EDWINA FINDLEY ON FAITH, TALENT & THE POWER TO MANIFEST
BY EBBY MAGAZINE
From award-winning roles to her debut book, Edwina Findley proves that faith and perseverance shape destiny. With a Shondaland thriller on the horizon, she’s not just chasing dreams—she’s manifesting them.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KRICK
“I JUST LOVE SEEING PEOPLE EMBRACE FREEDOM, FAITH, AND COURAGE IN THE FACE OF ENORMOUS ODDS.”
EDWINA FINDLEY, ACTRESS
Some people walk into a room and command attention—not with ego, but with energy. Edwina Findley is one of them. She makes you believe in faith, in possibility, in the power of perseverance. Whether holding her own alongside Uzo Aduba in Netflix’s The Residence, delivering a gut-wrenching performance in an indie drama, or pouring her wisdom into her debut book, The World Is Waiting for You, Edwina’s presence is undeniable.
Her journey proves that talent, grit, and faith can take you anywhere. She first caught our attention as ‘Tosha Mitchell’ in The Wire, brought quiet strength to Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere, and then showed us she could make us laugh as quickly as she could move us in Veep and Get Hard. Now, she’s set to captivate audiences again as Sheila Cannon, the quick-witted, no-nonsense White House butler at the heart of Netflix’s upcoming murder mystery The Residence, executive-produced by Shonda Rhimes. But for Edwina, acting is just one piece of the puzzle.
This fall, she steps into a new role: author. With a foreword by Viola Davis, The World Is Waiting for You is more than just a book—it’s a declaration, a call to action for anyone who has ever felt their dreams were just out of reach. It’s about faith, manifestation, and trusting that the vision placed inside you isn’t just possible—it’s inevitable if you’re willing to do the work.
As she juggles Hollywood, authorship, motherhood, and her passion for uplifting others through her nonprofit, Ebby Magazine sat down with Edwina to talk about divine timing, career longevity, and creating a life of purpose.
The Residence is already generating significant buzz. What drew you to the role of Sheila Cannon, and how did you make her your own?
I was head over heels in love with Miss Sheila Cannon as soon as I read the audition sides. I immediately heard her voice and caught a vision of her cadence, language, and rhythm. I was so fascinated by how she was weaving these fantastical stories and tales together. And with me being born in Washington, D.C., she was so magnetic. I felt like I knew her and could place the exact quadrant of D.C. that she was from. I started envisioning a whole backstory for her. I started hearing an accent and a vocal placement and seeing mannerisms for her. The way that she jumped out at me from the page was very exciting to me as an artist and really got my juices flowing as far as how to make her a three-dimensional human being that people would love.
As far as making her my own, I went through a pretty extensive process. Digging deeper into her story, there were certain clues that I got from the material. Sheila has a really beautiful monologue about her working her way up from the Waffle House to the White House and how it was always her dream to work in the White House. And as an actress, those words gave me a way into her heart and vulnerability, which was an essential piece in crafting the reality of who she is, flaws and all. I literally created more than a hundred pages around Sheila Cannon, starting with researching her name. What does her name mean? It means “blind one” but also “heavenly light.” And so it was interesting to me, her being this bright kind of incandescent light while also experiencing elements of blindness as well, and her precarious relationship with the truth! It was great exploring that dichotomy. I started going to AA meetings, as Sheila is a very highly functioning alcoholic. Sheila does a lot of things while being drunk. So, as someone who doesn’t drink, tapping into how Sheila moves through the world was really important to me. And to really tap into what motivates Sheila, what drives her, and what her dream is. And that’s where I found a real common ground with Sheila and myself. I feel like we have very similar dreams. I think that we just move through the world in a different way and approach it by different means.
You’ve worked with some of Hollywood’s most revered storytellers—Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay, and more. What has been the most defining moment of your career so far?
