Shea Curry - Actor - Jewellery Designer
Shea Curry, an actress, was featured alongside Will Smith in this summer’s blockbuster hit “Hancock.” She also appeared on the big screen in “Georgia Rule,” “Princess Diaries 2,” and more. Her work includes roles in “CSI: Miami,” “Las Vegas” and “Malcolm in the Middle”. Now, Shea’s hobby has turned into “Aspire by Shea Curry.” This line features moissanite jewels, and 10 percent of all proceeds are donated to Safe Passage Home.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been an artistic, creative person. I spent my early years on a farm where my closest neighbor was two miles away. Because I didn’t have other kids to play with, I had to get creative in other ways. I played dress up in my grandmother’s old beaded dresses and sang and danced to music played on my kid’s record player. I was always detail oriented and made sure to coordinate my play dresses and my jewelry—which were knock-offs of real diamonds and pearls. I would spend hours focused on the preparation and execution of my little dancing and singing shows.
My mom noticed that I needed an outlet besides singing and dancing at home, so she signed me up for ballet and tap classes at age 3. I couldn’t wait for class each week (and I still can’t!). Before long I began to yearn for more and I auditioned for my first musical at age 9. I had never auditioned for anything before.
I managed to get cast in the show and that was the beginning of my acting career. Soon after, I started classical voice lessons. Since then, as a classically trained singer, dancer and actor, I have performed in countless musicals and plays. When it came time to go to college, I knew I had to go to New York City. I spent four years at school in Manhattan where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting with a Minor in Musical Theater. At graduation I sang the national anthem at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in front of our commencement speaker, Betty Buckley. I remember how terrified I was to sing in front of such an accomplished performer.
I knew I needed to sing and maybe dance but other than that, I was clueless, and so was my mother—she was incredibly supportive but didn’t like the savvy talent “momagers” that filled the audition waiting room. I sang “Zippidy Do Da” and danced an original choreographed dance. I remember wearing my gold “Shea” necklace and matching gold stud earrings. They were the only real pieces of jewelry I owned, and I wore them proudly.
Luckily, not long after graduation I was performing on Broadway and off-Broadway. I also toured with “Showboat,” performing eight shows a week. I loved it. There is nothing like the rush of performing every night in front of a packed house. The only downside is that it is incredibly draining and a very disciplined lifestyle. When my contract ended, instead of renewing for six months and performing in London, I decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting for television and film, as well as producing. It was not an easy transition. I went from making a great living as a performer to making no money and waiting tables and babysitting again like I did in college. I literally had to start my career all over. Imagine my surprise and disappointment! I had worked opposite such greats as Cloris Leachman, Dick Van Patton and Len Cariou, but I had no film or TV credits, and no one in L.A. really cared about New York theater. I worked hard and one thing led to another. Before long I was working consistently as an actress again.
My big break in L.A. was being cast in a Garry Marshall film—“Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement.” It was on the set of that movie that I embarked on yet another creative endeavor. The one thing no one told me about filmmaking is that it can get incredibly boring. Everyone spends most of the day waiting around to shoot for only a few minutes. There are only so many books I could read and games of Sudoku I could play before I was on the verge of losing my mind. I needed a new outlet, and an old hobby from my childhood became new again—making jewelry. I spent every afternoon learning how to craft necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Along the way during the shoot, I had become very close with the female cast and crew of “Princess Diaries 2.” So to fill the time, I decided that I would make each female actor and crew member a unique piece of jewelry based on their style. It took forever and even on the last day of shooting I was finishing up several pieces, but I did it. I was surprised to get such an amazing response. Julie Andrews even wrote me a thank-you letter! But even with a celebrity thank-you in hand and a lot of new fans of my work, I was still unsure, so I continued to make jewelry only as a hobby, giving out my designs to friends as gifts.
A year later, I was shooting another Garry Marshall movie called “Georgia Rule.” I was also getting married that summer. Once again, during production I could be found in my trailer making wedding jewelry for myself and my bridesmaids. Soon, other girlfriends were asking me to make their wedding jewelry. A part of me knew then that I might have something here, but still I didn’t have the confidence to make a real go of it. It wasn’t until a friend introduced me to Moissanite that I decided to jump into another career opportunity. Not only did I find incredible beauty in this jewel but I also learned that Charles & Colvard, the creators of Moissanite, do a lot to honor the achievements of women.
I launched “Aspire by Shea Curry” at Safe Passage’s annual charity event on June 7, 2008 where I spoke of my commitment to always donate 10 percent of every sale to Safe Passage. I love this line of jewelry and I love wearing it on the Hollywood red carpet. I think it’s beautiful and glamorous, like the women who have inspired me through Safe Passage with their courage and commitment to aspire to a better life. I turned a childhood hobby into a business that lets me give back to a cause I truly believe in. As my business continues to grow, I’m having more and more fun every day.
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I had always wanted to create a line of jewelry that gave back to women, so I started my quest to design a line of Moissanite jewelry that I could sell and give a percentage to non-profits that specifically give back to women. I spent countless hours researching charities that inspired me, but I was having trouble finding something that really spoke to me. Soon a friend just happened to invite me to an event for a charity called Safe Passage that helps abused women and their children find safe shelter, counseling and corrective dental and plastic surgery to restore physical damage from abuse and neglect. It was like an angel had come to me with the answer I was looking for.
