SHARON BLYNN
A Fresh off the Boat Ovarian Cancer Survivor
Sharon Blynn is an American actress and cancer activist. She was noted for her activities for “Bald is Beautiful” , an organization founded by herself for ovarian cancer awareness programs, and her bald appearances in the public.
Sharon Blynn was born on 1972 in New York City. She was grown up in Miami and had her graduation from Columbia University in Ethnomusicology. She worked as a marketing executive for Verve Records from 1994 to 2000.
For her activities, Sharon was awarded the Lilly Tartikoff/EIF Hope Award at the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship’s 2010 Rays of Hope gala. She was also awarded the Braveheart Women’s Association Courage Award in 2011. Lifetime TV honored Sharon by selecting her as one of the “Remarkable Women” in their Every Woman Counts series.
Thank you for being with us, can you tell us what brought you to choose this career path.
Thank you for inviting me to share my story with your readers! My path to becoming an actor is a rather unconventional one, actually. After graduating from Barnard College/Columbia University with a B.A. in Ethnomusicology, I worked in the music biz for many years. It was my dream to one day start my own record label or production company to develop and showcase gifted, unique artists to the world. That period of my life was truly magical — I was living my dream of working at a jazz label and being fully immersed in the vibrant music scene of NYC, forging lifelong friendships with extraordinary people along the way. But after many years of 18-hour+ work days, I felt that too often the “commerce” side of the “art vs. commerce” dichotomy was winning, so I left the gig without a specific plan for my next move.
In the meantime, while I was figuring that out, I flew to London that summer to spend time with my then-boyfriend (we had a wonderful transatlantic love, New York to London, for 5 years at that point). After having several painful “stomach” incidents in the fall of that year, I set up appointments with doctors at home in New York to find out what was going on in there, making what was supposed to be a short diversion to see my folks in Miami first. That one-week trip to Miami turned into a 3-year medical mystery tour. I was grounded by another stomach attack the night before I was to head to NYC, and after being misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, things took a gynecological turn, and landed me with a gyn-oncologist. Three consultations and two surgeries later, I was officially diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 28. And so it was that the unpredictability of Life took the reins so to speak, and that is when the path I would forge for myself took some surprising, sometimes scary, and most times extremely gratifying twists and turns.
Losing my hair (and eventually both ovaries), and meeting women who struggled more with hair loss than having cancer, sparked an idea to create my Bald Is Beautiful movement.
Culturally, we are inundated with images based on narrow (albeit slowly expanding) standards of beauty and attractiveness, so when my body was going through changes that directly affected what are supposedly essential aspects of my femininity (aesthetically and biologically), those images made me feel worse than I already felt at the time. Even when depicting cancer patients in TV shows or films, the women were much older than I was and they always looked frail and sickly with ill-fitting scarves or bad wigs bearing an undertone of shame or embarrassment, even if they were strong and triumphant against the cancer. In the midst of this life-altering health challenge, I now also had to battle these visual messages in which I never saw myself.
So I decided that when I finished with this ovarian cancer experience, I was going to do what I called “Bald Is Beautiful”. I would find ways to put the image of a vibrant, happy, youthful bald woman into social consciousness through TV, film, and print media. The visual media has extraordinary power to redefine how we can see and perceive ourselves and each other, and I wanted to be part of a visual hug for the many women undergoing treatment for cancer — and women in general, in sickness and in health! Thus began my new career path as an “actorvist”, the term I have used for my acting work that is fueled by my Bald Is Beautiful message and new life purpose.
And I’m more ALIVE than ever, in every sense of that word!
What has been the best moment in your life so far?
Oh my goodness, this is a challenging question! Calling something the “best” moment implies that we’re at the final page of the final chapter in the anthology of my life, and I’d like to think that there are many “best” moments yet to come! I feel like I could say that a large portion of my “firsts” in life are my favorite or “best” moments. The exhilaration of doing something new, the conquering of a fear or realizing I can do something I didn’t think I could, the feeling of something being a milestone or turning point, accomplishing a set goal and that leading to the discovery and movement toward my life purpose(s), and even the feeling that after the “first” of something, things that follow can be that much more thrilling or interesting or unexpected. I’m looking forward to accruing many more “first” and “best” moments in every new day that I’m privileged to experience.
You were in Captain Marvel, tell us about your experience and what how you felt portraying this character?
Where to begin? My experience being in Captain Marvel is beyond words! I’m a lifelong fan of Marvel comics and Stan Lee, so to be part of the MCU in this way is truly a dream come true. I actually had the opportunity to meet
Stan “The Man” Lee a few years ago at L.A. Comic Con and I could not imagine that my connection to him would go beyond that magical bucket list moment. So when I got the call from my rep that I booked the role, I couldn’t believe it was real! And when I thought it couldn’t get any more amazing, I then learned that as Soren, I would be the wife of the main “villain” Talos, played by none other than Ben Mendelsohn, someone whose acting work I’ve admired and aspired to!
