I’ve been doing a series on “The New Landscape of Television”, and am concluding it with a special guest, one of my favorite actors, RonReaco Lee! I caught up with RonReaco who was gracious enough to give me an interview. (I was so excited!) We talked about his career, and what we both like and aren’t happy with regarding the portrayal of the black experience in media. And let me tell you, this brotha gives “good talk”! (It’s a long interview, but it’s definitely worth reading every word!)
Lee is one of those actors you recognize and love, but hasn’t necessarily been a household name. But that’s all beginning to change with his latest role on BET’s Let’s Stay Together, where he plays Jamal Woodson, a husband and father of twins.
Lee has a reputation in the industry and outside of it for being an extremely nice guy. My time with him absolutely confirmed that. Like many of you I’ve been a fan of Lee since he was first brought to our attention as Tyreke on the 90’s sitcom Sister, Sister. And I’ve loved and supported his work ever since then, from when he was the mute drummer boy in Glory to his stint on Girlfriends when he played the young mail-room guy who romanced Joan Clayton! Lee is one of those natural actors, born to do it, who can put extra shine on sharp dialogue, or take nothing and make into something with his delivery. For the last installment of my television series, let’s get to know more about RonReaco Lee!
Though Lee spent some time in the Midwest, he was born and mainly raised in Georgia. His mother recognized his creative talent early on, enrolling him in drama classes while he was in the fifth grade at the Alliance Theater, which he credits for whetting his appetite for the arts. “I probably took just about every class I could on the weekends. There were times when I had to catch the train by myself. Obviously my parents had to work. I always credit my mom for getting me started,” recounts Lee. Even at a very young age Lee had a very specific idea of what kind of actor he wanted to be, and what kind of roles he would take.
When Lee first started out, he was still in the South, and says, “A lot of the parts that were available to actors particularly in the South were small and…” (He was reluctant to say coonish so I did!) He laughed, but then explained, “Filmmakers always came to Atlanta to do a very specific type of movie; period pieces, of which I did a lot of them. Films and television shows were always centered around racial tension, and so it got to a point where as a thirteen, fourteen year old kid, I just got tired of it.”
Lee got a call to audition for A Time to Kill with Samuel L. Jackson in Alabama. And when he got there he felt the kind of roles there were similar to what he’d already experienced. “I just wanted more. I decided if this is what I had to do to be an actor in the South; I would just rather not do it.” He backed away from the industry and began working in a daycare, pursuing his interest in a career in early childhood education with the intentions of starting his own daycare. Lee had made a firm decision not to pursue stereotyped roles.
I would tell my agent, “Look, don’t call me.” But she called me one day with a script and I couldn’t put it down. It was an amazing script that focused on young African Americans in college. It was a love story with a unique twist. It was called How I Spent my Summer Vacation. And I couldn’t believe this. There was nothing in the script that involved me being called outside my name! It was nothing derogatory. It was just a portrayal of young black love and I thought wow! I don’t want to discredit any of the films I was blessed to be a part of like Glory, but it was definitely an eye opening experience being able to portray a young African American falling in and out of love. It lit that fire, and before you know, I was moving out to LA.
And with that move his acting career began to take shape, getting cast in Sister, Sister. But even though it seems Lee has managed to maintain a consistent presence on television and some film he went through a period when it was difficult to get work.
I remember after Sister, Sister ended I auditioned for Soul Food to play Glen, (Birdie’s husband). I tested with Rockmond Dunbar and Malinda Williams at a network test. Obviously the show didn’t go my way. I remember being really bummed because I felt the show was going to do well and it did, but I remember thinking “What am I gonna do next?” Because basically I was still relatively new, but you gotta think that I was blessed (and) only had to struggle about six months. But now I was just the guy who needed to find work. I was finally able to figure out the pilot game with networks. I was fortunate to be able to crossover a little bit.
And Lee’s “crossover” appeal worked in his favor to become a working actor, but it also may have been an obstacle in getting cast in other black shows. “There weren’t really a ton of black shows, and the ones that were on were fully cast. They weren’t really looking to add anyone, nor were they showing me a ton of love. I have to be honest. I had to make moves. I had to find a way to work. I was blessed to be able to find opportunities outside those shows,” Lee shared. I found all of this to be very interesting.
Obviously the one thing I never wanted to be was the black who only did non-black shows!” (We laughed as I told him he always plays the “non threatening Negro”.) Lee went on to explain, “There was a lot of black shows that really wouldn’t mess with me for whatever reason. After I worked with Bernie Mac on Guess Who? I was praying to get a chance to work on the Bernie Mac Show, a show that I loved, and Everybody Hates Chris, but again, for whatever reason I never got opportunities to work on them. And at the end of the day I gotta eat, I gotta pay bills. I kept myself working ‘cause I had to keep hustling.
(I love Lee’s honesty!) Who knew that a black actor like Lee wasn’t well received by other black shows? And with that reality Lee had to still find a way to work, and like many actors has had to take roles he wasn’t crazy about.
