Exclusive: Gospel singer Deitrick Haddon talks ‘A Beautiful Soul’by Wilson Morales
May 2, 2012
Coming out this week in limited theaters is the inspiration gospel themed film, ‘A Beautiful Soul,’ starring Gospel singer Deitrick Haddon, Harry Lennix, Robert Ri’chard, Lesley Ann Brandt, and Barry Floyd.
Directed by Jeff Byrd, ‘A Beautiful Soul’, is the story of Andre Stephens (Haddon), an R&B superstar who has success, fame and fortune but has lost his way spiritually. The film follows Andre after his “perfect” life is shattered in a brutal attack that leaves he and his best friend, Chris Johnson (Ri’chard), clinging to life. The tragedy pushes Andre onto a spiritual journey that forces him to make a choice that could change his destiny forever.
For Haddon, a Grammy Award nominated recording artist, it’s his first starring role as an actor. The Detroit native made his feature film debut in the movie, ‘Blessed & Cursed,‘ which he also wrote.
Blackfilm.com recently spoke with Haddon about his second feature and expanding his acting abilities.
What was the attraction to doing this film?
Dietrich Haddon: I think we’re heading somewhere with these films that are inspirational. They come from the gospel genre. I just thought that it’s a perfect film to let people know that no matter where they are in life, whether they are on the mountaintop or in the valley, that God loves them because they’re his creation and they have a beautiful soul. The inspiration to making this is to inspire others and share the love of God with those who enjoy going to the movies.
What challenges did you come across during the shoot?
DH: Not really. God blessed me with a lot of great people to help me pull it together like Holly Carter. She’s had some success before with ‘The Gospel’ and a few other things including some television projects. She’s been my manager for several years and when I shared with the vision to do these urban Christian films, she locked on them right away. Working with her makes it easy for me. She helped me put together a great cast, a wonderful director in Jeff Byrd. Twinkie Byrd cast the film. It was an awesome cast. I think I was the weakest link. You have people like Harry Lennix, who’s a master at what he does. Lesley Ann Brandt is an awesome gift. She’s one of the leading ladies in Spartacus. Robert Ri’chard has been doing it big in television and films for quite a while. There’s Golden Brooks from Girlfriends and the lovely miss Vanessa Bell Calloway. Being surrounded by so many great professionals has helped me step up my game, being fresh out of the gospel game and music industry and into the film business.
How would you describe your character?
DH: Andre Stephens is the name of the character that I play and he’s an R & B superstar. He has money, fame, women, and power. He has it all, but he treats people like dirt. The only thing he cares about is himself and his own self-preservation. The interesting thing is that he comes from a solid inspirational background. He’s from the church world, but he veered off the path because he had success with money and everything. Something happened to him at the height of his career, where he now has to have a reality check. It’s an amazing story. I think people are going to like it.
How did you prepare for the role?
DH: I’ve been leaning on this natural charisma but I realize that when you are making films like this there are many moments where you can’t lean on your natural ability. You need to be skilled and we took the time before we went to shoot this film. I worked with several coaches to help me and had great people like Harry Lennix, who took the time to help me with the character. I really didn’t have a lot of formal training. It was just me getting in front of the camera and being on stage. My training is being in front of a crowd of thousands week in and week out for gospel for years. It wasn’t a hard thing for me but there were moments were you could not from natural ability. You needed to make yourself cry several times. My goal was to dive into it and expand my ability as an actor. I’m excited about doing this.
What’s next?
DH: Our first film ‘Blessed and Cursed’ went straight-to-DVD but did really well. It exceeded our expectations. It flew off the shelves in the UK and in different countries and Africa and here. That’s what enabled us to do ‘A Beautiful Soul.’ Our goal is to do 5 or 6 films and go straight-to-DVD and show Hollywood that we have an audience that are interested in our brand. It’s been moving so fast that we were able to lock in this deal with AMC Theaters. We’re getting ready to shoot our third film this summer. It’s going to be an amazing movie. Making music is second nature to me. It’s part of what I do and I’ll never leave that. The beautiful thing about this is that whether you’re in front of the camera, on stage, or in the recording studio, it all embodies who I am. It’s easy for me and I do it for fun.
When you are not making music or films, what keeps you grounded?
DH: I would say my church background and my family. I was born and raised in the church as a preacher’s kid and I have some strong morals and values that was embedded in me as a kid, so that foundation keeps me grounded.
A Beautiful Soul opens on May 4th
