{"id":62829,"date":"2012-02-28T02:49:38","date_gmt":"2012-02-28T02:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2012\/02\/28\/brian-white-talks-good-deeds\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T13:41:25","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T13:41:25","slug":"brian-white-talks-good-deeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/brian-white-talks-good-deeds\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian White Talks Good Deeds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian White Talks Good Deeds<\/a><\/strong>by Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

February 28, 2012<\/p>\n

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Currently playing in theaters is Tyler Perry<\/strong>\u2019s latest film, \u2018Good Deeds<\/a><\/strong>,\u2019 his first non-Madea film where he\u2019s the leading character.<\/p>\n

Starring along with him are familiar faces from his previous films such as Thandie Newton, Gabrielle Union, Brian White<\/strong> and Phylicia Rashad<\/strong>. Also included in the film are Rebecca Romijn, Jamie Kennedy, Eddie Cibrian, Jordenn Thompson<\/strong> and Beverly Johnson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Schedule to marry Natalie (played by Gabrielle Union), businessman Wesley Deeds (played by Tyler Perry) is jolted out of his scripted life when he meets Lindsey (played by Thandie Newton), a single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building.<\/p>\n

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For White, who plays Walter\u2019s brother Wesley, this is his third outing in a Perry film after making appearances in 2007\u2019s \u2018Daddy\u2019s Little Girls<\/a><\/strong>\u2019 and 2009\u2019s \u2018I Can Do Bad All By Myself<\/a><\/strong>.\u2019 The Boston, MA native has been working steadily for the last 10 years on both the big and small screen with film roles in \u2018Stomp The Yard<\/a><\/strong>,\u2019 \u2018Fighting<\/strong>\u2019 and \u2018Politics of Love<\/a><\/strong>;\u2019 as well as television roles in \u2018The Shield<\/strong>\u2019 and \u2018Men of a Certain Age<\/strong>.\u2019 He\u2019s even done theater having done the play \u2018What My Husband Doesn’t Know<\/strong>\u2019 with singer and former Destiny\u2019s Child member Michelle Williams<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Blackfilm.com<\/a><\/strong> caught up with White as he spoke about his role in Good Deeds<\/a>, working with Tyler Perry, and his upcoming role in \u2018The Cabin in the Woods<\/a>.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

How would you describe Walter Deeds?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brian White:<\/strong> Walter and Wesley are two sides from the same coin. The relationship between them and their father was tumultuous, strange and when you take an individual and place them under duress, there\u2019s two ways that individual can respond. One is to become an overachiever and the other is to self destruct. As a character study, you have the other side being exploited at the same time in this movie and that\u2019s how I would describe him. As the movie progresses, you see one son not having the life that he wanted and another so yearning for it. It\u2019s Tyler\u2019s character who inherits that life and is strong enough to fill those shoes, but doesn\u2019t find enjoyment in it. It\u2019s a great topic to explore in the social media circles when everyone is trying to keep up with the joneses with their status post and facebook updates, and pictures; but does any of it make them happy. That\u2019s debatable on a lot of levels and that\u2019s what this movie is about.<\/p>\n

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What was the attraction to doing the film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BW:<\/strong> Tyler (Perry) lets me do characters that no one else lets me do. These are characters that are disparate from Brian. I\u2019m a guy that has five younger sisters. I\u2019m the eldest and only boy. I\u2019m a pioneer for women\u2019s rights, black women\u2019s right, for education. I wrote a book called \u2018Black Carpenter\u2019 and I\u2019m out on tour and educating kids through scholarship opportunities and financial literacy. I\u2019ve always been given opportunities in Tyler\u2019s movies to be a messenger. You can be a hero. You can be the antagonist who helps deliver the message on either end of the story if you tell a good story and Tyler is good at that. There are always those cautionary tale characters that elevate the protagonist or hero, often the heroine, to realize her message; to deliver the message to the audience.<\/p>\n

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In \u2018Daddy\u2019s Little Girls,\u2019 I\u2019m in two scenes, but every time the movie comes on, they remember him, and they tweet me out and say things like, \u201cStay away from my daddy, you tramp!\u201d I wanted to make the wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing something that people don\u2019t want to aspire to be. I want players to know that stuff happens and that is what it looks like and it\u2019s not cool. Your kids see that and you have to live the rest of your life with those relationships that you broke. That\u2019s not cool. I don\u2019t want to ever see it. I\u2019m not about it. You show a realistic portrayal of the cautionary tale and they should be laughed at. It should not be celebrated or glorified. It\u2019s fun, but it\u2019s also tragic. That\u2019s why I did it. I flew myself to Atlanta to do that role and it was two scenes and no money. He had me back for \u2018I Can Do Bad All By Myself\u2019 and said that the role couldn\u2019t be further away from me. He said \u201cI believe in you as artist and as an actor that you can play the role with integrity.\u201d The attraction was not only that challenge as a professional but help and elevate Taraji\u2019s message of \u201cI don\u2019t need this BS in my life and I can make better choices and that is what it\u2019s all about.\u201d To elevate from something, you have to go through a struggle.<\/p>\n

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How was working with Tyler, playing his brother, and working with Phylicia Rashad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BW:<\/strong> Tyler is like a big brother to me. It was amazing. He\u2019s a mentor. I look up to him and take what he says to heart. I value his opinion tremendously. It was incredible. We have that relationship and when he asked to be a part of this film, I was very much honored. It\u2019s the most personal story he\u2019s ever told, on or off the theatrical stage because he\u2019s done so many plays. With Phylicia, it was a trip. I\u2019m a huge fan and she and my mom her have a similar look. My mom was always called \u2018Mrs. Cosby\u2019 by my friends when I was a kid. To look into someone\u2019s eyes, who favors your mom and you have idolized all these years, was a trip. She\u2019s an incredible woman, person, and in this movie, haunting. She\u2019s dynamic in ways that I had no idea she was capable of. She\u2019s one of the best actresses I\u2019ve ever worked with or seen.<\/p>\n

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In just a few months, you have another film coming out, \u2018The Cabin in the Woods<\/a>.\u2019 What\u2019s your role in that film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

BW:<\/strong> There are good guys. There are bad guys and there are guys in between and I\u2019m not a good guy or bad guy. My character Alex Truman is neither of those. The directors Joss Whedon, and Drew Goddard are mad scientists and it was a blessing to be a part of that. It has everything and it\u2019s was one of the coolest films I\u2019ve ever seen. You have Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford heading the cast, and they are some of the best actors on the planet. You have some young superstars like Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams and it was delicious script. It won\u2019t disappoint fans.<\/p>\n

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