Called to Act: André Holland on Purpose, Community, and Creating Room for Others

0:00Even sometimes, like, the kind of dreams I allow myself to have were sometimes a little too small, if I'm honest with you. You know, there were certain things I didn't know were even possible. God has shown up in my life in ways that I can't even describe. You know, doors just keep opening. Doors that I didn't even know were there opened themselves to me. And I know I'm eating the fruit from trees I didn't plant, so I want to do my job to plant some trees for the next folks to come along.

0:28Mick Hunt:ladies and gentlemen welcome to another exciting episode of mick unplugged and today i am with the legend of legends and the goat of goats he is someone who i have looked up to for a very long time not just from his acting chops but what he means to community the things that he does to uplift others, and the fact, you know, he's from the South just like me. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the brilliant, the amazing, the one of a kind, Mr. Andre Allen. Andre, how you doing today, brother? Man, I'm doing better now. Thank you for that beautiful introduction, man. That's very generous of me.

1:07Mick Hunt:Hey, man, I have been a fan from day one. We're going to talk about Bessemer, Alabama in a moment, but I've been just a huge fan. Like I said in that intro, not of just your acting ability, but just who you are. Right. I believe that talent does take you so far, but I think you know it better than I would in the industry that you're in. Character matters more than almost anything. And the character that you have speaks volumes of who you are. And I just want to give you your flowers of just the human being that you are. Man, thank you for saying that. Thank you for recognizing that, man. I appreciate it.

1:49And it means a lot to me. I mean, mainly because my parents, you know, are still my biggest influence, man. And they raised me to be a person who's concerned about community and who, you know, tries to move with integrity and kindness. And so, you know, the fact that you see that, I think, is really a testament to them, man. So I appreciate it.

2:09Mick Hunt:Nah, all day, brother, all day. And, you know, I love to start the podcast by asking my guests about their because. I call it your true purpose, that true reason for doing what you do. And it changes from season to season. And to me, it's deeper than your why, right? Like if I were to ask you what's your why, it's probably your kids, your family, your community, whatever it is that you're working with. But when I say, but why, that sentence usually starts with, well, because, and that's what I care about. So if I were to say, Andre, bro, like, you do all these amazing things, you continue to find the better version of you in every, everything that you do.

2:53Mick Hunt:What's your because? What's your true purpose of why you continue to do those things that you do? Hmm. That's a great question. I would say it's because I feel called to do it. I feel that this is my calling. You know, I think storytelling of all facets, being concerned about community, trying to be, you know, of use to other people feels like my life's calling. So I would say that's why, you know, and it's also because that's how I was raised. I grew up around people who walked in their calling, you know, who really treasured the gifts that they were given and, you know, saw them as being precious and tried to take good care of them.

3:43And so I want to do the same, you know, and I want to be, you know, I want to be respected by the people that I respect, you know. And I think in order to earn my way into their company, you know, I got to live a good life, man. And that involves those things, you know, being concerned about community, taking care of myself and caring for the gifts that that that God has given me.

4:08Mick Hunt:And again, I'm going to keep saying it because I want you to hear it and receive it and feel it, man. Like that's what makes me adore you is all of what you just said and embodying 100 percent of that because it's real. and talking about growing up in the South and growing up in Alabama and then having the amazing opportunity to win the part in Selma that you did. Like, when did you know that this was really your true calling? And again, I'm not talking about acting. Like, I'm going to give you all those accolades, but I'm talking about the leader that you are, the human being that you are. Like, when did you know that you had that responsibility?

4:53I think I knew that before I knew I wanted to, I was an actor. Yeah. You know, like I, I can't say enough about my mom and daddy. You know, my, my, my mother is a person who's coming to mind right now, man, because, you know, I was just with her. And so she's on top of my mind. But, you know, she grew up when I was, when I was growing up, she was always active in the community. Always. Everything from, I mean, when you talked about Selma, man, we would go down to do the commemorative march at Edmund Spitter. Edmund Pettus Bridge ever since I was a little boy. My mama would take me and my sisters and we'd go down there and we'd do it.

5:28And anytime there was anything going on in Birmingham that was at all related to civil rights or to history or to civic engagement, she was like, come on, we're going, we're going to be a part of this. So she just lived in that kind of ethic. When she graduated from college, she worked on the voter education project. So she was doing a lot of organizing work. I got to be in the movie or something, but she actually did work for Julian Bond and John Lewis. And she did the work. So I think that's just the kind of water I swim in, man, that I grew up in. So I knew that I had to make her proud and I had a big calling on my life long before I knew I wanted to be an actor.

6:13Yeah.