“Yes, I’m not gonna say I’ve been gun ho about everything I’ve done. I’ve had to make certain calculated moves,” Lee explained. This led me to ask Lee about Tyler Perry and his experience with being in Madea Goes to Jail, which he actually enjoyed. “There are some pieces I’ve actually liked (by Perry). I liked Why Did I Get Married and The Family That Preys. Have there been some movies he’s done that I don’t particularly enjoy? Yeah. But all in all my experiences working with him were good. I enjoyed portraying that character (in Madea Goes to Jail). I enjoyed portraying a lawyer and that particular story line,” Lee stated. He also went on to express the great feeling of being on a set and seeing so many people of color, crediting Perry for hiring black talent. I asked Lee about some other roles he’s enjoyed playing, or if he had any favorites.
“I don’t know, a lot of times it depends on what allows me to be most creative to really kinda do my thing. … from a creative standpoint I do best when people allow me to do me. I did a show for Fox called Good Guys. Now, I wasn’t really crazy about the character…It was one of those things that we kinda talked about earlier where you’re like “oh, boy…,” Lee explained. But Lee was able to find a way to shape the character in a way that suited him, and the network. His experience with being fortunate enough to be in a position to shape that character to his liking, led us to discuss the way African Americans are currently being portrayed in media, the good and the bad, and the lack of love.
Lee, a newlywed said, “The biggest difference is that marriage has forced me to step up my game. It's not just about me anymore.” I was curious to know his perspective on how black love is portrayed on television. “Well there isn’t a lot of it. …I feel like we need more of it. (With) a show like Let’s Stay Together, my prayer is that it’s just the beginning.” Lee went on to reflect on classic black television saying, “I reference the Cosby Show so much in my life just as a teaching tool…Cliff and Claire, they were so black love that you just drew from their experience.” And not only is black love missing from media, seems love for black women is missing too.
I asked Lee about the role media plays in the disconnect in black relationships in terms of contributing to unrealistic standards. I cited the State Farm commercial where the dark skinned actress is transformed into the light skinned model, Selita Ebanks as per the request of her dark skinned boyfriend.
I know that commercial and a couple of people in that commercial. I’ve auditioned with Mechad (Brooks) a couple of times who was the “after” brother. Yeah what I enjoy is when I watch television and every now and then there’s a show that hasn’t been cast on any type of looks. It’s been cast solely on the ability to bring a role to life. I love it. Because you can tell when they cast someone just based on what they think is pretty or attractive. I think that has something to do with the disconnect (in black relationships).
Unfortunately as black men we have been force fed through media, through TV, billboards etcetera, what American considers beautiful. I feel like sometimes that’s part of it. The media in terms of advertisers and so forth has been very one-sided. It feels so contrived a lot of times.
And in discussing the portrayal of black women in that commercial, we talked about how hard it is for black women in television and film on the whole.
I remember doing a pilot. It was a white show that Fox was doing, and I was fortunate to get the job. They were interested in getting an African American woman to play opposite the character, and I was amazed at the scrutiny (the actresses endured). I’ve always said if black men have it hard in this business black women…we shouldn’t even complain. They have it so much harder. The media perpetuates a sick cycle of what “works” on television and what doesn’t work.
But overall, viewers are hard pressed to find quality black shows and films that reflect the experience of the African Diaspora with any accuracy, profundity or these days, dignity. The abundance of black projects that highlighted the 90’s into the millennium, have considerably depleted. Lee expressed his sentiments on that.
Around 2008 when Girfriends and The Game were being phased out sadly by The CW, that just left a void….It was unfortunate to turn on the television and not be able to find a show like Let’s Stay Together or the The Game. And what you found people having to do was turn to TV One and watch re-runs …I still have episodes of A Different World in my TiVo! What else am I going to watch? Where else am I going to find really positive representations of our people on television? Where else am I going to find compelling storylines of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert?
It was great television and who knew there would come a time where there would really be no more, and we would have to wait for a resurgence? But thankfully it’s happening. I think networks are starting to realize that we do watch TV and we are lucrative…
(I said we buy more than soda and cars, and to that Lee added, “Exactly”!)
At the end of the day it’s all economics. Again, we just want our share of that economic pie…. The Game, and it debuted to seven million viewers?… I look at the numbers because I wanna see how they (The CW) justify axing a show. I wanna see what does The CW have that draws even close to seven million viewers, and I can’t find anything. It just amazes me. It’s not just the actors but I also think of the directors, the producers, the writers-all of these people who have kinda been pushed out. Unfortunately if they’re not able to crossover and find work on the NBC’s and ABC’s or a predominantly white show, what do they do?
Seems Lee had a lot to say about “The Landscape of Television” and how it’s progressing (or not) in terms of incorporating an authentic black perspective. And I really appreciated his candor. See, I told you this brotha gives good talk!
What I like about RonReaco Lee is what I think all of his fans gravitate to, a sense of humility that makes him relatable. When we met I walked right up to him and we just started talking like old friends. And it’s that kind of charm that comes through in his acting and makes you feel like, “This is the kind of guy I wanna hang with!”, and therefore support. And I think his personality and charisma, in addition to his obvious talent (which includes his ability to play piano which we might see on Let’s Stay Together in the future) is what makes people want to work with him, giving him the opportunity to utilize his craft, and give the fans what we want!
I absolutely adore RonReaco Lee! I’m so happy and honored he took the time to grace Cocoa Popps with an interview. (I hope I’ve done him justice!)
You can catch Lee when the second season of Let’s Stay Together premieres on BET in January!
Are you a fan of RonReaco Lee? How do you feel about what he shared regarding the television industry and his experiences as a black actor?
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