While London Brown of HBO’s Ballers made his way into Hollywood, he was also dealing with the loss of his younger brother. He sat down with us to talk about getting through the tragic event, living in his purpose, and giving back to those who are less fortunate.
When did you know that acting was the path for your life?
I did a play in high school. I believe in 9th grade and it was called “Rebel Without A Cause.” I just remember after that first performance that was one of the moments I decided I wanted to do this thing called acting. I had done some things before that, but I had never made the choice that I was going to do it. But since that play, I have been inspired ever since.
You’re from South Central, LA’s most notorious neighborhood. I’m sure a lot of people are wondering how does one make it out of a neighborhood such as where you grew up and then become successful?
To be honest, I think the base of it all is that my mother prayed when I was like 10 years old. She prayed that God would keep me so busy that I wouldn’t have time to get caught up in the streets. I remember that prayer and it was like after that I’ve been busy ever since. After that, I started doing plays for the church. Then I was a musician and I was playing for the church services. Between church and school, I didn’t really have time to do anything else. My mother was one of those factors that really kept me. She wasn’t messing around. That really got me through. But also, being that I grew up in the hood, it helped that I was funny. That saved me from a lot, like I didn’t have to get initiated into a gang. They didn’t bother me, because they thought I was funny. Even as a young adult, you have to stay focused. I’ve always known what I wanted to do, so anything that didn’t line up with the goal I decided to negate those things.
You started on Ballers back in 2014 and around that time you lost your brother to gun violence. Can you share your recollection of that time period?
2014 was a broken year. I remember at one point I had $20 in my checking account. It was a really rough year. But yeah, I auditioned for it that summer and then two months later they gave me a call and offered the role. I lost my brother right at the beginning of season two. When my brother was coming to try out for one of the major leagues. He was coming from college and he was shot while he was down here. That was an interesting space for me, because by 2015 I was ideally exactly where I wanted to be career-wise, what I had set out to do, but I was also dealing with the tragedy of my brother, all at the same time. So, it’s really bittersweet: the dichotomy between the two. Because I was filming, I kind of felt lonely. I had never really felt that way before, but I just felt like I didn’t really have anybody. The cast was great. They’re really nice people. They sent flowers and everything else and their condolences, but I just felt alone. I couldn’t cry, because I was so busy working. But at the same time, I had to learn how to cry. I didn’t know how to do that before my brother. When you grow up in the hood, you’re conditioned not to cry, not to feel pain, and all of that stuff, you know? I’m out here filming and my first idea of a little bit of crying happened the last scene we were filming. I had to wear a mask, because we were had a paintball scene. I was able to cry a little bit under the mask. I got some of that emotion out, but to this day I’m still learning how to do that. You deal with things, but you have to keep moving forward. Now I just pull from my acting and go there in the scene, because I’m going through something in real life.
It seems your brother’s death brought you back to Earth and put you back into a space where you are constantly giving back to your community. What would you say to the little boy who has a similar background as you, is dreaming of your lifestyle, finally gets out of the hood, but then he kind of becomes blinded by the fame? What do you say to remind him of his greater purpose?
I think he has to do a couple of things. A few things that people would always tell me, “Stay humble, keep good first, and stay focused.” That’s a thing that I live by today. If it doesn’t align with the goal, I don’t do it. Also, whoever they are, they have to find out what their gifts are. You find out what your gifts are based on the things you do really well with the least amount of effort. That’s special. That’s not something to be slept on. So, once he gets in his passion, his life is going to change because it has a purpose. It would be fulfilling to do it. If he can do those things, he’d be on his way. Or they, I don’t know. I could be a sister.
The Ballers fans know you as Reggie and we know Reggie as this egotistical, thorn-in-our-sides. How is it playing someone who is seemingly quite opposite of who you are as a person in real life?
It’s actually fun because I get to carry out a whole other side, as far as, being able to escape a little bit. I can appreciate that, so it’s interesting. He lives an elite lifestyle and parties and all of that. So, I’ll take it.
How has working alongside Dwayne Johnson and the other cast members of Ballers advanced you as an actor?
Everyone is really nice and there are no egos or anything like that. By there being no egos, it allows for a really fun work-space. Everyone comes in really professionally and gets their stuff done and that’s all you can ask for. Everyone does their part. You learn a lot from Dwayne and once you’re around him, you understand why he’s the number one actor in the world right now. He deserves it. He’s a great time and works hard. He’s a great person to lead.
You are working on a photography book to bring awareness to homelessness. What sparked the idea and how do you plan to use the photos to capture the essence or effects of homelessness plaguing our world?
The backstory is this: I used to work in an after-school program and if the kids didn’t like the food, they would throw it away. I started to take the food that they were throwing away and started to feed the homeless. So, I was already dealing with the homeless. When I got into photography, I bought a camera when I could finally afford one. I wanted to practice photographing people, but I didn’t want to practice with my friends because of the pressure. So then, I started to shoot all the people that I was feeding. Now in the process of shooting, I have conversations with all those people I was feeding and I began to realize: people are people. At the end of the day, whether you’re homeless or not we’re still human beings. For me, understanding that I just realized that a lot of homeless people are not all down because they are crazy or on drugs, sometimes we just fall on hard times. I realize too that any of us are a couple of seconds away could be in the same position. So, I don’t ever kiss up to anybody and I don’t ever put anyone down. I just decided that I’m going to work on this book and let the proceeds go to helping them. If it means clothes, food, anything. When I talk to them they just need simple help sometimes. I’m in LA, so it’s always interesting to me to see how we’ll have these nice restaurants and luxurious apartments and right next to these things are the homeless. I’m like, “Well something is wrong with our country. It should not be these many homeless people.” I can’t fix the country or how people think, but what I can control is me and how I respond to it. That’s why I’ve decided to work on this book.
That’s beautiful. It’s very real, so thank you for that! You’re in the midst of a North American comedian tour with fellow comedian Brandon Lewis. How is that going and where’s your next stop?
Yeah, so right now I’m touring and that’s to let people know that I’m not only an actor or I’m not only who I am on Ballers, but I can also do stand-up. Right now we have a few more cities coming up that we’re doing. We have a few left on the East Coast and some on the West Coast. It’s going well. Pretty much it’s like my introduction to everyone, as far as, letting them know I do stand-up. A lot of people just don’t know, so it’s important for me to hit the road and introduce people to who I am and this other side of me.
Well thank you so much for talking with us at Urban, but before you go can you share with us what you have coming up soon?
Right now there is a short film that I did that’s going around the film festival. It’s called ASIA A. In ASIA A, I play a character that has a spinal injury and who is paralyzed from the waist down. It’s been doing well. I got an email the other day. I won Best Actor for that in the film festival, so it’s coming along. I’m currently shooting a film. Hopefully, that’ll be out next year. So, we’ll see. Right now I’m kind of on a comedy grind, on the acting grind, and working on the book.
Sciler Williams