In terms of the character Soren, the main scene that we were shooting together is a rather pivotal one (no spoilers here!) and I was given pretty wide latitude to bring my own intention and sense of who Soren is to the role. As a refugee being held captive and separated from family, living with a frightening uncertainty about the future, Soren has a courage and fierceness, as well as compassion and deep sense of love for family and community that I connected to through my cancer experience — facing my mortality and the possibility of leaving behind my loved ones, as well as the feeling of knowing and caring for people going through cancer or other illnesses whose fates are not certain. I brought all of those sensibilities to Soren and let the directors shape that into whatever they envisioned for her and her relationship with Talos.
Outside of the hugeness of being part of a blockbuster movie of this magnitude, I’m particularly thrilled to be part of Captain Marvel, because it is the first Marvel movie to feature a female superhero as the lead, as well as having the first female director in the MCU. As an added bonus, the storyline for Talos and Soren and the Skrulls has some powerful and profound messages about society and humanity that I am deeply proud to be part of in context of the world we live in today.
What changed your life drastically? And why?
Moving away from home to New York City and living on my own was definitely a drastic change and new chapter in my life. I went there for college where I began exploring different ideas I had for what I wanted to do with my life. Moving through several majors in the first two years of school, I ended up taking advantage of the option at Barnard College to design my own major in ethnomusicology by combining undergrad courses in anthropology, sociology, and music with courses from the Columbia University graduate masters/PhD program in ethnomusicology, ultimately earning the first-ever B.A. in Ethnomusicology from Barnard/Columbia.
Throughout my college years, I interned at Blue Note Records, which was a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming experience, meeting and working with producers and musicians whose recordings I’d listened to on the radio and LPs as a kid with my brother and sister. While I excelled at my college coursework (graduated cum laude!), I spent most of my time off-campus in New York City including many nights a week into the wee hours at the storied jazz clubs in downtown NYC. These experiences invigorated my desire to work in the music business, discover and promote talented artists, and ultimately start my own label.
A year after graduating college, I began working in marketing at Verve Records, another legendary jazz label with artists and albums I grew up listening to, and this is where I established and built my music biz career. I was having the time of my life surrounded in all aspects of my life by the people and culture and energy that I had only dreamed of, all while cultivating cherished and lasting relationships that continue to enrich my life beyond measure.
You are a Cancer Survivor, what message can you share with us?
One of the more poignant life lessons I got from my ovarian cancer journey has to do with anatomy. Specifically, my spiritual anatomy. There I was at 28, facing this huge, completely out-of-the-blue, life-threatening health situation. It was cancer, and she had planted her flag in my ovaries without my permission. I immediately felt the impact of having no control of that, and because she was in there, staking her claim, I knew I had to accept her presence. This is where my spiritual anatomy comes into play.
While my physical anatomy in this regard was not in my control, my spiritual anatomy is in my control. I get to choose how I experience this physical event emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. So instead of feeling sad or angry all the time, I found ways to experience joy and empower myself throughout my cancer journey, whether it was in having hair cut and head-shaving parties during chemo, or exploring complementary healing modalities like Chinese herbs and acupuncture, yoga, meditation, laugh therapy, and other things outside traditional Western medicine, or just spending quality time with my loved ones who were there to support and accompany me on this ride. I can use my spiritual anatomy to actually influence or affect the physical on some levels, because they are connected.
This is not to say that I don’t or didn’t feel rage or frustration or despair at times; I just didn’t attach my identity or the whole of what I was going through to those emotions. Instead I let those feelings express and show up, because they are truthful and real, and I can be present with them, but still put my focus and energy towards the positive people and things around me. I can decide how I move along this path, even if I’m heading toward that last green mile, so to speak. I’d rather leave this body on a wave of Joy and Love since I have the power to choose that for myself. And if I live to tell the tale? So much the better to have found the beauty and exhilaration and passion through which I can and do carry on with my life.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
As you have read at this point, I am grateful to say that I started my Bald Is Beautiful movement in the very spirit that you describe in this question. I didn’t want it to be just an idea I had that was set aside in favor of doing the “practical” or “responsible” thing after I finished with my cancer treatments, and I felt a sense of urgency to share this message with whoever would receive it. Bald Is Beautiful is the fuel in my acting fire, and it is specifically the sense of purpose that is infused into why and how I do what I do. The physical, mental, and emotional rollercoaster ride that is ovarian cancer brought forth in me questions about how I defined myself as a woman, and allowed me the opportunity to reshape those perceptions of my beauty and my femininity — and that has been a priceless gift, even though it was wrapped in some complex and not always pleasant packaging to be sure!
