Exclusive Interview with Timon Kyle Durrett 12/23/14
Sistah’s Place2 had the opportunity
to sit down and talk with Timon before the holidays and catch up with him to
see what’s going on with him. He is a laid
back and humble man destined for greatness. Timon is determined to leave not
just a great legacy, but one to be remembered as meaningful, purposeful, and
fulfilling.
Photo Credits: Tarji Michelle Smedley
Can you tell
us about your current projects that you
are working on?
Timon: Well currently, I am not working
on any projects in film. Most recently
over the summer in Chicago, I filmed 72 Hours in June that was directed
by Chicago’s own Christopher Nolen. He
is a great producer out of Chicago, not to be confused with the other
Christopher Nolan. I played the role of
Cleavon "Von" Burkett where I was given the ultimatum to right all the
wrongs with women that I had in my life or God (played by Harry Lennix) was
going to take me out. It was a lot of
fun working on that film. From what I
understand it is set to be released Spring of 2015.
More recently I worked on a comedic
TV pilot called Life Twirls On written, produced, and directed by Kenya
Moore. It’s loosely based on the life
of Kenya Moore (from Real Housewives of Atlanta) and her two sisters. They are trying to resolve their differences
while going through crossroads in their lives.
I played the role of Eric, the best friend to Henry (Kenya’s TV Husband
to be). I am hoping that this gets
picked up and is something that can be coming down the pipeline. It was really good and a lot of fun to work
on and we did get some good feedback on it.
I am taking a break from filming to
work on my writing. I am self-publishing
my first book called Who The Hell Do I
Think I am? The book is a self-help
and self-development book. Simply put a concise, plain spoken, straight
forward, matter of fact, right in your face, first person evaluation, critique,
and fortifier of its reader. I describe
it as a quick read and it's something that struck me one day. It will be out on Amazon soon and I am real
excited about it. "I am looking forward to getting that other part of my voice out
there... so that my space between my birth and my death have significant weight
in the balance of time."
What attracts you to a particular
role that you are considering to play?
Timon:
There really are a lot of factors to be considered. I don’t like easy roles. I want a role that is emotionally
challenging, physically challenging, and psychologically challenging. By
psychological, I mean a role that forces me to have to dig in, do my research,
and use my instinct. I want to play a
role that has not been done 100 times.
I want people to look at the scene and be like,” how did you draw from
that?” To play in a scene, if I don’t
utter a word that scene speaks volumes.
For example, The Walking Dead
has physical grit and is grimy. I would
love to play a role like that.
If you could work with any one
legendary director, producer, or actor/actress, who would it be and why?
Timon: That is a long list; of course I
would love to work with Christopher Nolen again. Working with the entire staff and cast while I
was in Chicago filming 72 Hours was the best experience
that I had in practicum. I love to work
with directors and producers who convey real messages like Ridley Scott. I would have loved to work with his brother Tony Scott, but unfortunately he has passed on. I would love to work with Clint
Eastwood. As far of producers, Janine
Barrios is an executive producer from TV show Criminal Minds and a powerful sister out of Los Angeles. Other directors include Jermy Saulinier- directed Blue Room , Scott Cooper-directed Out of the Furnace, Kathryn Bigelow-
directed The Hurt Locker, Andrew
Dominik- directed Killing Them Softly,
Scott Walker- directed Frozen Ground. I like movies like these because when you
watch them it does not look like a movie set, it looks real. That vision is what I love to be a part
of. I want someone watching whether on
their laptop or big screen to say, “that looks real.” It captures the essence of the story not just
the surroundings. The directors allow
the actors to bring the characters to life; not just the writing, the setting,
and all the other technical stuff. I
like for great directors to allow actors to act. These directors that I have named allow
actors to do just that. They give actors
the pieces and allow the actors to put the pieces together. In my experience, it makes a more enjoyable
filming at least for me it does.
As for Actors, (man Letrise) that I
would love to work with: Jeffery Wright,
Lenny James, Ed Harris, Tilda Swinton, Harry Lennix (love to work with him
again), Andre Braugher, Mireille Enos, Javier Bardem, Alfred Woodward, Billy
Campbell, and Sean Penn just to name a few.
I have seen them in different roles and they embody those characters so
much that they make me believe and I love that.
What inspires you and keeps you
motivated?
Timon: I have been asked that question a
lot and it’s always the same. I want the
space that I occupy between my birth and my death to be meaningful, purposeful,
and fulfilling. You know I want
significance, a significant weight in the balance of time. I know it sounds corny (laughs). As for my acting and writing goes, I want to
convey the truest messages portrayed or play very complicated and interesting
characters that are real whether it’s on stage or film. I like to take the viewers and audience on an
emotional roller coaster. That’s
significant to me. I really enjoy that
and I think it would be cool one day if my great grandson were to look at the
screen and see my work and say my great granddad was cool. “I want
to leave one of the greatest legacies for my family and people who have watched
me. I want them to see that if you’re going to do something, be passionate
about what you do.”
What advice do you have for our
black youth today about following their dreams and showcasing their gifts?
Timon: Know who you are, stay true to who
you are, know what you want, and go after that.
That is what matters the most. In
a world where you can be anything you want to be, be yourself and just be great
at it. I have seen so many people
compromise who they are and what they want for the sake of popularity or money.
There is nothing worse than looking up one day and saying, what I could have,
or I should have done this or that, but knowing that you didn’t because of
someone else’s opinion or someone else’s criticism. I have learned that the hard way early on,
and as of late the easy way. “If you stay true to yourself, there is going
to be a space for you someplace. Do what
you love and love what you do because that is how you really live.”
Photo Credits: Sterling Photography
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