In our Q&A collection Last Call, we get right down to the underside of each last item with a few of our favourite celebs — from the final time they have been starstruck to the final music they listened to. This week, “Power Book II: Ghost” star Woody McClain takes our name.
Woody McClain is aware of how one can be on the proper place on the proper time. From life-changing encounters with Kevin Hart to a breakout biopic function that helped put him on the map, the actor, dancer, and creator has earned alternatives some can solely dream of. McClain acknowledges to POPSUGAR that his profession up to now has been a fully “crazy journey” — “a lightning-in-a-bottle situation.”
McClain was simply discovering his stride within the leisure trade again in 2017. After transferring to Los Angeles roughly two years prior for his stint as a background dancer, he grew to become well-liked for posting comedy skits on social media, which included viral clips reenacting Hart’s standup routines. They went so viral, the truth is, that he landed a collaboration with the comic’s Laugh Out Loud Network. But 33-year-old McClain’s precise huge break got here by means of portraying R&B icon Bobby Brown in BET’s “The New Edition Story.” “That started everything. Without that, I probably would still be dancing right now,” he shares, referring to his early days backing up stars like Chris Brown and Ginuwine.
“He was like, ‘Don’t shy away from that — embrace it. Until you embrace it, then you won’t be able to move on.'”
At first, McClain’s recognition was so tied to his portrayal of Brown. Luckily, some phrases of knowledge from a well-known buddy helped him embrace that side of being an impactful actor.
“I remember being at Jamie Foxx’s house, and I was just in the corner. Everybody kept saying, ‘Bobby. Bobby.’ I hear that a million and trillion times. But I remember Jamie coming over to me,” McClain remembers. “He was like, ‘I noticed every time somebody says that, you kind of dim your light. You can’t do that. You got to understand, my first role I played Wanda in ‘In Living Color.’ So people are at the club, and they’re like, ‘Hey, yo, you that B. You that B, right?’ . . . You got to understand that you played one of the coolest cats that’s ever done it in the R&B game. You played one of the coolest bad boys ever.'”
McClain continues, “He was like, ‘Don’t shy away from that — embrace it. Until you embrace it, then you won’t be able to move on . . . You’re going to get more things. More things are going to come. You’re going to be amazing.'”
Since then, McClain says he is been in a position to settle for that a part of his journey, similar to Foxx instructed. “Jamie’s such a great guy, man. Prayers to Jamie, too,” he provides after Foxx’s current hospitalization.
“Somebody like me that’s come from doing my own content online, I have to step into being a producer and produce some content that I want to see, because that’s where I come from.”
Foxx’s recommendation to McClain seemingly labored, as a result of the latter’s newest onscreen victory is the exact opposite of his first main appearing function. Currently, he stars because the ruthless Cane Tejada on Starz’s “Power Book II: Ghost” alongside icons like Mary J. Blige and Method Man. According to McClain — who took a 12 months off from appearing after showing as Brown, as soon as once more, in 2018’s “The Bobby Brown Story” — he spoke his series-regular function into existence after praying with a neighbor of his, director Erica Watson (who’s additionally directed episodes of “Power Book II”).
“She sits me down and puts all these crystals on me, and she says, ‘All right, speak whatever you want into the universe,'” McClain recounts. “So I’m like, ‘I really want to be on a show. I really want to be in New York’ . . . Two days later, I get a phone call from Starz saying that I got the role for ‘Power,’ and it was a surreal experience. I give that all to my neighbor. She really brought the universe to that situation.”
Thanks to that likelihood alternative, McClain has cemented his place within the Power Universe alongside along with his tight-knit solid, who he says all have a “strong bond.” In between his three seasons on the hit present, McClain was additionally tapped for a minor function on Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall.” But being up on the large and small screens is not all he has on his profession bucket record. Next, he says, he desires to get into producing.
“I have to produce my own films,” McClain reveals. “Somebody like me that’s come from doing my own content online, I have to step into being a producer and produce some content that I want to see, because that’s where I come from. The Eddie Murphys, the Adam Sandlers, those guys created things for their generation. That’s why they were so amazing at that time. So now I feel like I’m in a position where I’ve grown as an artist, I’ve grown as a student, and I know I’m ready to start producing films and hiring my friends. That’s the goal right now.”
Read forward to be taught extra from McClain’s Last Call interview, together with which celeb as soon as left him speechless.
What’s the very last thing you probably did along with your “Power Book II: Ghost” costars off set?
We did dinner with Njera Perkins Courtney [A. Kemp]. She got here on the town, and all of us did dinner along with her. That was superb. Even earlier than the dinner, we went to the New Edition live performance. Yeah, we be outdoors.
Who is the final “Power Book II: Ghost” costar you texted?
My [TV] pops, Berto [Colon]. Called me proper earlier than we obtained on the decision.
When was the final time you have been starstruck?
I keep in mind this was once I was a dancer. I used to be at Pharrell [Williams]’s birthday celebration, and I used to be on the bar attempting to get an orange juice. I used to be ready on my juice, after which anyone walks subsequent to me, and I look over, it is Rihanna. I used to be going to be like, “I love your work,” however nothing was popping out. So I used to be simply staring and she or he was like, “Who is this guy?” And then she walked away. I used to be like, “Dang.” That was starstruck.
What’s the final album you listened to?
I at all times have Bryson Tiller’s outdated album “Trapsoul” on repeat. Can you please drop new music? Can we blast this out? We want one other album.
What was the final TV present you binge-watched?
“Snowfall.”
What was the final journey you went on?
Snowboarding in Aspen. That was my first time. I solely fell 15 occasions, however I used to be a beast.
What’s the very last thing you probably did for self-care?
What are these issues known as if you sit in a chair they usually do your ft?
A pedicure?
Yes, pedicure. I at all times get the 2 confused.
What was the final present you obtained?
A hat with, like, a fox on it. My little sister obtained me this. It’s known as The Farm. But my canine bit my hat up. This hat is ruined. Sister, I’m so sorry. But sure, it is a cool hat.
What is the final piece of recommendation you obtained that modified your life?
I keep in mind being at Sundance and Kenya Barris, I requested him for recommendation on how one can enhance on every thing that I’m doing. He mentioned, “Read.” And he simply walked away, and I used to be taking a look at him like, “That’s not no mic drop. Come back here.” That’s what I used to be pondering. But as I began choosing up books and studying, it is a lot good data in these books. I’ve been studying a lot about appearing, my private therapeutic, about financing. Everything I wish to be taught, it has been in a ebook. And that is been among the best [pieces of] recommendation I’ve obtained.
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