Paine College Alumus Appears in Feature Film, ‘Emperor’

February 3, 2020

Paine College alumnus and aspiring actor, Samuel Lee Fudge will appear on the big screen in Briarcliff Entertainment's slave rebellion action-thriller Emperor written and directed by Mark Amin.

The film is about an escaped slave, Shields Green, who will stop at nothing to free his family. Green participates in the battle at Harpers Ferry, which helped spark the Civil War.

Fudge felt destined to be a part of the film. "Honestly, I felt a sense of belonging. I felt that God purposefully placed me on the project. My experiences, along with the amazing people I encountered while working this production was destined; these things were supposed to happen." said Samuel, who has been pursuing an acting career for the past six years.

Fudge credits Paine College for preparing him for an acting career. "The Paine College Media Studies department transformed me into a professional," said Fudge, "Professors Dr. Harris and Ms. Burnette made sure I possessed all the skills and knowledge possible to go out in the industry and become a factor. I thank them forever for that."

Fudge who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre from Paine College and a Master of Fine Arts graduate of the Performing Arts Program at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was cast in two other films and dozens of TV shows and video shorts.

Emperor is set to premier in theatres March 27, 2020, nationwide. The film also includes stars Dayo Okeniyi of The Hunger Games, Naturi Naughton of the hit Starz drama Power, Kat Graham, Bruce Dern, James Cromwell and Mykelti Williamson.