Barely a few minutes late for his press interview, Sean Patrick Thomas is apologetic for his tardiness. Assured, graceful, amiable and intelligent, he’s one of those rare talents found in the small batch of classically trained black actors in Hollywood, but is far from conceited. Smart and sophisticated, the Guyanese actor has been on a professional upswing ever since he made his debut in the musical number “Save the Last Dance.”
With a new movie called “The Honeydripper,” and a TV version of the award-winning play “Raisin in the Sun” due out next year, the expectant father is anxious for you to know that there’s much more to him than what you’ve seen.
He talks to CaribPress’ Samantha Ofole-Prince about his upcoming projects and endeavors.
SOP: It’s been a while since audiences have seen you in a major role and it seems work has certainly picked up. How did you get onboard Raisin in the Sun and what character do you play in that?
SPT: I was right in the middle of shooting “Honey dripper” and had a break in shooting for a week and got a call from my agent about an audition. It’s my all time favorite play as it was the first play I ever did in my whole life. I looked terrible though because I was doing “Honeydripper” and had greasy processed hair that was all relaxed and a cheesy moustache, but I went in anyway and I was going to play Joseph Asagai the African, but they were like nope we want you for George so I went back in for George and got it.
SOP: In Honeydripper you play a sassy and arrogant character called Dex, which is a far cry from the previous characters we have seen you play – what are you hoping this film will do for your career?
SPT: I try not to think like that anymore because you never know. I would like to think that people will see that I am not a teenager and not this square, sweet faced boy and that I can do other things.
SOP: Movie wise, you have wonderful track record, but like most actors in Hollywood still seem to be part of grueling audition process. Do you still consider yourself a struggling actor?
SPT: On one hand I feel like a struggling actor in a sense that people don’t call me up and ask me to be Jason Bourne, but I can pay my bills so in that sense I don’t feel like a struggling actor because I don’t have to wait tables or anything like that so on that level I feel very blessed, but on the flip side everyday is a mystery and that’s a struggle.
SOP: “Honeydripper” is a periodic piece set in the 1950’s Alabama – which was a difficult time for many African Americans. Mentally, what was it like for you filming a historical drama especially not having African American ties nor heritage?
SPT: I felt it. You could feel the weight of the history there. I feel sort of a little distant from the South because my family is West Indian because I don’t have that history within my family so I felt that I have to make this and get it right.
SOP: How do you feel about your career and the way it’s flowing – are you satisfied with it so far?
SPT: I am very proud of it, but I don’t know if I am satisfied. I think that I have a lot more that I can do that people haven’t seen yet. I think I am transitioning from a phase because I look younger than I am, I am too old to play the teenager or the college student anymore but I don’t really look like I could be any body’s dad either. I don’t see that as a disadvantage, but just see that as something I need to get over once and it won’t be an issue anymore.
SOP: When you are considering a project and are furnished with a script, what sort of criteria’s do you use as a measuring gauge in determining if it’s something you want to play and are there any limitation to the type of roles and characters you would play?
SPT: A lot of it is instinct. I don’t know that I would limit myself in any broad categories. I do tend to shy away from stereotypical stuff. I guess I would play a homosexual character, but it has to be something like “Six Degrees of Separation” where it’s part of the texture of the whole thing. I don’t want to ever say never. Something like “Honeydripper,” you hear Danny Glover is attached and you hear the name John Sayles (director) and you know you are going to learn something from both of those people.
SOP: What would you consider to be a stereotypical role?
SPT: Well, this turned out to be a brilliant movie but I read for “Hustle & Flow” and when I read it I thought I am not touching this one. It turned out to be a great film and I don’t regret my decision not to do it but at the time on page I thought pimp, hooker that’s not for me.
SOP: You were recently married about a year and a half ago in New Orleans. Any patter of little feet on the way?
SPT: As a matter of fact my wife is pregnant and is due the first week of May. We haven’t picked any names and don’t want to know the sex. We just want to be surprised on the day and we have trying for a little while and its happening.
SOP: Your wife is also a fellow actress and was in the first “Fantastic Four” installment. How did you initially meet?
SPT: We were at a party for Tim Story, the director of Barbershop and I saw her there and she saw me and a friend told me that she’s a good girl. In Los Angeles
you feel like some of the women are not good girls and you are just around a lot of Hollywood stuff. We chatted and talked all night for hours and then we went for dinner the next day and that was it.
SOP: You have a Master degree from NYU and are an English literature major. Did you intentionally set out to get educated and pursue higher learning incase acting fell through — was that your B plan?
SPT: I never had a plan B in any concrete sense, but I have always felt that I am a capable, educated guy and I don’t need someone to dictate when I am going to eat and that’s a powerful feeling.
SOP: When the little one grows up would you object if they decided to follow mum and dad’s career path and become an actor especially knowing the trials and tribulations you have experienced?
SPT: I would encourage them to pursue it, but at the same time make sure they are educated. I feel like that’s the part that I took and that’s the part that I am comfortable with.
SOP: You have another upcoming flick called “The Burrowers,” what’s that project about? SPT: It’s a Western/horror film set in 1872. It’s basically about this band of searchers looking for a woman that they think was kidnapped by Indians and so I join the search party to look for this woman. My character is this former slave who hooks up with all these redneck cowboys looking for this girl and it turns out it wasn’t Indians who kidnapped the girl. It’s out next year.
“Honeydrippers” is out in select theatres
