Etienne Maurice steps into the holiday season as a creative whose work and personal journey continue to inspire those around him. Known for his deep commitment to empowerment, Maurice has carved out a unique space for himself in the entertainment industry. His production company, WalkGood LA, is a testament to his dedication to healing and connection. His journey as an artist has been shaped by his drive to uplift unheard voices and bring authentic, impactful narratives to life.
Now, Maurice takes on a leading role in Mistletoe & Matrimony, a holiday romance that feels deeply personal. The film gives him another opportunity to merge his passions for art, storytelling, and perseverance. In the movie, Etienne portrays Isaiah, a photographer who stumbles into an emotionally charged reunion while photographing his ex-fiancé’s sister’s wedding. For the actor, the role hit close to home.
“Isaiah’s story resonated with me on a personal level. His love for photography, sparked by memories with his grandmother, mirrors my own journey with my production company, WalkGood, and my relationship with my grandmother’s wisdom to ‘walk good,’” Maurice shared. “There are so many parallels between Isaiah’s life and mine—it felt like this role was written for me.”
While filming, Etienne leaned heavily on practices of mindfulness and community care, inspired by his own wellness journey. “There were moments on set where I didn’t feel like I was enough, but I found strength by going back to my roots—whether through yoga or reconnecting with my community,” he explained. “Taking care of myself allowed me to bring my best to the screen, and I think that reflects in the work.” These experiences not only enriched his portrayal of Isaiah but also reinforced the importance of self-care on set.
Beyond his role in Mistletoe & Matrimony, Maurice remains focused on others. His efforts include the FilmGood festival, which combined film and wellness to spotlight underrepresented filmmakers and highlight mental health in the industry. “I’m excited to show that healing can take many forms—whether through yoga, art, or simply telling your story. My goal is to inspire others to see that their journey matters, on-screen and off.”
ESSENCE: This new film that you’re in—Mistletoe & Matrimony—what initially drew you to the project and why did you feel that you would be perfect for this starring role?
Etienne Maurice: I was really drawn to this role because of Isaiah. I play Isaiah who is a photographer who gets hired to photograph this wedding. Unbeknownst to him, it’s his ex-wife sister’s wedding. And I come into my ex fiance’s world at a time where she’s planning her little sister’s wedding. But I was really drawn to who Isaiah was because in the film you learn that he picked up photography while his grandmother was alive and he would take photos of her and of her friends. And that really grew his purpose for the arts. And so when I think about my own personal life, I think about WalkGood and my love for my grandmother and her reminding me to “walk good” and to take care of myself has now inspired me to start my production company and to start my own wellness organization. So there are a lot of parallels between my own personal life and who Isaiah is as a person, as an advocate, as a human being, as an artist. And so I just felt like this role was perfect and was written for me in many ways, but it took a lot out of me to really bring the character of Isaiah to life.
You spoke about having a personal connection to this particular role—on a personal note, this is your first Christmas as a married man, correct?
Yes. This is my first Christmas as a married man.
How do you two plan on celebrating this new season? Have you started any new traditions together at all?
So, we got married in Jamaica and that was the tradition for me. It is going to Jamaica every Christmas holiday, but this year we’re doing something a little bit different. We’re spending time with her family in Texas, which is where her father is from. And so I’m excited to just be with her and her family down south in Texas. Got some good barbecue, got some good food, but then we’re going right back to LA because I got to celebrate my sister and my mother’s birthday because my sister’s on the 23rd and my mother’s on the 30th of December. It’s going to be a busy holiday season.
I’m glad you spoke about your mother too, man—she’s an iconic actress. Did you always feel as though you wanted to be an actor, or was it always something that you wanted to do?
I always wanted to be an artist. I always wanted to create, I always wanted to uplift and support my community. And those are all the things that my mom has done so well throughout the journey of her career. And I’ve always been inspired by my mom in front of the camera and behind the camera. I think her ability and her capacity to love people the way she does, her ability and her capacity to support people and to be able to act the way she does has always been an inspiration to me. I always remember being a kid faking sick, just so that I could be with my mom on set when she was doing Moesha, I’d hang out in her dressing room and sometimes I would sneak out of the dressing room to go to craft services or hang out with Brandy or Marcus who played Miles. So I got a front row seat of what it was like to create really good TV.