I have been so blessed to work with these phenomenal storytellers! Amazing writing, characters, and stories are a dream for any actor. I’d say there have been two very distinct defining moments in my career. One was beginning my career working on The Wire with David Simon. David Simon is one of the most revered storytellers in the landscape of television. And I came into the television world through this very cinéma vérité style of show and style of acting. I think that’s really informed how I’ve maneuvered through this landscape because honesty and authenticity have been really important to me, and playing each character as though they are a fully realized person. It’s almost like I approach each character as though the project is a biopic, even if it’s purely a fictional character that derived from the brilliant mind of a creator or writer, in the case of The Residence, Paul William Davies.
Then there’s a movie I filmed called Free In Deed, which was an independent film based on the true story of a single mom, Melva, who has an autistic son and young daughter. Melva goes on an intense journey to really find healing for her son. The film’s writer-director was Jake Mahaffy, and we filmed it in Memphis. The role and story were incredibly challenging for me emotionally and heart-wrenching. It was one of those roles that called on everything I had at the time. But the movie ended up going on to win best film at the Venice Film Festival. It won awards at festivals around the world, and I earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for the role. So, I definitely feel like being an actor and being able to partner with phenomenal storytellers, phenomenal writers, and phenomenal visionaries is such a gift. And I’m so grateful to have been able to do that with the Residence as well.
You’ve played a stunning range of roles from The Wire to Get Hard to Fear the Walking Dead. How do you approach each character, and is there a role that lingers with you?
One of the things that keeps me really fascinated in the arts and entertainment industry has been the opportunity to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. It’s been so life-changing for me to step into other women’s stories that could look absolutely so different from my own and be able to learn from them and grow from them and experience things that I in my life may have never experienced and may never experience. With each role, I’m able to learn something from my characters, and that’s been really wonderful for me. My acting approach is always to try and take the character’s side. A woman like Sheila Cannon can easily be judged. But for me, I’m tasked with the responsibility of taking her side, embodying her, and finding the noble reason for which she does what she does, for which she maneuvers through the world. And in doing so, I’m able to give her life in a way that’s endearing and enjoyable and fun while also revealing her deep hurts. Working with brilliant writers like Paul William Davies allows me, as an actor, to find a variety of layers and colors. A character that lingers with me has honestly been Sheila. Sheila helped give me permission to own my power and authenticity. She freed me to be fun, funny, and loud and take up space! As early as childhood, many of us often live in a world in which we are judged or criticized on a regular basis, and many of us can be very careful throughout our lives, careful not to offend, careful to do the right thing, careful to be accepted by all, and careful to please others. But by looking at the mirror that was held up to nature, as Shakespeare would say, I was able to find the places in myself that are like Sheila but that needed to be liberated. And I feel like she gave me permission in a lot of different ways. So Sheila’s lingering with me; I’m so grateful for her.
The World Is Waiting for You is a personal testimony and a masterclass in faith-driven manifestation. What pivotal moment made you say, “I need to write this book”?
The pivotal moment that made me say, “I have to write this book,” was in 2020. 2020 was a leap year, and on leap day, I attended Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour here in Los Angeles. I had been starring on a television show on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and a member of her team invited me to be a guest, and it was absolutely wonderful. I was so inspired, and I myself was speaking at a women’s event later that evening. It was a day packed full of vision, manifestation, and inspiration. At the reception afterward, one of her executives looked at me with wonder and said, “You are such a ‘manifestor’! So many of the things that you’ve received visions and prophecies for have manifested. How do you do that?” I felt God’s presence so strongly—not just prompting me to answer her question but calling me to answer it for countless others walking around with dreams and destinies bigger than their current realities. Many people feel called to a life brighter and bolder than the one they are living now but are just not sure what steps to take to get there. My deep desire to see others come out of the shadows and boldly live their dreams with passion and purpose is what inspired this book. Amazingly, strangers began approaching me, saying, “God is calling you to write a book.” Finally, I attended a gathering in Beverly Hills, and there was a woman who suddenly began to prophesy over me, saying, “God has called you to write a book,” and miraculously, even said the book title I was planning—“The World Is Waiting For You.” I was floored. Although I was busy filming a new TV series, I was crystal clear that my calling was to write this book. And it’s been an incredible adventure ever since.
