Electric Ealy
By Michael Brody & Joyce Nieves
With his bright blue eyes and charming smile, newcomer Michael Ealy once again uses his angelic appearance as a mask to cover years of sorrow in the new crime drama Never Die Alone. The Maryland native started to make an impact not by playing camera-friendly roles, but by taking on characters whose haunted pasts always seems to keep him from redemption. Ealy, the co-star of the Barbershop films talks about his new film, the bad side of DMX, and his plans for the future.
So this is quite a departure from Barbershop.
ME: Yep. (Pauses) Was that a question?
No, I just wanted you to talk about the challenges of this role.
ME: Well, I'm glad to hear it is a departure from Barbershop. I was worried that there were going to be too many similarities. To me, it is a vast departure and I'm pretty proud of that. I feel like that's what I'm supposed to do as an actor. And that was actually part of the appeal. I got to get dirtier with this one. I got to go deeper and really focus on the integrity of the character and not have to worry about playing the lighter side of things because it's a comedy.
The level of violence in this film—was it necessary to be so violent?
ME: Depends on whether or not you're a fan of accuracy. I think the same can be said for The Passion of the Christ. If it's about being accurate—then yes. If that's how it went down, that's how it went down. This movie was based on a book by Donald Goines. Donald Goines writes graphic, repugnant, relentless books. We're just capturing the book. And to me, that is part of the effect. When I saw this movie, I said “I don't want a part of this life.” There is no “happy side.” The thing I enjoyed the most was that we didn't glamorize this movie. Certain people might feel differently, but I don't think we glamorized it. I know I spoke directly to Ernest (Dickerson) about it. I said “I don't want to glamorize this at all.” And to me, the montage at the end, where you see all the lives that have been destroyed by King David's presence one day back in the city, it just sets a tone. It makes a point that this is not the life. No one wants to live in this life.
Had you read much of Goines before?
ME: Not at all. I had no idea that this stuff was going on and that's another reason why I really wanted to do this. It's like nothing I've ever done. It's a life I've never lived. And if you don't take risks, you might become a boring actor. So, I figured I'd take a chance.
What goes into you choosing the film that you do?
ME: The number one component is a script. If I feel like it's a well-written script and if it speaks to me, it's something I want to do. I usually rely on my instincts when it comes to a script. Then the other component is “who's going to do this movie?” I've had a meeting with every director I've worked with. Right before we started shooting, I said “Are you the kind of director that's available for actors? Because it's a collaboration.” But that's the collaboration between me and Ernest. We worked on a whole back story and everything else. So it was very much a collaboration.
Do you fight against compromising yourself and what you do when you take a role? Have you ever turned something down because it just totally went against what you stood for?
ME: My friend Troy Garrity, from Barbershop, calls it having “moral authority.” And Troy's very big on “moral authority.” Although the other day he told me he had to get rid of some of that in order to work. There have been times where I've been like “I just don't think I can put myself in this situation and really be proud of it.” And this wasn't one of those times. If I can't be proud of it, I won't do it. There's a lot of stuff out there where you have to compromise yourself and at the same time, you have to be aware that this is the beginning of your career in film and there are dues you're going to have to pay in order to get the roles that you really want. If you look at a lot of people's careers, the first couple of movies, usually, are the most embarrassing.
Have you ever turned anything down and regretted it?
ME: Drumline. And when I say “turned it down,” I didn't have an offer, but I didn't like the script. I didn't see the potential. And that's something I've also had to learn: when you read a script, you have to see if it could potentially be a good movie, or whether or not it's just garbage. To me I thought Drumline was garbage when I read it. But what they did—I was like “Wow, they really fine-tuned this thing.” And it was an enjoyable movie.
How many more Barbershops are there going to be? I know there's one more on the way.
ME: Is there?
I heard that.
ME: I haven't heard anything about a third one. There is a series of Beauty Shop movies coming out. This is the thing: in Hollywood, this is what they do. Something works and then they roll out fifteen more. When Barbershop became a success, did $75 million at the box-office, they were like: “Urban comedies. That's what sells. That's what the people want. Let's make a ton of 'em.” And then you had three different versions of Beauty Shop because somebody said “Well, what if there was a more female-oriented version of this?” And so, you're going to have three versions of Beauty Shop to watch. That's just the nature of the beast.
So was the big draw for Never Die Alone the script or working with Ernest or working with DMX?
