Talent is overrated. It is necessary, yes, in some form – even if it is a formula, you have to be able to execute at an acceptable level for your audience. Such a performance, in any field, demands skill. However, when we place such primacy on talent, we are only telling half of the story.
Talent, without discipline, is window-dressing. It is a fantastic looking sports car without an engine. Talent lacking discipline spins its wheels and goes nowhere fast. It draws the audience’s attention, but it is not the kind of attention you want. It is akin to someone staring at you when police pull you over.
Milanis Clark has talent and discipline in abundance. These two keystones of her professional life have landed her a plum Broadway role in Tina – The Tina Turner Musical playing the role of Young Alline, the older sister of Young Anna Mae (Turner, for the unaware). The production at New York City’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a major coup for any actor or actress, but especially for an eleven-year-old.
Clark has pursued her artistic dreams for eight years. The native New Yorker’s pursuit first began singing in local school talent shows and restaurants. Clark, by age five, graduated into the Michael Jackson vs. Prince Collections and school productions for School House Rocks. Her willingness to put herself out there at such a young age, to make the necessary commitments, and perhaps forego some of the life her peers enjoy so she might realize different dreams, are hallmarks of rare maturity in someone so young.
Working alongside respected television and film veterans such as Lisa Kudrow in the Disney+ offering Better Nate than Never is another affirmation of the hard work she continues putting in. Acting alongside other notables Rueby Wood, Joshua Bassett, and Aria Brooks, has allowed Clark to explore a fuller range of talents than ever before and will, without question snag her additional work in the near future. She will be waiting for the call.
She has never attempted milking her entertainment world connections, either, in an effort to curry favor. Clark’s mother is a respected dancer currently working with Lisa Lisa of the famed music group Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and her stepmom is Lisa Lisa’s longtime personal manager and musical director. This is a young performing artist who has a growing vision of where she wants her career to go, but she is likewise well-served by those around her.
Their job is really quite easy. Let Milanis Clark be Milanis Clark. Don’t attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole; instead, let her find her voice. She is definitely doing that. Clark’s work on Broadway will refine her talents to higher levels than ever before, as will her Disney+ appearance. She parlays a lot of added visibility from that film, and it isn’t the sort of shallow credit that looks good without ultimately meaning much. Milanis Clark is, instead, building a durable career with meaning and boundless potential.
Troy Johnstone