We speak to Morris Chestnut about his new film, The Perfect Guy, and his character as Dave, a commitment–phobe who walks away from his girlfriend when asked to take their relationship to the next level.
1.Tell us about your character Dave.
Basically when the film opens up we’re at a crossroad in our relationship. She wants to be married; I don’t want to be married. We really love each other, but we have to break up because we just don’t want the same things at that moment. She then gets involved with another guy… She thinks he’s the perfect guy, but of course it turns out not to be that way (laughs)… I come back into her life and now we have a triangle.
2. Do you enjoy making thrillers?
Thrillers are fun because it really is about what the director is doing with the camera that we don’t know about as actors… And then all the stuff that’s put in, in post; all those elements that build the tension – the music and the effects – really make a huge difference.
3. How did you get into acting? Did you know you wanted to do this from an early age?
No. After graduating from high school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I had a friend who was in a play and he asked me to come and see him perform. I found that it was something I liked to do and I just started pursuing it. I took an acting class the very next semester.
4. Your first feature was Boyz n the Hood?
Well, that was the first one that was released (laughs)… I did a couple of student films and things with my friends before that.
5. How did that breakthrough role come about?
Boyz n the Hood basically came about because I was in the right place at the right time. I had just gotten a new agent and he told me about an audition for the movie with this USC film student. I went in, met Jaki Brown, the casting director, and John Singleton, and I guess the rest is history from there. We had a good relationship and it worked.
6. The film was release 24 years ago, is that right?
Yeah… It will be the 25th anniversary, next year.
7. Do you still enjoy doing what you do after all these years?
I do. What I love most about what I do is being in a different situation every single time. For example, we shot the first Best Man in New York and the second in Toronto. The characters and stories are always different. I just love the fact that it’s something new each time.
8. What’s the role that you’ve done that’s closest to you in real life and why?
All of them have some aspect of me. But, I’d probably say Lance in The Best Man is probably the closest. I love football; and I love my wife like he loves his. He’s a family man… The essence of that character is the closest to me.
9. How do you deal with being perceived as a sex symbol?
I don’t really focus on that. I’ve always felt it was about the work, always! If I was too caught up in that other stuff, I might as well try and be a model. I’m just an actor.
10. What was the biggest challenge for you on The Perfect Guy?
Making a film like this is like putting together a puzzle. You have to put all these pieces in place and they all have to come in and lock. So I knew exactly what the overall scheme of the film was when I took this role. It was the type of role where if you try to do too much, it just wouldn’t fit. My character is not the driving force in any scene. But if you don’t do enough with it, the audience is not going to care about him. So it’s really a balancing act – to not do too much, but at the same time do enough so the audience cares. That was the challenge I faced as an actor.
We’re giving away 171 double sets of tickets to join BONA at the premiere. Watch the trailer below and then click here to enter the competition. See you there!