“THE JOURNEY OF MANIFESTING YOUR GOD DREAM INVITES YOU TO TAP INTO THAT DIVINE BLUEPRINT THAT’S ALMOST ALWAYS EXPONENTIALLY GREATER THAN WHAT YOU IMAGINE FOR YOURSELF.”
You talk about the “God Dream.” Can you share what that means to you and how people can unlock their own?
For me, a ‘God Dream’ is a beautiful, grand, divine vision that transcends our limited human imagination. It’s wonderfully captured in Oprah’s quote: ‘God can dream a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself.’ After years of teaching in the vision space, I’ve come to recognize the profound difference between natural and spiritual sight.
We often ask ourselves natural questions—what do I want, what do I want to have?—which helps us access our heart’s desires. But I discovered something extraordinary: as someone who has created countless vision boards and even vision books, I watched as miraculous manifestations appeared in my life that precisely mirrored those visions, signs, prayers, and prophecies I had received spiritually. These supernatural manifestations were ‘God Dreams’ unfolding.
Have you ever experienced that mysterious sense of déjà vu—the feeling you’ve been somewhere before?
The French term literally means ‘already seen.’ Sometimes, your spirit has experienced it before it manifested in the natural world. Your spirit received the preview of coming attractions.
To unlock your own God Dream, I encourage you to begin by honestly evaluating where your life currently is and where your heart dreams for it to go. Then, open yourself to a higher level of spiritual sight. Pray and pay attention to the signs around you. Ask yourself, what am I feeling spiritually? What recurring signs keep appearing in my life? What whispers does my spirit hear? What gifts and talents do I have that I’m not fully tapping into? What’s holding me back from pursuing this grand vision with everything I have?
The journey of manifesting your God Dream invites you into a wonderful exploration into your life’s calling and to tap into that divine blueprint that’s almost always exponentially greater than what you imagine for yourself. It’s about recognizing those divine signs and glimpses of your destiny and developing the inspiration, courage, and focus to walk it out every day.
Viola Davis wrote your foreword—how did that collaboration come about, and what does her support mean to you?
I first met Viola when I was a college student. I was studying drama at NYU, and I was fascinated because of so many of the plays that I was rehearsing and performing while in drama school. I would look at the original cast and always see her name, Viola Davis, as the actor who originated the role. This was before she became a worldwide superstar, but for those of us pursuing theater in New York, especially among Black actors, she’s always been our star. I would go to see her in plays on Broadway and off-Broadway. But one day, when I was 19 years old, I was offered a ticket to the Tony Awards and sat in the audience and watched Viola win her first Tony Award. I had the chance to meet her and her husband, Julius, outside of the Rockefeller Center that night and was on cloud nine. Then, after graduating college, I was commissioned to help write a show for them. And when I said I was heading to LA from New York to perform in a show, they invited me to live with them and really took me under their wing. Viola and Julius have really been like fairy godparents to me here in Hollywood. They are incredible mentors, guides, and friends. I was able to help them begin their production company, JuVee Productions, and I’m also the godmother to their beautiful daughter, Genesis. Viola wrote about me in her book Finding Me, and I was incredibly moved and honored by that. So when it was time to select someone for my foreword, she was the perfect person. I was moved to tears reading the tribute she wrote in her foreword to my book. So there’s been a lot of very beautiful connections between us throughout the years.
You and your husband co-founded AbundantLifeU. How does that mission intertwine with your career and family life?