And I think that always was in my DNA, it was in my purview. And I think that in many ways, those days sitting on set really cast the foreshadowing of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. And now I get to live my dreams out loud with purpose and on my own terms. And this was a choice that I decided to make on my own. My mom is not going to, she’s not going to find me a manager. She’s not going to find me a PR, she’s not going to do the audition for me. I was the one that had to make that decision. I was the one who had to really work to get to a place where people can believe in me and my capabilities. Not her son, but Etienne Maurice.
How does Walk Good influence your approach to acting?
I think being of service is the highest form of life. I think being of service is what should be everyone’s life purpose. And that’s what I’ve learned through Walk Good and how it’s translated to my acting capability is how am I listening more? How am I being able to take care of my cast and crew in a way that nobody else might? And really it’s made me focus more on my own. While I was on set, I did have these moments where I didn’t feel like I was enough. I didn’t feel like I was showing up on screen enough. And I remember calling my wife, who was my fiancé at the time, and I was sharing with her how much I was struggling and she was like, well, maybe you need to go back to your roots and go to the yoga class.
Maybe you need to go find a community, or maybe you need to go do a cold plunge and go to Asana and really find something that’s going to make you feel good so that you can come back to set and be your best self. And that’s exactly what I did. And then I was able to finish the rest of the shoot and feel like I could do it because I took care of myself. Because if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not going to be able to take care of anybody else. And I think that reflects in the work.
Outside of your many endeavors, how do you find the balance and properly cultivate all the things that you do so that one thing doesn’t fall by the wayside and vice versa?
I think it’s going, what feels good? I think I’ve had to really do a lot of work internally on what feels good within my body and following my gut feeling. My mother always tells me, just follow your gut. And whenever I follow my gut, I’m never steered in the wrong direction. And I think that it takes practice to listen to the little voice in your head telling you to do something or not do something and acknowledging that you need help. And I really rely heavily on my community when it comes to a decision that I make and then I go from there. But it really comes down to what makes Etienne feel good about himself. Because if I don’t, I don’t feel like I’m making the right decision. And I think that that takes time and practice and a lot of self-awareness, a lot of self-awareness. You’lll hear even in my responses that a lot of it has to do with being mindful and it takes a lot of work to get to that place.
Now, this movie marks a seasonal first for you. As you reflect on this moment in your career and personal life, what are you most excited for in the future?
I’m most excited about being able to tell stories. I’m really excited to build the good community. I think we’re preparing for FilmGood that’s happening next week. It’s the first film and wellness festival ever. Finding community, not just on your mat, but behind the camera as well. We get to highlight six underrepresented filmmakers. We’re having the 30th anniversary screening of Jason’s Lyric. And in the film there’s a big storyline about mental health.
And so I’m really excited to find the intersection between wellness and film and entertainment. I think right now we are going through a very, very trying time and our industry is changing at a rapid pace and people are having difficulty in addressing their mental health and the strides that you have to take in order to be able to maintain your health and create great art. And so I want to continue to be a vessel and to use my platform to the best of my ability to show that you can do all of these things. You have to be great at one and then move on to the next. But you have to be able to find time to take care of yourself in order to show up as your best self in this industry. But know that the industry is not everything and it should lose your sense of self because of this industry.
So hopefully, and last I want to end on this too, is that I think what’s really important about what I’m doing in front of the screen and behind the screen with Walk Good and with being an actor is that showing people that healing is not a one size fits all. A lot of us think that healing and mindfulness is yoga and movement. A lot of us don’t talk about artistic healing as well. And the ability to laugh and tell your story that is healing in and that of itself because being able to set the stage for somebody who might have had a shared experience, and that might be somebody’s blueprint to figure this life out. And I think a lot of us are just looking for people to inspire us and to tell us that it’s going to be okay. But doing it through action is, and the arts is I think what I see for my future with WalkGood.
