Surviving the Zombie infestation at Sherman Park is a focus of a new film with Milwaukee native and Hollywood star/film director Paulina Lule Bugembe – Kuwahara. The film will begin production this month. The star plays Kimmer Madison in “Emperor of Ocean Park” on MGM and is directing the film Sherman Park Horror Story.

I had the privilege of sitting down to ask questions about growing up in Milwaukee and the new film.

What inspired you to make the Sherman Park Horror Story?

I wrote this film in 2016 when there was a lot happening in my life. My brother was being released from a long term in prison, Donald Trump was running a very controversial campaign for President against Hilary Clinton, and there was civil unrest in Milwaukee after a police officer shot and killed Sylville Smith. I had a lot of angst about all of this and ended up finding a way to exercise (my voice) through writing Sherman Park.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin all over the city. Most of my childhood was spent (in) Sherman Park-adjacent Washington Heights off of Hi-Mount Boulevard. I went to Milwaukee High School of the Arts and was an instrumental jazz major. Arts have always been a part of my life. I then went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering and Japanese.

After graduation, I moved to Tokyo to work for a semiconductor company for a few years. I got laid off during the 2008 recession and found myself surfing and living in Hawaii. That’s where I met my husband, Ren. I finally decided to pursue filmmaking at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and graduated with a second bachelor’s degree. I continued my film and television education at Chapman University in Orange County and got my MFA in Film Directing. I also spent a lot of time working on classmates’ sets and studied acting on the side. Once I graduated from Chapman, my acting career started moving a little bit, so I pursued acting while writing scripts and working my survival jobs in LA. I finally decided to move back to Milwaukee in 2022, and I’ve been here continuing the grind but at home. 

How is it working with big name celebrities like Forest Whitaker, Henry Simmons, Kerry Washington, Tiffany Mack, and many more?

I think the thing to remember about celebrities is that they are people. When you build up who they are in your mind before you show up to work, it can create unnecessary stress and expectations. I don’t get caught up in all of that because I truly love the actual work that we do. I focus on showing up, every day, with something to bring to the table and try not to let myself be in awe of fame, which is fleeting.

What would you say to inspire future writers and actors?

Focus on the work, and by that I mean, learn how to act and write. Take writing classes….We had a mantra at my acting school which was: ‘The work is the work is the work.’ It’s so very true. There’s so much flying around the internet and social media that it’s easy to get ‘famous’ or to be successful — but what people don’t know is I’ve been working at this career in school and otherwise for almost 15 years. You can’t skip those steps or that time. So, enjoy it. Enjoy that process.

What’s your least favorite part of performing – and writing your own movie?

I would say my least favorite part of being an actor is how unstable it is as a profession. I am constantly in a state of: will I ever work again? Even now, with the season finale of my current show Emperor of Ocean Park airing on MGM+ soon; I don’t know if we have a season 2 or not. I don’t know if I have to take up a job again to pay the bills until another opportunity comes or if I will be going to Chicago again to film another season. Folks think that we as actors are all comfortable and wealthy, but that’s really only celebrity A-list actors, which is something I really wish the general public would understand the difference. The rest of us are out here grinding just to keep going.

My least favorite part of making a movie is trying to raise funds. It was so hard. I also look at it like, this is one of the first times I have tried in earnest to raise funds, and maybe part of it was just a learning curve. I like knowing how much money we DO have, and being able to just jump into pre-production for filming.

How old were you when you decided acting was the thing for you?

I think acting was always a part of me. As a kid, I would role play as a secret agent with badges and guns I made from construction paper, or be a mad scientist with mud potions and berries squashed in water. I guess it wasn’t until my late twenties when I was in film school and taking an acting class that I realized it was something I could do as a profession. I got to it much later than a lot of other folks in Hollywood.

What are some of your goals?

I think in our society there is so much pressure of what you SHOULD do. What you SHOULD do to make a lot of money, what you SHOULD do to make your parents proud, what you SHOULD do to be ‘cool.’ It wasn’t until I finally stopped doing what I SHOULD, and got clear about what I WANT for my life that things got easier to focus on. I have no problem putting effort into the things I love, even when they are extremely hard and stressful. I love telling stories. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a storyteller. Everything I do – whether it’s working at a restaurant for my survival job to pay the bills to working on a TV show – is for my end goal of wanting to continue to tell stories in film and TV for the rest of my life.

Anything you would like to add?

I have said and continue to say, ‘thank you so much’ for the contributions that people have made. They are not only helping me get this film off the ground, but they are supporting my ability to pay local Milwaukee artists for their work, which is something that doesn’t always happen.