LBHW Interview with Deyshaun Tucker!

Recently, I caught up with actor Deyshaun Tucker! He can currently be seen gracing our screens, portraying “Roman” so incredibly on Carl Weber’s The Family Business Season 5 on BETPlus! He has a passion for bringing characters to life with sometimes complex stories, stories that deserve to be told in a fair light. Deyshaun’s talent—one of his greatest attributes as well as his brilliant mindset and abilities—is to be able to stir up empathy in the audience towards a character that may otherwise not have existed initially—which is truly remarkable. Check out this interview and get into his profound insights.

Can you take us back a bit and tell us what led you into a journey of acting? 

Fabulous question, because it’s a question I like to continue to ask myself on the sunny days, rainy days, foggy days, and everything in between.

I’d like to think that true art is born out of necessity, and I believe that’s evident with me because acting took a great time to become the forefront of my life. Then it grew into a compulsive desire. 

I played football my entire life, from 8 years old up until 22, when I graduated college. Acting and sports were so separated while I was growing up, especially where I’m from. However, I always recalled watching TV as a child and into adulthood and thinking, “How would it be if I tried that?”

Ultimately, what led me into acting is wanting to erase the line in the sand and show us all that we are all more alike than different, as humans. And for some reason, watching someone overcome struggle is innately interesting, and I wanted to be a part of stories that told that. If you name any of your favorite movies, at some point the protagonist is overcoming some type of struggle, whether it be internal or external. 

Let’s talk about “Family Business”! So happy to see you join the cast! Tell us about your character, “Roman”. How did this role come about for you, and how did you prepare for it? 

Funny story indeed. I actually got offered the role of Roman while being on the set of the “Black Hamptons.” As many know, both shows exist in the same world, so it wasn’t a simple task to just pull me out of the “Black Hamptons” and then pull me into “The Family Business.” I booked a co-star role on “Black Hamptons,” so I showed up and did my job, and then they asked me to come back for a second day. On the second day, Carl Weber, the creator of both shows, pulls me out of a scene on “Black Hamptons” and says, “I have something else for you. You’re going to absolutely love it, and your Queens, NYC background will definitely manifest beautifully with this new character, Roman.”

When I hear this, I smiled cheek to cheek, but also, I didn’t know what would happen with my character Tim on “Black Hamptons.” Long story short, we had to edit, write out, and cut Tim out of the “Black Hamptons” so that Roman could be born. Quite the sacrifice—Ha Ha—but, overall, a majestic one. Serendipity happens every day, and it keeps the world spinning. 

Roman is someone who deserves to be spoken for and advocated for, and I am grateful to be the person who brings him to life. Playing Roman has allowed me to exercise my empathy muscle in a profound way. It was the first time I had the chance to tell a character’s story throughout an entire season. Through the 9 episodes of playing Roman, I’ve felt just about every human emotion with him. If I had to describe Roman in one sentence, I’d say, “By any means necessary.” In his opening scene in Season 5, Episode 1, it’s very easy to judge him on a surface level; however, once we get to know him, I think any human could have compassion for his choices and courage. 

What did portraying this role of “Roman” and the entire filming experience teach you about yourself as an actor?

Roman taught me that as an actor, you have to fight for your character like a warrior while remaining as sensitive as you can be as a human. When I say fight for him, I’m saying that it’s taught me to take full ownership over my choices as the actor that brings this character to life off of a page of words and punctuations. It’s also taught me that it takes courage to be a good actor because you can’t be 85, 95, or even 99% invested; you have to be 100% committed, or the camera will pick that up. The camera never lies; it doesn’t know how to.

What has been your most memorable scene in “Family Business”, and why? 

My most memorable scene in “The Family Business” was episode 3 of season 5 when Roman is in the hospital visiting his mom and we find out that he’s only done these unlawful deeds because his mother’s surgery costs over $40,000. It was most memorable for me because it defines Roman’s “by any means” approach, which ultimately is a form of love for him. It also allows an audience member to see him at his most vulnerable moment of his life and allows for them to develop a more nuanced perspective of him. Also, it’s most memorable because Roman and this scene specifically reminds me of one of my top 5 favorite movies, “John Q”. There are many parallels between Roman and John Q, who is famously played by Denzel Washington. And no, this isn’t a moment of opportunity to compare myself to this greatest of all time, Denzel Washington!

Out of all the roles that you’ve portrayed thus far, what is that role that you feel catapulted you and challenged you to that next level of acting, and why? 

I’m going to have to go with a character called “Angel Cruz” in the play Jesus Hopped the “A Train, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis. It was a character that has forced me to do the most research I’ve ever done for a role, exercise my imagination the most, have my mind go to the darkest place (and of course come out of that), and on a practical level, it challenged my stamina and breathing the most.

What’s your dream role—a role you’d love to portray in the future? Let’s claim it right now! 

Easy one, Miles Morales, aka Spider-Man! Tell a friend to tell a friend. Our upbringings have a lot of parallels, from education to family dynamics, to culture, to geography, to teenage emotions—the list goes on.

When you’re not busy, how are you practicing self-care to maintain your well-being? 

Self-care is imperative because if we can’t take care of ourselves, then it’s impossible to adequately pour into others, right? To practice self-care, I focus on controlling the things I can, and only those things. I maintain my daily prayers, continuously work on my faith, read a daily passage from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday, exercise as much as I can, whenever I can… I believe movement is medicine.

It’s important to even go on walks if we aren’t able to get a workout in. However, I believe the most important form of self-care is to nurture your thoughts, because our thoughts create images in our mind, which lead to specific emotions; those emotions lead to certain behaviors/actions, and those actions/choices ultimately dictate our destiny in life. 

Giving myself grace consistently is vital as well. As soon as I told myself that I am permitted to make mistakes on this life journey it was liberating. There’s no such thing as a problem-free life, no matter what phase of life you are in or career.

Before you go, drop a gem or some great advice for our readers out there. Feel free to state whatever compels you. I like to call this section Unpacking Your Thoughts. Let them know, King!

Who you are will always be more important than what you accomplish; character is fate! The journey is the reward because it’s about who we become in the process; there is always, always going to be another mountain to climb. And I think we should all fall in love and stay in love with the “becoming” of ourselves. Yes, it’s imperfect, but it’s pure and a part of the human experience. 

Thank you much, Deyshaun!

Keep up with Deyshaun:

Instagram: @deytucker

https://m.imdb.com/name/nm11869655/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Watch him in action portraying, “Roman” on Season 5 of Carl Weber’s “The Family Business” on BETPlus!