Hallmark Media Welcomes Akono Dixon as He Makes His Mahogany Debut in "Spring Breakthrough"

"I'd just come from the gym [when] my agent/manager called saying, 'Hey, I have some great news for you!'" he continued. "When they told me, I was like, 'Is this a dream?' He said, 'No it's not.' I felt an overwhelming ocean of gratitude. I was actually at my parents' home, and walked into my mom's bedroom and said, 'Mom, guess what just happened?' She screamed and was almost in tears. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is actually happening, and I leave a couple of days.' Everyone was just so excited about it."

After getting the offer, Dixon received the script, and by page two was hooked. "I told them straight away it was a 'yes' as I already loved it," he recalled. "I read the full script that night and I sent an e-mail around 10:00 o'clock saying, 'Ya'll, this is amazing!' It was grounded, very humble, and very real. It was like real life, and full of love, adventure and an abundance of prosperity. I had to do it! It's really an honor to have worked on Spring Breakthrough because it's unlike any movie I've ever watched, or been a part of, it truly is."

The thing that set the movie apart for Dixon was the fact the film opens with a proposal, a rarity for any Hallmark project. It's the proposal by his character Shawn, a college student, to his girlfriend Vivian (Rhyon Nicole Brown) that sets her love-shy, divorced mother Monica (Keesha Sharp) spinning. Believing the couple is too young to get married, and never having met Shawn, she is determined her daughter won't make the same mistake she did and makes it her mission to derail the couple's engagement celebration. En route to the Gulf Shore-based party, Monica encounters Clark (Demetrius Grosse) a charming single man who catches her eye and happens to be Shawn's godfather. If Shawn can change her mind about the engagement, then possibly open her heart to let love back into her life, the result could be one big happily ever after for everyone involved.

"It was super exciting to read there is a proposal very early," Dixon recalled. "As a young man, and for me as an actor, for one, I would love to get married one day. Then, it's my first leading role and my first scene is me proposing. Having two love stories was appealing and I think people of all ages will relate. It wasn't just about what young adult love looks like, but also what adult love looks like, and having both happening at the same time made it really special.

"I did draw from personal experiences when it came to meeting the mom," he added. "By doing that it gave me a lot of confidence. Sean has confidence, but he's also vulnerable and shows he can be nervous. I went back to my own experiences and remembering, 'Akono, you know who you are, the type of person you are, and the type of loving human being you are. It will be okay.' All of that helped me through the movie, as well as being directed by Mykelti Williamson, who was wonderful."

Dixon shared that from their first telephone meeting, he knew he'd have a blast with Rhyon Nicole Brown as a scene partner. "She was genuine, honest, and real from the get-go," he shared. "Everyone in the film bonded because they were so true to themselves, and at the same time loved this script and understood its deep, loving message. All of that connected us in a natural way. Everyone was great to work with, very kind, helpful and very supportive, so it was a joy working with [them]."

Other elements of the film that hit home for Dixon were its themes of acceptance and changing someone's 'inflexible' opinion. "I feel the thing I took away from this is not everything is what it seems," he reflected. "Look at the bigger, loving picture, and go from there. Trusting in love was a huge takeaway for me with this, and hope viewers do that, too."

With one Hallmark project under his belt, Dixon is eager to keep the ball rolling and can't wait for the next one. In the meantime, he's working hard on a project he's writing titled Caterpillar, centered on a young Mississippi man fascinated with the anatomy of life, and intends celebrating Spring Breakthrough's release in a big way. "I'm going to watch with my family and the whole community," he beamed. "We're all going to a local country club where the owner loves Hallmark movies!

"[My] entire town, and cities in North Mississippi, Memphis and even from the Delta, are traveling to watch," he added in closing. "We're expecting hundreds of people. It's going to be a very grateful, abundant, uplifting experience that I'm really excited about."

Spring Breakthrough, a new Mahogany presentation, will be telecast Sunday, April 30 at 7 p.m. on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

Click the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleagues.

The opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author and/or subject(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated writers.