ME: The two. The script, and then working with Ernest. I mean, I was a big fan of Juice. And I always wanted to work with Ernest since Juice. So when Ernest was signed on, I was like “Okay. Let's pursue this.” And when I found out Matty Libatique was shooting, I was even more excited because I knew that the look was going to be fine. I could focus on character work and they could shoot the movie the way that it needed to be shot. So it really allowed me to just focus on what I do and not worry about what other people are doing.
What was it like working with DMX?
ME: X is great. He's just a very interesting guy. I would describe his performance as authentic in that he just brings a certain rawness to that character that was so fitting. The guy is—he's not for everybody. Not everybody can take him. But I find something very endearing about him. He's very hot and cold. I mean, if he loves you, he loves you. If he doesn't, it's bad. It's real bad. Personally, I haven't seen the bad side. So we're very cool. I had a good time working with him.
Did you call him “X” when you were around him or “DMX?”
ME: I call him “X.” Not that you should.
No, no. I would call him “Mr. DMX.”
ME: You know, it is what it is. But yeah, we do pretty much call him “X.”
So what's on your wish list, because you've had a really successful career early on?
ME: I know. I'm blessed, just blessed. Right now, I don't necessarily have a wish list; so much as I really want to work with good actors who I can learn something from. So if I can get in on a Benicio Del Toro movie—doesn't matter the size of the role—well, it does. I mean, I want to have something to do with him. As long as I have some interaction with him and can learn something from him, I'll do it. I'm not in a rush to be a leading man. This was actually very fulfilling to me to be a co-star. It was very fulfilling because I had plenty to do, felt like I was part of the movie, and yet the movie doesn't fall on my shoulders. So if we bomb this weekend, no one's going to say “Michael Ealy can't open a movie.” We all know that already. I'm not there yet. So I'm just going to try and work my way up right now.
Besides Del Toro, are there any other actors you'd like to work with?
ME: Wow. Okay, here we go: obviously Sean Penn, Denzel Washington, Kevin Spacey, Alfre Woodard, Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell—I love Will Ferrell. Let's see…DeNiro, Pacino—if Brando would come back, I'd love that.
What about directors?
ME: Darren Aronofsky, Peter Jackson, Bill Duke, and Spielberg—I mean, that's just a rite of passage. Mel Gibson, too—I'd like to work with him as a director.
What was it like for you to shoot it in nineteen days?
ME: It was actually quite good. There's something about compressing the schedule that gives everybody a no-nonsense attitude. We don't have time to mess around. A lot of stuff we did was one take. A lot. Two, three takes, maybe, if there was a technical problem. And we had technical problems because we only shot with available light. So it was a very tight shoot. But at the same time, it forced you to be ready. We didn't have time to waste. So I actually enjoyed it better. And it was over faster. Sometimes, a shoot will go on two, three months. You'll be like “Oh, boy. I'm still here.” Sometimes, it takes too long. And when you're shooting two, three lines a day, it can just drag. But we were very tight and very efficient. And that's the way I prefer to work. It was reminiscent of theater. It felt more organic this way. Because you came to work, got in character, and pretty much could stay in character most of the day, because you were just shooting so fast.
With your increasing visibility, are you worried about the sex-symbol status that you're starting to get?
ME: Am I worried about it? No, because I don't think it's overshadowed my talent yet. When it begins to become the primary reason to be in a room with Michael Ealy, then that's when I'll be worried. For the most part, I meet people who are like “I really like your work. I'm watching your career. I want to see you do well. Keep doing what you do.” I get that so much, and it's so reassuring. I often wish that so many people, who just work normal jobs, could get a pat on the back as much as I do, because it's very complimentary.
What similarities did you see between yourself and the character you play in Never Die Alone?
ME: Not a single one. We had nothing in common other than that Mike is very protective of his sister. My sister's older and I'm very protective of her.
And what genre and you most reluctant and most eager to work on and why?
ME: Most reluctant…adult film. Eager…adult film. Reluctant is romantic comedy. And eager, I would say suspense. Yeah, a nice suspense thriller.
At what point did you know that you wanted to be an actor?”
ME: Summer of '93. I spent that summer shooting a movie on eight millimeter video with two of my best friends, who made me audition for the role. And, I just found—I don't know, I had a moment of clarity. I was like “this is what I'm supposed to do.” I know that seems hard to believe at nineteen, but I was nineteen when I made that decision. And I haven't had a single regret. It's extremely fulfilling to do what I do. It really is. Now, obviously, when I do something bad, it will be a little bit different. It'll be “you were great in Barbershop.”
Read our review of Never Die Alone.
