Keith Powers Interview

You may know Keith Powers best from his role as Theo in MTV’s Faking It. Theo is the smooth talking, busy, and undeniably handsome boy vying for resident evil-turned-misunderstood Lauren’s heart. Keith is on a roll with two big projects, including a role in the highly anticipated N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton and a starring role in Yahoo series Sin City Saints. Soon, it won’t be long before Powers is a household name.
Cliché: What inspired you to get into acting?
Keith Powers: What really inspired me was the first film I ever booked, House Party: Tonight’s the Night. The experience was so amazing that it inspired me to keep going. Also, seeing Heath Ledger’s dedication to his role of the Joker in The Dark Knight really inspired me.
If you could describe your character Theo in Faking It in four words, what would they be?
Charismatic, sarcastic, classic, and smooth.
Last season, we discovered that Theo is actually a cop. Can you give us some scoop on what’s next for him in this upcoming season?
In the next season, we’ll experience Theo trying to get Lauren back. You’ll see a more romantic Theo this season.
You are starring in the Yahoo series Sin City Saints as Ladarius Pope, a star basketball player who gets run over by the mascot. Can you tell us what you love most about working on the comedy with heavy hitters like Tom Arnold and Rick Fox?
I love working with them because I feed off of my other castmates. I learn from them. [Arnold and Fox] are the people I watched growing up, so to be able to call them my castmates is an honor. I think our cast is a very special cast and we have amazing chemistry.
You also finished working on the highly anticipated N.W.A. biopic as Tyree Crayton, Dr. Dre’s younger brother. What was that process like for you?
The process was surreal and amazing. It was great to be on set with Dr. Dre every day, and it was great to meet Ice Cube and be around these people that I grew up with and have known through music and TV my whole life. I’m from the west coast, so that’s what we grew up on. The movie is going to be relevant to what is going on today in society as far as what is going on with the cop-on-cop killings, etc. I think it is going to be amazing.
As far as research goes, I had small talks with Dr. Dre about Tyree, but I didn’t get the chance to pick his brain like I wanted to. I just thought about my little brother. I thought about how he used to copy me when we were younger and I tried to apply that to the role.
What do you hope people take away from all of your work?
I want them to know that I am working hard. Eventually I want to do movies that inspire people and play the characters that people can relate to and feel like these characters are also who they are. I want to be the best that I can be and give people material that they can appreciate. I want to give them work that they will love and cherish for life.
Is there an actor/director who you dream of working with?
I wish that I could work with Leonardo DiCaprio and Denzel Washington, of course. I think it would have been amazing to work with Heath Ledger. I would also love to work with Robert Downey, Jr. I love his charisma and sarcasm.
Where would you like to see yourself in the future?
I want to play more dark roles or leading roles. I would love to do some action films. My dream is to do a superhero movie. I want to be Static Shock and the first black Spider-Man.
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Keith Powers Interview: photos courtesy of Marc Cartwright