I had read other people’s stories during my treatments that were helpful to me, and I felt that I could add my voice and perspective to what is put out there for us to find. I wanted to write a book, but in the interest of time and expediency, I decided to share my story through my website, so that it could be immediately accessible and available on the information superhighway. Once I did that, and after recovering from what would be my last surgery, I headed back home to New York and started to take what was a spark of an idea in my brain and actually carve out my path as an “actorvist”, model, and ovarian cancer awareness advocate/spokesperson. And so it continues . . . in marvelously mysterious and often magical ways!
If you could go back in your life, what would you do differently and why?
That’s an intriguing question! Aside from the potentially problematic consequences of the fantasy of time travelin terms of various paradoxes and possibly altering events that could then have dangerous ripple effects (nerd perspective!), I honestly wouldn’t do anything different. It’s not that I haven’t made mistakes or missteps, and I do have a small number of regrets. However, the person I am now and the wonderful relationships and accomplishments I’ve made and will (hopefully) continue to make are the culmination of all of the beautiful, rich experiences I’ve had along the way. All of the pain and heartache, the disappointments, the surprises, the gifts, the joys and pleasures, the ups and downs and ins and outs of it all . . . they are woven into the fabric of the ever-evolving tapestry of Sharon Blynn! And I really dig the multidimensional nonlinear design that has taken shape thus far.
This question taps into the heart of the “lessons” my ovarian cancer experience brought me: We’re all perfectly imperfect. And I learned to be present (a constant challenge), to release (or at least loosen!) my control grip, and allow for more surrender and acceptance, and unconditional self-love in a full-spectrum embrace. And if/when I falter in any of those things, I learned to love myself through those moments, too!
Who would you like to meet and why?
Not sure if you mean living or not, and either way, there are so many people — from musicians to authors to politicians to philosophers and all kinds of other people — it would be hard to pick just one. In the spirit of improvisation, I’ll say the first person that popped into my head: President Jimmy Carter. (Although I did also think of President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, because current events have me focused on politics in a hyperaware way these days.) Back to Mr. Carter, though. One of the reasons I feel a special affinity toward Jimmy Carter is the dotted line I have to him through my late grandmother, Lillian Rae Levy. She was my soul mate and an extraordinary woman, and also a trailblazer as a photojournalist and science writer for NASA at a time when very few women were allowed to excel in those fields.
One of my favorite photos that my grandma took is a B&W image she shot of Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter, which hung prominently in the living room of my grandparents’ Maryland/D.C. home. After my grandma passed away, we found a box of handwritten personal notes on White House stationery addressed to her from various presidents throughout the years, including one from Jimmy Carter inviting her to tea! My grandma always expressed a deep respect for Mr. Carter because of his demonstrative compassion and kindness, which carried over into my perception of him as well. The years of his presidency coincided with a very difficult time in my childhood, and I felt a gentleness and warmth from him, both in photos and in interviews I saw, that gave me a feeling of hope — something he exudes still to this day.
Outside of my two-degrees-of-separation connection to Jimmy Carter through my grandma, as I got older and learned more about the world and history and such, I came to have an understanding and appreciation for who he was as a president and who he is as a humanitarian. To my mind, what someone with power and influence does with their life after leaving a position as powerful as president of the United States tells me a lot more about their character than politics sometimes allows. I am profoundly inspired by Jimmy (and Rosalynn) Carter’s commitment to being of service to others in need. That they continue to live in their fairly modest home in Georgia, with him still teaching Sunday school to kids whenever possible, and of course, the monumentally generous works of the Carter Foundation around the globe, all speak volumes about the gift that he is and has been to this world.
I would love to meet both Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, especially as they are elders who may not be here on earth in their rented space suits for much longer.
Are there any new and upcoming projects that you would like to share with us?
I will be performing on the West Coast in an ensemble piece called Threads in mid-July, and I am part of a creative collective that is developing a sci-fi short that will either become a web series or morph into a feature film (tbd!). I’m also in the interminable editing phase of a piece I produced, shot, and acted in last year. Otherwise, there a couple of things percolating that are N.D.A.-protected, and I continue to study and audition and enjoy my vida bella!
How can our readers reach you?
The wonderful Eden Magazine readers can find me in cyberspace in a few ways. My website, which I encourage folks to peruse and also share with anyone for whom they feel it could be a source of inspiration, information, encouragement, maybe even a laugh or two, is www.baldisbeautiful.org . I also have a Bald Is Beautiful blog on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/baldisbeautifulblog . And I’m reachable on Instagram at @bald.is.beautiful
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