Brandon Black on playing the first gay role in a Madea movie: 'I think I'm qualified for the job

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  1. OckyDub

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    Full disclosure: Until last weekend, I had never seen a Madea movie.

    While the Madea Cinematic Universe rivals that other MCU — the pistol-packin' granny has roughly half the output of Marvel — I'd managed to avoid the 12 films in which Tyler Perry's signature creation has appeared. The whole "man in a dress as a punchline" thing seemed dated even by 2005 standards when Diary of a Mad Black Woman introduced the world to Mabel "Madea" Earlene Simmons. And then there were the accusations over the years of homophobia, misogyny, and in the words of unofficial Black spokesperson Spike Lee, "coonery and buffoonery" in those movies.

    [​IMG]
    Tyler Perry as Madea in 'A Madea Homecoming'

    | CREDIT: CHARLES BERGMANN/TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
    Though Lee and Perry have since mended fences, I still approached the latest entry in the franchise, Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming on Netflix, with a sense of benign resignation. Benign because this time the Simmons matriarch was bidding hellur to a gay character — notably, the first openly gay character to ever appear in a Madea movie. This, I thought, could go one of two ways: Either it's a big deal or it's not. Without giving too much away, it's thankfully not a big deal.


    In his film debut, Brandon Black plays Tim, Madea's handsome, well-moisturized, valedictorian great-grandson who's coming home on the eve of his college graduation with a secret to tell. He's anxious to come out to his family because, well, it's his family. Besides the at-times abrasive Madea, he has to deal with her brother, the crass and decidedly un-P.C. Uncle Joe (also played by Perry), and all his God-fearing relatives. When Tim finally does come out, he's surprised that no one else is surprised. Everyone knew all along, they were just waiting for him to catch up, and they love him regardless.

    [​IMG]
    Brandon Black and Gabrielle Dennis in 'A Madea Homecoming'

    | CREDIT: CHARLES BERGMANN/TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
    I have to admit that this scene made me smile in spite of myself. It's nice, one could even say important, to see a Black family being so supportive of an LGBTQ+ relative, especially since Black folks are often falsely depicted as being somehow more homophobic than the rest of society. For Brandon Black, who's openly gay, that coming-out scene is what sold him on the project.


    "I know there's been some talk about whatever people think about other works of [Perry's] in the past, but I knew that, for me, I was proud to be Tim and to play it in this way because this is something not far from my own life," Black tells EW. "So I don't feel like I'm making some mockery out of my sexuality or something — I don't feel that way at all. I think the movie handled it perfectly."

    EW talked to the San Diego native about joining the Madeaverse, being Black and gay in Hollywood, the beauty of endless mimosas, and sharing scenes with a 6'5" great-grandmother who also happened to be his boss.

    ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So you play the first openly gay character in a Madea movie. What were your thoughts when you got that role?

    BRANDON BLACK: I didn't know that when I booked it. I didn't know that this was the first, it was still a big deal for me because it was my first [movie]. And when I found out I was the first gay character in a Madea movie, I thought, "Well, I think I'm qualified for the job." [Laughs] I think I've done the research. I was really happy to get it.

    For me, it was already a big deal to say yes to it, and then to realize that it was the first of all his movies meant that it was going to get a more special spotlight than I anticipated. It's really exciting that this movie with this many eyes on it is going to have a gay, Black character who is sure of himself. He's still a little wary about his family, but this is someone who's not on the down-low, sneaking around. This person knows who they are. It's just the last reveal to their family.

    [​IMG]
    Left to right, Tyler Perry, Brendan O'Carroll, Geneva Maccarone, Candace Maxwell, and Gabrielle Dennis in 'A Madea Homecoming'

    | CREDIT: STEVE DIETL/TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
    I really enjoyed that coming-out scene and how just matter-of-fact everyone is about Tim's sexuality. It's 2022, that should be the reaction. It's not always the reaction, but it should be, right? Did you have a similar experience in your life coming out?

    Yes. I told my family last, similar to how Tim's best friend knew, but his family didn't know — or he thought that they didn't know. Mine was similar; when I moved to L.A., I started over. I told myself when I move to Los Angeles, I will be a gay person who has moved to Los Angeles. And that's how I introduced myself. It was hard for me to talk to people who had known me for so long. I felt I had to undo something that they all knew me as, so I kind of just did it. I left and moved here and started over as something else. My family is a bit spread out so I didn't tell my whole family. I got my mom drunk on some endless mimosas — a very gay task [laughs] — and then I told her. And then my mom got her mom drunk on endless mimosas and told her. And it worked out. My grandma called me a little tipsy and left a voicemail, she was like, "Baby, I don't care if you were purple, I would still love you!" And that's how that happened! [laughs]

    God bless endless mimosas.

    Endless mimosas always come through. It's a little rough on you later that day or in the morning, but in the moment you feeling good.

    This might be a little heavy of a question, but what's been your experience as a Black, openly gay actor in Hollywood?

