In The Arts: Bryan Terrell Clark
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From our inaugural print issue of Kolor Magazine, Bryan Terrell Clark talks his start in performing art, Diarra from Detroit and the evolution of his relationship with his mother as a Black gay man.
How did you get started with the performing arts?
Yeah, I asked my mom that same question. And she said it was before I could talk. She said, My favorite TV shows or music would come on, and I would run over to the TV or radio and bounce. And she said she could tell at a young age that the arts were something that God gave to me. And she said it's our job as parents and mentors to help guide the natural proclivities that God gives our children. And so she guided that. First, it was in church. There was always an Easter play or Christmas musical, and I was involved in the choir. But while my mother was a Sunday school teacher turned minister, a school teacher turned principal, my dad, on the other hand, was like a blue-collar worker. And he hid from his family for about seven years that he was a drug dealer. So he was dealing drugs to upper management, and then once he got hooked on drugs, it took my family through hell. That was around the time I was in middle school, and so I became silent, like, completely silent. You would only hear me singing in a gospel choir because I was shy. So, the arts gave me a voice when I felt like I didn't have a safe space at home or school. I didn't have a lot of friends. My Aunt Brenda said, Well, if he likes this music thing, maybe he'll like acting, and she paid for my first improv class. And that opened the door. I went on to a performing arts high school, Carver Center for the Arts and Technology, in Baltimore County, and the world opened up. So, during the craziest moments in my childhood, the arts gave me a sense of voice and freedom.
You're a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. What benefits do you think a rising artist or creative can get from studying their craft in university?
I feel like it should be just studying your craft. It doesn't necessarily have to be through university, but you should forever, as an artist, be a student of your craft. I feel like what you get from university and what you get from studying is discipline and longevity. So, you can be naturally talented. There are a lot of naturally talented people, and you can get that one song, or you can get that one show, right? But, I think to have a level of longevity, a level of variety to your work, a level of consistency to your work, the consistency comes from the discipline, not the talent. Because when you're a performing artist, you perform through your creativity and imagination but also through your body. So, if you're not a painter, it's not on a canvas it's in your voice. It's in your body if you're a dancer, actor, or singer. The discipline of keeping something like this ever-changing, ever-living body consistent, you need skills for that because the body will wake up and do what to do. I had a movement teacher who would say, sometimes the Gypsy rises, and sometimes she doesn't. And on those days when she doesn't, technique and discipline, which are learnable, are the things that will sustain you on those days. So, those days when you show up on set, and you're not feeling it, you still know how to make the language active, you still know how to pursue an objective, you still know how to do the thing. It reminds me of a talented football player. I often think of us as performing artists, like athletes. Imagine a football player having a day where they don't feel like it. But if you've been practicing how you need to, you'll get out on that field, and the body will do what it's supposed to do. It's the same way for an artist. If you're not in alignment that day, sometimes you can lean more on your training, whereas you might not be able to lean as much on pure inspiration every day.
From school, you went to Broadway? You were Marvin Gaye in Motown, and George Washington in Hamilton. How was your overall experience performing on Broadway?
It was life-changing. It was like living a college dream. You're talking about whether or not school is the answer? Well, when I was in college, I would skip school. I had a high GPA, so if anyone reads this and thinks about skipping school, make sure your grades are up. But, I would skip school, and I would go to New York, and I would audition. I was in callbacks for Lion King. I was in callbacks for All My Children. At the same time, Temple University had us auditioning for grad school. I had also gotten into NYU and Yale, even though I had a teacher tell me I shouldn't apply because they didn't accept any black students. So, I was also trying to prove her wrong. But I got in, and I visited Yale School of Drama. And I feel like, I know it's a long-winded answer, but I feel like the experience of that school gave me kind of the consistency to be able to go and do the Broadway thing. You were asking, what was the Broadway thing like? It is grueling! People don't realize eight shows a week is difficult. It was life-changing because I was playing my favorite Motown artists. And I met so many Motown artists and worked with Barry Gordy. I think Broadway helped me understand what a life in the arts would be like. And it's going to take encouraging itself. It's going to take strengthening your insecurities. And it's going to take discipline and skill. And that's what Broadway gave me. It was a dream come true, though. Also, what I can say about Broadway is the community is like none other. The Black Broadway community is the family you never thought you needed. So, working with those artists every day, for years, and then going over to Hamilton and realizing, wait a minute, we got a family over here, too. It's nothing like the community on Broadway and a community of artists.
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Diarra From Detroit! I can't stop talking about this show. What was your initial reaction when you received this script?