When I first graduated from NYU, I started leading stress management workshops for women and families in New York. It blossomed into these really powerful and purposeful sessions and vision parties where I began to take so many women, educators, and families through workshops that really helped them to tap into the Abundant Life God had for them. Eventually, my acting career took off, and I no longer needed a side job, but I continued to lead the workshops because they filled me up. I realized that those audiences’ joy and feelings of deep transformation were deeply impactful for me, too. It was not simply a side job; it was a calling. It was a part of my purpose to help other people come into theirs. So that’s when I began Abundant Life. Once I got married, my husband and I really shared the same vision and passion to see people’s lives elevated and inspired. It’s been an absolute gift to be a part of a family, including my husband and young children, who value bringing positivity to the lives of others. Through our nonprofit organization, as well as speaking, writing, and workshops, we take people through a process of embracing their calling and living out the highest expression of their life’s purpose.
As a mother, actress, entrepreneur, and now author, what’s your strategy for staying grounded amid the whirlwind?
One thing I try to do each morning before I leave the house and before I begin what may turn into a very hectic or activity-filled day is to take that first moment and have my devotion to God. I’ll pray, center myself, and on the way to school, my girls read their scripture of the day, which helps us all prepare for the day with love in our hearts. Sometimes, I’ll even go on prayer walks and try to calm my spirit, connect with the Lord, and invite him into my day. And I find that when I carve out that grounding time, versus immediately grabbing my phone, replying to emails, dissecting my calendar, texting, or hopping on social media (ALL of which I’ve done!!), I feel a lot less anxious about all that awaits me. That helps me a lot. When I practice those things, I feel like I’m able to see the pieces and aspects of my day through a higher lens, and that’s a blessing for me.
What’s one lesson you hope your daughters take from watching your journey unfold?
I want my daughters to know that God has an incredible story with their name on it and that they are capable of accomplishing even more than they can ever dream. I want miracles to be as common to them as breathing. I’d love for them to believe in and nurture their natural gifts, talents, personality, humor, love, generosity, and quirkiness and soar to the heights of their imagination. I want them to know that they are deeply and completely loved, unconditionally and abundantly.
What would you tell her if you could sit down with your younger self—the Edwina just stepping onto The Wire set?
When I first started on The Wire, the one who played my best friend and I would always look at each other and squeal, “It’s about to be on and poppin’!!” And that was kind of our exciting running mantra. And what we meant by that was, oh my gosh, we’re on TV now, so now we’re going to be rich and famous! We’re going to blow up!! We didn’t know back then that that’s not quite how it works. So, what I would do is congratulate my younger self and encourage her to be deeply proud of herself and her work while also knowing that the first job is an invitation to a career. This is an invitation to a marathon and not a sprint. This first step is the foundation upon which her entire career will be built. I’d assure her that she was special, loved, and worthy, and to have peace and rest assured that new opportunities will come. I’d encourage her between jobs to try not to be afraid. God’s got you, and he won’t let you fail. Also, there’s a much bigger reason why you’re here. Doing this TV show is a wonderful step for your career, but there are also people here who are waiting to hear from you. So don’t just give them your art; also give them your heart. Let them know that God loves them and is proud of them. I’d want her to know that you don’t have to move and maneuver through the world, angry or frustrated or striving to get to the next level, because the path and story have already been written. It’s about you showing up and elevating to meet each new opportunity and each new challenge, knowing that God’s got your back.
With The Residence premiering, your book launching, and so much more ahead, what’s the next prominent manifestation for Edwina Findley?
The next big manifestation for me is to build out a platform where people all over the world can be blessed in their calling, purpose, gifts, talents, and abilities. Essentially, Abundant Life 2.0, where people can become interconnected, can come into a community where they will feel loved, and they will feel inspired, and where they’ll feel encouraged to manifest their God Dream. I want people to know that they’re seen, that they’re loved, that they matter, and that the world is waiting for all they have to offer.
On the acting front, I would love to film a leading role in a fantastic new TV series or film that stretches me and allows me to play with all the colors that I have, whether it’s humor and wit or a phenomenal drama allowing me to pull on my deep emotional well. I would love for my next role to really challenge and stretch me as an artist and inspire me as a creator. I’m excited to craft a role that pulls on all of what I have to offer as an artist. And you know, there are some awards that I have my mind set on as well!!
