2008 was a big year for Maryland-born actor Michael Ealy.
First he had a prominent role in the Spike Lee World War II epic, Miracle at St. Anna and followed that up with an appearance in the drama Seven Pounds opposite Will Smith a.k.a. The Biggest Movie Star in the World. In short, Ealy’s come a long way since sweeping out hair in the Barbershop movies. And in the on deck circle is Takers, a thriller starring T.I., Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana and Matt Dillon.
Ealy gave GIANTmag.com a ring from his California abode to talk about his experiences working with Will and Spike and why everyone should check out his Showtime series Sleeper Cell on DVD.
GIANT: You’ve got a small role in Seven Pounds, but it’s pivotal to unwinding the movie’s twisty narrative. When you first read the script, were you sitting there going, “How do I fit into all this?”
Michael Ealy: That’s exactly how it happened. I was like, “Okay what am I going to do here?” There was a reason Will Smith’s character had a brother so I had to figure that out. But it was a nice twist—a very nice twist. I had to read it a couple times to make sure I got it. A friend of mine saw the movie the other day and said, “I still have a lot of questions.” I think that’s what the director wanted—he wanted people to talk about the movie and ask questions. I like it that way. I hate walking out of a theater thinking that I wasn’t challenged at all.
GIANT: How many days did you work on the movie and did you have much time to rehearse with the other actors?
Ealy: I don’t remember how many days I did—maybe 10 days on the movie itself. The rehearsal process was amazing. I kept thinking that Will had come from the theater because he wanted to keep it organic. We did a lot of improv. It was very nice to see someone at his level keep it fresh as possible. At this point in his career, he’s definitely taking some chances. What’s the point in playing it safe your entire career?
Ealy and Smith in Seven Pounds
GIANT: Did you pick up any lessons from working with a star of that magnitude?
Ealy: When you work with Will, you see the ultimate professional. He’s silly, he’s serious, he’s courteous, he’s efficient and the way his mind works is absolutely fascinating. I consider him a film scientist. He studies more film than you can ever imagine and he knows more movies than you can imagine. He’s really approached the film business like a science and he found the winning equation if you ask me. He’s always on time, he’s nice to everybody and he’s just so funny. He’s funnier in person than you can imagine in any interview or movie. There’s no ego there whatsoever.
GIANT: What was your experience like making Miracle of St. Anna? I enjoyed that film and was sorry it didn’t find a bigger audience.
Ealy: First of all, let me say thank you for watching. We worked so hard on that movie and it broke my heart that it didn’t do better at the box office. Nonetheless, I think people will see it in the years to come. The experience in Italy was phenomenal. We spent three months in Rome and nine in Tuscany. It was a life experience I can never forget. I hope to one day own a home there.
Omar Benson Miller and Ealy in Miracle at St. Anna
GIANT: How closely did you work with the other actors in your “platoon”?
Ealy: We had endless discussions off camera about our roles. I’ve never shared so much with other actors. We would go through the book continuously and most of the ad-libs and improvs come directly from the book. Every night before Omar Benson Miller and I had a scene, we’d spend a couple of hours breaking down what we were trying to accomplish and how it fit in terms of our relationship in the movie. What I love about both of these movies is that if you look at my characters from Miracle at St. Anna and Seven Pounds, you see two entirely different people. My character in Miracle is a slick hustler from the ’40s and in Seven Pounds it’s a contemporary guy on the straight and narrow. I enjoy the ability to diversify the roles I play. I obviously had more to do in Miracle, so on a selfish level it was probably a bit more fulfilling.
GIANT: You also had a major role on the Showtime series Sleeper Cell as an undercover agent investigating a domestic terrorist cell.
Ealy: I think that show was ahead of its time to be honest. I just read a story the other day about Al-Qaeda recruiting Somali people in the United States. The reality is that there are probably cells in the U.S. and we have to come to terms with that. I think more people should see Sleeper Cell now that they’ve made Traitor with Don Cheadle, which was basically a compressed version of our show. I enjoyed that experience so much. It was timely and something we had not seen before. It wasn’t a medical drama or legal drama. I still get people who come up to me asking if it’s coming back. And it’s been off the air for two years!
GIANT: What kinds of roles are you looking to take on next?
Ealy: There are some books I’d like to adapt, but I can’t say what they are because once you say it, someone else goes and buys the rights! [Laughs]. But I am developing projects that I could produce or be in or both. That’s something else I learned from Will. For me, it’s about playing roles with impact. I felt like in Miracle and Seven Pounds and especially in Sleeper Cell, the impact of those roles was right where I needed to be at that point in my career. That’s really what I try to do—get the role that has some impact and not be the expendable character that gets left on the cutting room floor. I put to much work and passion into the projects I do to be left on the cutting room floor.
Seven Pounds is on DVD now. Check out GIANT’s review and watch the trailer below.