Well, it's funny because I've known Diarra since 2007. What's wild is I was at Yvonne Orji's second comedy special for HBO, and I ran into Esther, Yvonne's friend, who was also writing and producing with Diarra. She goes, 'Are your ears burning?' I was like, What do you mean are my ears burning? She said, 'We're writing something, and we talk about you every day.' I was like, what? 'Yeah, it is this character we're basing off your voice. Every day, we say, would Brian say that? Brian wouldn't say that?' So Diarra comes walking down the steps. And I ask, you're writing the character in my voice; can I read the script? And she's like, 'I thought you weren't available. I thought she was working on another show.' I said, let me read the script. I'm going to be honest with you. I hate pilots. I feel like a show's first episode is always difficult, even if it ends up being my favorite show. That first episode is hard because you're grabbing the audience's attention and introducing characters. You have to introduce us to the world of the show without it feeling like too much, and you have to hook us. When I read that first pilot, I called her and told her it's the best pilot I've read in 10 years. Whether I'm in it or not, this is the best first episode I've seen or read in 10 years. I was blown away by the show's nuance and authenticity. I was blown away by the mystery and the adventure of it because I feel like, in my favorite black shows, I fall in love with the characters and their relationships, but it's there's not always a driving plot. The story's not always driving. So what was exciting is that I felt like I was watching the characters I love on Atlanta, Insecure, or Living Single. I felt like I was watching the people I like to watch on television thrown into this journey you would almost watch on HBO. I was so excited that this group got to take that journey. That was what was exciting to me. So I felt like I was like, How to Get Away with Murder meets Insecure or Atlanta? It felt something like that, so I was excited. And then, of course, I was like, I got to audition for this. And she replied, 'Yeah, I thought about you, but you still got to jump through the hoops.' So, even though the character, I believe, was always written with the intention of me playing it, I still had to audition against other actors and performers that other people thought might be right for the role, and then I booked it. It's sort of a dream come true, man. I'm not going to lie. It's one of my favorite roles I've ever played in my life.
Now, Mr. T is Diarra's best friend. You both are teachers, and I see your role as keeping your best friend from going too far off the ledge. Are you like Mr. T in real life, or are you rolling with your best friend off the ledge?
In real life, I'm a lot like Mr. T. I think I'm a truth-teller. I try my best to tell the truth in love, so that's the kind of friend I am. I'm going to ride with you. We're going to have fun. But I'm also that friend who will state the facts. While we're doing this, I'm going to state the facts. So, I tend to carry the same role that Mr. T does in real life. I'm all about having fun. Life is to be lived, not talked about. At the same time, I'm the friend where if you tell me you want a red apple? And you show up with a green pear? I'm the friend who will say, didn't you say you wanted a red apple? You said you want this kind of relationship, and you start dating homeboy, and I'm looking at the relationship. I'm the person who can pull you aside and say before you started dating him, you said this is what you want. Are you experiencing what you said you want? Or are you compromising? I'm that friend.
In your spare time, would you watch a mystery show like this?
It's my kind of show. I feel like black people watch everything. We don't only watch black things. What I'm excited about with Diarra From Detroit is it's the kind of show I would watch, but I rarely get a chance to watch those kinds of shows with a black cast. I won't say what show, but I'm watching this show; I think it's on Hulu. And I'm watching the show. And I'm thinking, this is a crazy, wild mystery, and everybody in his lily white, except for one Asian woman --they put a black guy in it too, but he doesn't say much. But it's one of those things where I'm thankful we get an opportunity to tell these kinds of stories, too. We don't always have to have just domestic drama. It also doesn't always have to be some drug dealer story. I love those stories. I'm not saying anything negative about them. I'm saying, why can't we get some adventure? Why can't we get some mystery? Why can't we get a little bit of that too?
What is the most challenging role that you've played to date?
Mr. T! He's my favorite but my most challenging because I think I usually rely on a lot of my skill and training, but he's the most authentic character I've ever played. So, he requires me to be honest and reveal a lot about myself. Also, I got a chance to play some comedy chops. I don't usually get cast as the comedy guy, but I think I'm funny. So, I got a chance to flex my comedy muscles. And regardless of what people think, comedy is more difficult than drama as an actor. I always knew that I loved comedy, but I got the opportunity to play it. So Mr. T was probably one of my most difficult because I had to reveal so much about myself and flex some comedy muscles.
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Let's shift gears to something more personal. You had a religious mother who had struggles accepting your queerness. What advice would you have for a gay or queer person looking to find acceptance from a religious parent?
I can't believe I did this, and it worked. A friend asked me, 'What do you want from your mother?' And I said I want unconditional love. I don't want love to be conditional. Because my mother told me I love you, but I'll never accept it. And the but is the condition of the love; I love you, but. I want her to love me unconditionally. And he looked at me and said, 'Can you give that to her? Can you love her unconditionally? Can you love her? Whether she accepts it or not? Can you love her where she is?' I made a risky choice by calling her and saying, I want you to be at this wedding. You're my best friend. It will mean the world to me for you to be there. But I will love you regardless of whether you understand it or not. I love you. Now, I think for every queer person out there, the first thing is safety. So, if you're physically in a place where you could be in physical or emotional danger, distance yourself from that space so you can love somebody unconditionally and not necessarily be in their proximity. So I'm not saying love your religious parents unconditionally, and then and then be subject to their abuse. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying love them unconditionally and model the behavior you want them to treat you with. It worked for me. My mother came to my wedding, and she participated in the ceremony. My husband's mother and my mother prayed us into the opening of our ceremony while the choir was singing. It was one of the most religious spiritual experiences I had had in years, and it was at my gay wedding. So, it's possible to be that bridge. And I think a lot of times in life. I don't know who said it, but sometimes we need to be the change we want to see. And that is real. It's real. So, I became it for my mother, and she reflected it on me.
You have Broadway, Diarra From Detroit, and Ava DuVernay's When They See Us. It's such a diverse resume. What are you looking to get into next?
Man, I'm going to tell you, I'm looking to dive into this music. I feel like there's freedom and creativity in music where you can create. So, diving into this music as an artist. And then I'm ready to get into some horror or sci-fi. I want to do some fun stuff. Dramas and comedies are great, but I want to do some horror or sci-fi next.
Art Director & Photographer : Ammar Thomas @iam.ammarjamal | Fashion Director & Interview: Nigel Isaiah @nigel_isaiah | Grooming: Rodney Jon Harris @madebyrodneyjon | Location: The 9 Studios |
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