused on a crisis management team that searches for missing people who are often overlooked by the media and law enforcement. Zeke’s role on the team serves as a tech genius who was kidnapped as a child and suffers from agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder that causes an intense fear of being in places where escaping may be difficult or help may not be available. During our time on the red carp, we caught up with Escarpeta to find out how certain genes of film affect your mental health.
The Knockturnal: You’ve been in a few horror films and we often hear that actors can feel unsettled after playing such intense roles. What did you do to protect your mental health once filming wrapped up?
Escarpeta: We typically had fun once the set was finished and wrapped up filming. We were in Austin Texas Thursday – Sunday and we were in the streets having a good time. Let the scary music and the energy fall off.
During our interview,ws we also got a chance to ask Travina and Arlen about what ways they’re able to cope mentally with being in the limelight. The pair started with a laugh and were eager to respond. Springer mentions her love for taking walks as one of the ways she keeps mentally grounded. As well as “leaning into community” emphasizing the importance of reconnecting with people who “feel like home”. Arlen highlights his love for plants, and how finding something to take care of allows him that moment of escape.
Mental health is one way that individuals stay connected. Despite all the riches one may have in the world, mental health reminds us we are just alike. Iyouur or anyone you know is suffering from mental health, contact The National Mental Health Hotline.
