BAY SHORE, NY — An aspiring actor from Bay Shore is trying to light a spark in Hollywood — and in Michael B. Jordan’s next movie.
Quentin Thomson, 23, recently created a Change.org petition, to score an audition for the live-action film “Static Shock”, a superhero movie that will be produced by the Black Panther star.
The movie will be based on the animated television series and DC comic. The story revolves around Virgirl Hawkins, a Black teenager who obtains electromagnetic powers.
Thomson, who recently moved to Hollywood, told Patch that he’s determined to snag an audition because of the impact the superhero has had on his life, as well as the similarities between himself and Hawkins.
He said that he remembers first being inspired to perform by watching “Blue’s Clues” as a child.
“There’s one musical episode that, as a kid, I would always perform in front of my friends and family, and literally, anytime we had visitors over,” Thomson said. “I always had this urge to perform in front of anyone I could.”
He went on to participate in school plays and drama clubs, but stopped in high school because he felt “discouraged” after not getting certain roles.
Still, he was determined to channel his creativity and love for performance in other ways, drawing inspiration from superhero comics and the Static Shock television series. In high school, Thomson created the non-profit organization “Heroes for Hope”, where he would dress up as Spiderman and visit sick children at Good Samaritan Hospital.
“I just really love connecting with people and being able to inspire them to kind of be their best selves, like Static,” Thomson said. “I feel like those opportunities have really allowed me to kind of understand what it means to be a hero.”
Thomson then went onto study computer engineering at SUNY New Paltz — a decision inspired by the superhero.
“Literally one of the reasons why I chose electrical engineering or computer engineering was because when I was younger, I loved ‘Static Shock’,” he said. “I just love the idea of electricity. I was obsessed with it as a kid.”
One evening while spending time with friends, Thomson saw an advertisement for auditions for the “Blue’s Clues” reboot, “Blue’s Clues & You” which premiered in 2019. A week after sending in his audition tape, a casting director contacted him, and asked if he could come to New York City for another audition.
“I was like, ‘Wait, is this real?”” he said.
Thomson told Patch that even though made it just to the final callback stage, the full-circle experience reignited his desire to pursue acting professionally.
“I just enjoyed every single minute of it,” he said. “I thought, ‘Yeah, this is something that I really want to be a part of’.”
Throughout his college career, Thomson became involved in student films, improv comedy, and acting classes, so that he could create an acting reel. He presently is represented by DDO Artists Agency.
Since graduating in December 2020, the Bay Shore native has auditioned and received callbacks for multiple networks such as Nickelodeon, HBO, and NBC. He is currently the co-host of a top entertainment science app, Tappity.
Thomson told Patch the three months before his graduation, Variety announced the production of the superhero movie. Feeling shocked, he said, was an understatement.
“I was so excited. This was an underrated superhero who not a lot of people know,” he said.
Thomson knew immediately that he wanted to audition. But as a new actor in the industry, he felt as though he needed something special to get his foot in the door.
“You could be as good as someone who’s in a movie nowadays, but at the same time, too, it’s a lottery chance,” he said.
Since playing Static was a lifelong dream, Thomson said he created the petition to show Hollywood why he’s the perfect fit for the role.
“I didn’t want to wait, especially for a role that is just so fitting for me and has been so inspirational for me,” he said. “To toss it to the side, I felt as though it would be such a disservice to myself, the younger self, my current self – and the person who I want to be in the future.”
So far, the petition has gained 681 signatures. Thomson said that while he’s had his fair share of doubts as an aspiring actor, he remembers the importance of the role of Static Shock.
“I’m thinking about the message that it could create for people. And the impact on youth and underrepresented communities and feeling that they can go after anything they want,” said Thomson, who is first-generation American. “There’s a lot more than just getting a role.”
