Woody McClain walks off Cam Newton interview in tears after discussing Hollywood’s typecasting of Black men

To many people, actor Woody McClain is the person behind characters like Cain Tejada in “Energy E book II: Ghost,” or fashionable depictions of R&B singer Bobby Brown. And whereas he has the power to captivate audiences so properly that they affiliate him with these fictional characters in the true world, McClain is striving for extra. 

In a latest interview with Cam Newton, the actor was requested to mirror on his appearing course of, which in flip stirred up some feelings for McClain. Whereas he prides himself on authenticity, he admits he has considerations about being positioned in a field. Simply as social media acknowledges him for this gangster portrayal of Cain Tejada, he recollects an train in his first appearing class that positioned him in a field. 

“My first appearing class I took in LA, they’d this train on the primary day of sophistication and you’ve got all these actors in there after which [the instructor] sits a chair within the entrance of the room,” he stated explaining how the exercise concerned different college students within the class type-casting the particular person within the chair. “So I’m sitting within the chair and everyone’s saying ‘dangerous boy,’ ‘the thug,’ ‘the killer.’ I’m listening to these items. They don’t know me…That second made me notice folks decide you earlier than you even discuss, earlier than you even say something.” 

Although he as soon as used to “choose any sort” of function to gas his want to behave, he now says he seems at issues very in another way. 

“I wish to be very strategic of what I choose as a result of I don’t need everyone to maintain perceiving me as this dangerous particular person,” he started to elucidate earlier than visibly getting emotional. As his voice started to tremble, the actor finally received up from his seat and walked off-camera to compose himself. 

Returning to his seat, sniffling and wiping his tears, McClain defined how arduous he’s labored to “not be seen as that younger Woody,” who would tackle any function. 

“I wish to be a job mannequin. I wish to be that particular person folks can look as much as or go to. And I gained’t permit no one to place me in a field,” he continued. 

Along with his emotional confession, McClain revealed that he’s on the brink of be a father to twin ladies, one other milestone that he says performed an element in shifting his mindset. 

“Discovering out I’ve twins on the way in which, two child ladies. And for some purpose, now within the appearing neighborhood, folks determine you with what you play,” he defined. “So I don’t need my child ladies to develop up and suppose their dad is a foul particular person, so I’m simply extra aware of the artwork I put out to the universe.”

“It’s scary cuz I do know nothing about being a father, so every part is blurry proper now making an attempt to determine it out,” he concluded.