Filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist Adam Davenport chatted about his 2026 NAACP Image Award nomination and his work across acting, writing, directing and producing.
Background on Adam Davenport
A Yale graduate, he directed David Harbour, Melissa Leo, April Grace, and Jack Mulcahy in “Midnight Son” for his senior thesis.
His recent screen credits include “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix), for which he received a Satellite Award for “Best Ensemble” along with multiple critics’ group ensemble honors, as well as “True Haunting” (Sony).
Beyond his producing work, Davenport founded The International Acting Studio (TIAS), where he has coached actors who have gone on to secure roles in major international productions, including “The Crown” (Netflix), as well as studio projects for Universal, Sony, Amazon Prime, and Legendary Pictures.
Davenport on his 2026 NAACP Image nomination
He has been nominated for a NAACP Image Award for his piece “Audra McDonald Took the Stage and Rewrote the Rules,” where he was recognized in the “Outstanding Literary Work — Journalism” category.
On his NAACP nomination, Davenport remarked, “Well, I’m just grateful. I’ve been writing ever since I was a young person.”
“I think I was 13 years old when I first started writing and my first National Writing Award was from the NAACP in high school,” he said. “So, this just feels like a full circle moment and I just grateful for my voice to be seen.”
“With this being the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, I think it’s a powerful time to celebrate the contributions of all the artists who have been part of this conversation,” he elaborated.
Davenport on Audra McDonald
Davenport praised six-time Tony award-winning Audra McDonald for her work ethic, influence, and perennial relevance.
“Audra pays it forward for everyone. She is just so humble,” he said. “There was a script that I wrote about 15 years ago that she was attached to star but unfortunately, it didn’t go into production because of financing.”
“Audra’s work ethic is just something that I aspire towards, just in terms of how she always just leads with the work. I think she’s always teaching others. She is always giving lessons just through her own humility and her spirit,” he added.
“We collaborated over a period of two years during the development of that script. and she comes to the table with so many ideas. She’s incredibly humble,” he noted.
Future plans
Regarding his future plans, Davenport shared, “I want to direct on the stage. I want to direct for film. Right now, I’ve been teaching for the last five years.”
“I started this acting studio, TIAS, which I started initially in Europe and now I’m running it from New York,” he said. “I think teaching has allowed me to really help shape an actor’s performance from the script to these various stages of performance.”
“So, I want to be an actor’s director and have that skill set to really be of value to the actor,” he added.
The International Acting Studio (TIAS)
On his idea to start the TIAS, he said, “Well, I think there’s a trend of a lot of international productions going abroad for these tax incentives.”
‘Getting to know actors in those local economies, they’ve talked about the lack of opportunities, so they feel trapped or stuck, and that they can only go so far in their own national cinemas,” he elaborated.
“They want to do international film and TV too, but they aren’t given the same opportunities to even be considered for those roles, even though those productions are coming to their countries,” he noted.
“So, I wanted to bring more access to actors at a global level. I just want to bring a leveled playing field in terms of actor training,” he added.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Davenport said, “I think there’s an opportunity right now to use technology to bring people together. A lot of things have been said about the concerns of technology and the negative things. I want to focus on the positive.”
“So, right now with TIAS, I have actors who are coming together from four different continents that would only be able to happen because of technology through Zoom,” he noted.
“I think that’s incredible. That’s something that really came out of the pandemic that we weren’t really considering before,” he admitted.
“I’m interested in using technology in that way to bring people together,” he added.
The vertical drama space
Speaking of the digital age, Davenport is excited about the vertical drama space, which is becoming ubiquitous.
“I also work in casting in vertical drams,” he said. “Right now, I have been casting for DramaBox and DramaWave. I think verticals are a space that is quickly expanding. They are offering lots of opportunities for actors to work.”
“They are offering a lot of opportunities for new faces to work on a role and play a character with an arc over the span of it,” he said.
“It’s a challenge because it’s a 90-page script that they’re having to shoot in eight days. So, that’s giving them skill sets of memorization, and learning how to break down a script quickly,” he elaborated.
“I think the actors who are really rising to the forefront of the space are now breaking out into traditional horizontal film and TV,” he said.
“So, I think it’s exciting that this can be the playground through which new talent can be developed,” he added.
Advice for hopefuls that wish to go into film, theater, and TV
For hopefuls that wish to go into film, theater, and TV, Davenport encouraged them to “believe in themselves.”
“You must believe in yourselves. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else can do that for you,” he said. “Remember, you’re running a marathon. It’s not a short-distance sprint. So, I think it’s all about consistence and to just keep at it.”
“As long as you’re doing it for the purity of the work rather than having that expectation or seeking external validation. Because there’s so many things that are not in your control,” he elaborated.
“The one thing you do have control over is your work,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Davenport revealed, “Integration.” “I feel that all the different pieces of my life are now coming together,” he admitted.
Remembering the late Johnny Wactor
Davenport fondly remembered the late but great actor and friend Johnny Wactor (“General Hospital” fame).
“When we were in Los Angeles, I used to do these readings of plays. Johnny was one of the actors in that ensemble that would come over on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. and we would just gather around and read a play,” Davenport said.
“So yeah, it would be a group of veteran actors (such as Alfre Woodard) and there would be new faces as well,” he said. “We were all just actors wanting a space to honor the work.”
“Johnny came in before his ‘General Hospital’ days when he hadn’t had his big break yet, but he was hungry and was serious about acting. That’s why we got along so well, and we respected each other,” Davenport elaborated.
“I am just grateful for the time that Johnny was here to bless our lives,” Davenport expressed.
Success
On his definition of success, Davenport said, “Success is gratitude; it is paying it forward and doing what you love. I think that’s how I see success; it’s not a fixed outcome.”
“It’s a conversation with yourself where you are being honest with what you really want and the reasons why you’re doing something. Are you doing something just for the attention?” he said.
“Are you doing it for the recognition? Are you doing it to add value to society? Are you doing it to work on yourself? So, when you define success in those terms, that allows the space for everyone to succeed,” he elaborated.
“In a world that has billions of different souls, what I want from life is going to be different from what you want, but hopefully, the one thing that we can agree on is that we should be kind to each other,” he explained.
To learn more about Adam Davenport, follow him on Instagram.
