Everybody has dreams. You may have grown up dreaming of becoming a police officer, firefighter, or construction worker. Those uniforms and large trucks have a certain appeal, don’t they? This is typical. We believe that we will probably follow certain things in one way or another because we are drawn to them.
Some of us wind up where we imagined we would be when we were ten years old. The majority of us don’t. Our journey takes unexpected turns when life takes control. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s just not what we were expecting. He’s exactly where Emmanuel McCord expected to be.
Emmanuel (or Manny), who was born in Rock Hill and grew up in Indian Land, had a natural affinity for the arts. Manny started modeling soon after working at Hollister in the Carolina Place mall during her high school years. Manny chose to concentrate on football because of time constraints and his own admission that he wasn’t sure he wanted to be recognized as the theater child.
Manny, a fantastic athlete, used his football prowess to earn a scholarship to Newberry College, where he spent four years playing wide receiver. Throughout college, he kept up his side modeling career, but it wasn’t until his junior year that he felt compelled to follow his passion of becoming an actor.
Manny took a risk by relocating to Los Angeles in 2019 despite having no prior acting experience. Soon after, he enrolled in his first acting lesson. Manny added, “I think that when you grow up somewhere, people know you for who you are.” I was able to avoid all that people knew me for when I moved away. If I made a fool of myself, I did it. I didn’t mind.
His plans to advance his acting career were derailed when COVID struck six months after he moved to Los Angeles. For me, that instantly changed things. The town was deserted.
Instead of returning home and abandoning his goal soon after it began, Manny made the decision to pursue screenwriting. He reasoned that he would create his own opportunities if he couldn’t locate any. In order to hone his acting abilities, he started making short films and frequently developed a role for himself. He started sending his work to film festivals and paid for the movies either himself or through crowdsourcing.
Manny felt liberated when he was writing. There is no excuse when it comes to writing; it’s just me and the page. I would still be able to write even if I never had the opportunity to perform.
By taking the initiative, he was able to demonstrate his writing and acting abilities through a demo reel, which acts as an imaginative CV for potential agents. Soon after, he was signed by an agent thanks to the reel.
Gigi and Nate, a 2022 film starring Jim Belushi, was Manny’s first film part after being signed and prepared to work. Manny returned home and completed a circle when, as fate would have it, part of the movie was filmed in the Carolinas, notably in Charlotte.
His most recent appearance in Homestead, a post-apocalyptic thriller that opens nationwide tonight, Friday, December 20th, is the result of this first opportunity. The film and related television show are based on the Black Autumn novel series.
Manny portrays Bing, a former Navy Seal recruited to guard the Homestead. He is able to develop the law enforcement and military genre through the character of Bing. He has written these parts for himself before and feels at ease in them. According to him, his character truly delves into the morally ambiguous realm of how far one will go to defend someone they love or have been hired to protect.
Neal McDonaugh and Dawn Olivieri, two well-known actors who most recently starred in the popular television series Yellowstone, are also featured in Homestead.
While this is undoubtedly a significant development, it is only the start of what will undoubtedly become a prosperous career. Additionally, Manny has been cast in a new Marvel project, albeit he was not allowed to reveal the specifics. In any case, you can tell Marvel has enormous potential when you hear the name.
I think my main objective is to motivate people from small places to follow their ambitions, and Manny hopes to encourage others to do the same. I want to encourage them to pursue their goals if they have any. There is only one life you have. If God gives you a desire, you pursue it no matter what.
Regards, Manny. I couldn’t have expressed it more clearly.
Would you like to meet Manny? On Saturday, December 21, from 2-4 p.m., he will be at RedStone 14 in Indian Land.
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