    You know, I think we should talk again after this and see if that changes. Right now, it's great. There was a moment when I made a more definitive decision to be more open about it. I'm not closeted by any means, but I also realize that there are some of us who have to continually come out. So at one point, I decided I wanted a gay agent on my team, like specifically that, because I wanted to be able to have some of the more nuanced conversations about gay characters. Because I do want to play gay characters, but I want to talk about what they're gonna be. That was the moment I made a more specific turn into it. Nothing has changed. I still get auditions for straight characters. I get some auditions for gay characters. I say we should talk again after this because this is certainly the most spotlight that's ever been on my sexuality. I wouldn't really be talking about it in this way if it wasn't related to the work. We'll see what that means. To me, that means, you should be excited, casting directors, to cast me in gay things and straight things because I can do it all. Just like you can cast straight people to do gay roles.

    And give them awards for it.

    And give them awards for it.

    [​IMG]
    Left to right, David Mann, Tamela Mann, Brendan O'Carroll, Jennifer Gibney, Tyler Perry, and Cassi Davis in 'A Madea Homecoming'

    | CREDIT: STEVE DIETL/TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
    How do you hope people will react to this character?

    Tim is the eye of a storm of crazy-ass family members, so I hope, straight or gay, you see yourself in Tim. I hope that straight people see that this is just another dude or whatever, and for gay people, I hope that they see that owning yourself can pay off. And that's what your goal should be, to be solid in yourself. That's why it took me so long to come out to my family. I wanted to make sure that I knew it wasn't a phase. I wanted to be so solid with knowing what I was doing so that way I could take their questions and know what I needed to say back and be sure. And that's where Tim is at. Tim knows himself and it's now time to bring that information to his family. I want people to know that when you're at that place, you gotta just feel the fear and do it anyway. I forgot who gave me that quote, but I think about that all the time: You gotta feel the fear… and do it anyway. And that's a little bit of what it was to book a gay role. Of course, I had a small pang of fear because I was like, "We're gonna be talking about this." But I was like, "I'm gonna do it anyway."

    So what was it like filming with Tyler Perry in the Madea drag? I imagine it would be fun but also intimidating?

    Yes, it is fun but intimidating, you're right because it's the boss. He's the boss, but he's either giving you boss energy or he's giving you great-grandma energy so either way… in one of the interviews I had with him recently he was like, "Button up that shirt, you're showing too much cleavage." And I was like [mimes scrambling to button his shirt]. Then he was like, "I was kidding."

    He's a Black man from the South and you feel it working with him, no matter what hat he has on. It's still like, "Did y'all get a tour of the studios? Thank you so much for being here, thank you for lending your talents." I remember him saying that to me and laughing, like, "Thank you so much for being here. What are you talking about, Mr. Tyler Perry, with your director hat, and your Uncle Joe hat, and Madea wig." So it was really humbling to work for somebody who was still humble while also being able to steer the ship. He goes in and out of that Madea voice like completely seamlessly. So he's like, "Lester, I need you to move the camera over the shoulder for Brandon this way" and [Madea voice] "Then, uh, baby, the next thing…" and we're back in the scene. He's the director and the actor so he's not really calling cut, the cameras are still rolling, so he'll direct, and then it's back into the scene. So I, as Tim, have to just stay seeing my great-grandmother, stay talking to my great-grandmother, even when he's doing all these other things because any second it's back to me. The cameras are still on, and that could be the take, so I gotta just do it. It was actor boot camp for sure.

    [​IMG]
    Tyler Perry and Brendan O'Carroll in 'A Madea Homecoming'

    | CREDIT: CHARLES BERGMANN/TYLER PERRY STUDIOS
    Do you have a favorite memory from the set?

    There's a scene on the basketball court. This is after a bunch of drama just went down and I have a one-on-one scene with Tyler Perry. This movie is mostly big groups all in the scenes. So this is a one-on-one with an A-list celebrity, creative, unique person in the business. And we're outside and there's this crane lowering down, swooping over Tyler Perry's shoulder to catch me. And there are these extras walking down the streets — and I've been an extra — and there are extras driving their cars down the street — I've driven my car as an extra. And I'm like looking around and there's this whole crew of people on this major motion picture film set and I just had this moment. There were fireflies, I had never seen fireflies before. I was like, "I'm shooting a movie. And I am one-on-one with Tyler Perry right now and I feel like I'm holding my own, I feel like I'm in here." I didn't have any imposter syndrome, which I normally have. And it was just this big moment of like, "[sighs] I'm doing what I want to do." And sometimes it doesn't feel like that. Auditioning ain't cute. And I do mostly that. So to finally get to that place where there are so many people in charge of making this thing happen, this whole team effort, and I'm in the center of it with Tyler Perry. I felt successful, for real, for the first time. When we finished that shot, I laid on the ground like Mary J. Blige at the Super Bowl because I did it. I really wanted that to go well and I did it and I just was so proud.

    Now, during the credits, there's this whole production with Tyler Perry as Madea paying homage to Beyoncé's Homecoming concert. Were you there for that as well?

    I was there and I was so excited. I knew it was going to happen, but they didn't tell us, it wasn't in the script. No one officially told us. And when it happened, it was at the very end of filming. So it was like we've done all this work on this movie and now we get to sit back and relax and watch this show. And it was exactly what you would think it was. There was a crane and he was dancing and them thick ole legs was in them Daisy Dukes. It was amazing. It was so cool and it was a great moment for all of us to kind of hang out and have the pressure off because we're done, we've done the whole movie, and now we're just here watching this crazy stuff go down. It was awesome.

    Tyler Perry's A Madea Homecoming premieres Feb. 25. on Netflix.
     
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