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If there’s one thing that Skye P. Marshall knows how to do, it’s to make a moment count. Last year, when she stopped on the Golden Globes red carpet for a brief conversation, she made a choice to tell her story. She had planned to hold parts of it for a bigger stage, but the connection she felt in that exchange changed everything.

“I’m giving this to ESSENCE,” Marshall said. “I’m not going to wait for ‘them’ to know my name. I’m not going to wait for them to invite me to the party or the table or the specific carpet at this tier and this level. My story can be told wherever I feel comfortable.” The Chicago-born actress knew exactly what she was offering at that moment and who it would reach. She recognized how uncommon it is to hear a story like hers, breaking into the industry in her 30s after years of driving, catering, and working as a background actor before landing a lead role. Sharing herdecoding="async" src="https://media.essence.com/vxcjywbwpa/uploads/2026/04/DSC_8824-Final-scaled.jpg" alt="Skye P. Marshall On Years Of Hard Work, To Starring In ‘Matlock’: “I Belong Here.”" width="400" height="600" />Photo Credit: Aaron Pegg

“I saw eight-year-old Skye sitting on my desk just kicking my filing cabinet with her heels and just pissed,” she said. “I remember feeling shame. I remember feeling guilty for letting my younger self down.” The image stayed with her, pushing past distraction and settling into something she could not ignore.

A conversation with her mother led her toward asking for direction instead of dismissing the feeling. Marshall describes that moment as a turning point, even though she didn’t fully understand what she was stepping into. “I was just like, ‘God, please tell me what I’m supposed to be doing with my life. Tell me what my purpose is. Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say?’” she recalled. The answer came in a vivid dream >Matlock, Marshall brings sharp focus to a character navigating ambition inside a high-stakes law firm. A junior partner at Jacobson Moore, Olympia is balancing a divorce while positioning herself for a senior partner role with support from her father-in-law. The role has earned her a Supporting Actress win at the 2025 Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, along with Critics’ Choice Award nominations and recognition from the Black Reel, Gotham TV, and Astra Television Awards.

Her work on the show is deeply connected to how Black women receive the character. She built Olympia with them in mind, from wardrobe choices to how the character speaks and carries herself. “About 75% of people that stop me on the street about Olympia Lawrence and Matlock are Black women,” she said. “The joy that that brings me is really something special. I will stop whatever I’m doing and I want to hear what they have to say because they are the receipts of my work.”

Marshall’s relationship with the show’s star Kathy Bates has also become central to this chapter in her life and career. “I realized over time that she needed me just as much as I needed her,” Marshall said. “You’re only as strong as the person that you are intimately connected with in this moment.”

Success, however, isn’t always the most important thing. Marshall has spoken openly about her mother’s dementia and the distance it creates in moments meant to be shared, saying: “If I just think about the fact that she’s not able to process everything that we worked so hard for; it will remain raw for the remainder of my career.” She carries all of life’s experiences with her, from the early dreams to the years spent figuring it out to the reality she now occupies. She does not separate those versions of herself or try to outgrow them. “I have to tell myself consistently, and stay as authentic as possible—don’t let go of Chicago in you,” she said.

“Don’t let go of the corporate woman in you, don’t let go of the military woman in you, and don’t let go of the little girl in you,” Marshall continued. “Because the adult version of me had to step aside when I decided to pursue this industry, and when I allowed my inner child to lead, the one that will jump on couch cushions thinking it’s lava, I allowed her with that level of imagination to lead. And if I stay true to that, then I know exactly why I’m here, and I know I’m not faking it. I belong.”

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