He was on stage and in drag when he realized that acting was his future.
“I played a 19-year-old woman,” said Marryshow. “I’m 13, on stage, and I always remember my dad being so proud of me. I kind of knew then it was my calling.”
Decades later and after years in varying roles, Marryshow is now writing, directing, and acting in his upcoming film tentatively titled My Girl. In just a few short days, My Girl will be available to support on popular crowdfunding website Indiegogo.com.
The film, co-written with Chuck Neal, centers on the relationship between a teenage athlete with dreams of going professional, and his young daughter.
“He’s forced to become a hero in his own life,” said Marryshow about the 30 year old man. “And it’s about this little girl basically coming into his life and teaching him how to be a man.”
Marryshow lamented the lack of films portraying relationships between fathers and daughters, and decided to make one of his own.
“I think you don’t see stories with little girls and their fathers,” explained Marryshow. “You just don’t see it.”
Before embarking upon his acting and filmmaking career, Marryshow was a teacher for the New York Board of Education. It was there that he met Latina, the girl who would inspire his decision to pursue acting and the creation of My Girl.
Marryshow and then eight-year-old Latina met while he was working for the Board of Education. He worked with her for three to four years, and they grew close.
“She was like my heart,” said Marryshow.
Years later, Latina was killed in a drive-by shooting. Before he found out Marryshow felt that something was amiss.
“I instantly knew that she had passed on,” said Marryshow. “I feel that some people are just connected. Certain people are connected to certain people. They’re supposed to be a part of your journey. And I was devastated.”
Her tragic death spurred Marryshow to realize how short life could be. It’s a sentiment echoed by many. “Life is too short to do the things you don’t love doing,” said musician and broadcaster Bruce Dickinson in a 2013 interview with The Telegraph.
In the seven years since quitting his job at the Board of Education, Marryshow has appeared in Nurse Jackie, Unforgettable, Blue Bloods, and The Normal Heart. These experiences have built towards his project in My Girl.
“It’s really a love note to Latina,” said Marryshow. “Basically thanking her for changing my life and allowing me to love her and just [a] thank you to her, her Mom and her Dad.”
Marryshow will be hosting a screenplay reading and fundraiser for My Girl at the Helen Mills Theatre in Manhattan on Wednesday, September 3, 2014.
The event will have free admission, a raffle, and the launch of the Indiegogo video. The crowdfunded project hopes to raise $250,000.
For more information about this project, connect with Eden Marryshow at https://www.facebook.com/mygirlthefilm and https://www.facebook.com/eden.marryshow.
