Hey, there, heartbreaker

SHANNA COLLINS: A HEARTBREAKING STARLET IN THE MAKING

By Jerry Saravia

Shanna Collins in "Cinema Verite"

Shanna Collins in "Swingtown"

I am shocked that actress Shanna Collins hasn't taken Hollywood or the independent scene or both by storm yet. Who is Shanna Collins you might ask? For those few who have seen the 2008 short-lived TV series, "Swingtown," she was Laurie Miller, the young daughter of Bruce and Susan Miller who was something of a free spirit. She was so free that she had an affair with a college professor! It is a show that was barely given enough of a chance and it died after 13 episodes, but her character was the most memorable for me. She exhibited the spirited young 1970's woman who was more mature than even the adults in her life, hence the relationship with the professor, and she looked the part with such conviction that really any American story from that era should feature Shanna.


As a matter of fact, Shanna Collins also appeared in the excellent TV movie "Cinema Verite" playing a member of the television crew who are filming the first reality show ever, PBS's "An American Family." Although Shanna doesn't have many lines, her presence enlivens the film and she projects a certain emotional understanding and, perhaps, regret about filming a family's private moments - it is all in her looks and gestures. And the film of course takes place during the 1970's.

Shanna Collins in CSI:NY

Aside from roles in "The Haunting of Molly Hartley" and Spielberg's "War of the Worlds," Shanna has done her share of television including episodes of "Veronica Mars," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Without a Trace," "Medium," "Criminal Minds" and, most recently, a special Valentine's episode of "CSI: NY" entitled "Blood Actually." In the popular forensic procedural show, she plays Wendy, a woman going through a divorce with a wealthy husband who wants to kill her. Shanna shows sensitivity and vulnerability in true splendor as Wendy - she is like a wallflower or a dark red rose that you need to take care of before it splits open and dies (Imagine her for a moment as Audrey Hepburn). These are Shanna Collins' main strengths. She also has such a tiny part as a bartender in the 2012 short film "Americans" that stars Sean Penn and Kid Rock that you kinda wished her part had been switched with Kid Rock (who is not much of an actor). She needs a leading role - a breakthrough part that can and should make actresses in her age group envious. Her screen presence haunts me, and I hope it does the same for others.

Shanna Collins and Sean Penn in 2010's "Americans"