6:14Mick Hunt:That's amazing, bro. And again, I'm going talk about Bessemer for a minute. I'm from South Carolina, but I know the history of Bessemer. I know the history of Birmingham and the high school you went to and growing up in Bessemer, right? You got Bo Jackson, you got Jameis Winston, you got D 'Amico, you got them all. Red. Gucci Mane. Gucci Mane. Exactly. Exactly. You carrying that torch, doing your part for Bessemer, man, like what does that mean to you personally? Man, everything. You know, Bessemer has gotten a bad rap over the years. If you Google this, you probably saw it doesn't have the best reputation in terms of crime and the education system is often struggling.

7:03And yet, I know the people of that place. And I know how beautiful they are and how deserving they are. You know, and I think, you know, in my case, man, the only reason that I'm sitting here talking to you today is because somebody, in this case, it was my parents, saw fit to give me some opportunity, right, to explore my gift and to make the most of it. And that wasn't, you know, they did more for me than I deserve. You understand? So, like, the fact that I am here today is really just because I was planted in a place where I was allowed to flourish. You know what I mean? And my parents made sure of that.

7:37And so I feel like if given the opportunity, if the young people in Best Smart are given that same opportunity, man, there are gifts that will come out of that community that we can't possibly anticipate. So I feel it's my responsibility to give back. I don't mean give back in a sense of like I'm in a sort of top down kind of way, but I mean like I am a part of that community and I want to always be shoulder to shoulder with those folks. And if I have something that I can offer, you know, then I think that's just repayment for all that they've already given to me. I love that, dude.

8:14Mick Hunt:I love that so much. And like this next part of the show, I always call the unplugged truths.

8:23Mick Hunt:So I'm going to give you an unplugged truth right here. Okay. And I'm going to try not to get emotional because I mean it in everything I'm about to say. I feel like you are a symbol of hope for a lot of people. A lot of people that, I'm going to be real, that look like you and I, that most of the time, and I don't know what it was like for you growing up, right? But I know for me growing up, we didn't have a lot of just, I want to be that person or I can be like that person, right? Like we didn't have social media like we have today. We didn't have the internet like we have today. I feel, brother, like you are that symbol of hope for a lot of people.

9:09Mick Hunt:Because when I Google the name Andre Holland, when I put Andre Holland in AI now, which is crazy to think that's the world that we're in, there's so much positivity that comes out. There's so much just joy and positive energy that comes out, man. Like you are my unplugged truth. and just the fact that how you carry yourself every day when the cameras are off, when you're in the community. Like, I think people need to understand why that's so important that you ground yourself in that. And I know I've heard you talk about your parents and your mom, and that's why I feel like we connect because my mom was that for me.

9:49Mick Hunt:My grandparents were that for me. And they taught me that you're carrying a name, right? Like, no matter what you do, there's a name. and there's a legacy that you're carrying. And I feel like that connection with you and that's what gets me so emotional by that. But I'd love to just get your insights on that a little bit. Okay, here's something my younger self would have benefited from. Most of us picked a bank at 16 and never looked back and it's been nickel and diming us ever since. That's where Chime comes in. Chime is changing the way people bank. They're not like those traditional old banks that gatekeep the perks and pile on fees unless you carry some massive balance.

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11:10Yeah, man, thank you for sharing that with me, brother. It's really beautiful. I appreciate your honesty, you know what I mean, and your vulnerability around it. I feel it, and I appreciate it. yeah man you know it's something I guess it's just something about going up down south that puts that in you you know and you're right like there wasn't really a kind of like model for what I wanted to do to tell you the truth I didn't even really know what I wanted to do you know what like it was you know a lot I see I read these articles now people talking about these young people coming into Hollywood and you know their parents are agents or their parents were actors or whatever.

11:49And, you know, people talking about nepotism and so on. And, um, and I was about as far from that as you could imagine. You know what I mean? Like nobody from where I'm from doing this. Um, so there was a lot along the way, a lot of mistakes that I made, a lot of things, you know, that I got wrong that, um, yeah, even sometimes like the kind of dreams I allowed myself to have were sometimes a little too small, if I'm honest with you, because I didn't know, you know, there were certain things I didn't know were even possible, you know? And I was raised to be grateful for any and everything that I got.

12:29And so I was grateful, you know, when I got my first job, you know, doing a play off Broadway in New York, I thought, man, this is, you know, as they say in the old church, this feels like heaven to me, you know, like it don't get no better than this. But, um, and I wanted to do the best that I could with it, but man, like, you know, God has shown up in my life in ways that I can't even describe, you know, doors just keep opening, uh, doors that I didn't even know were there open themselves to me. Uh, and I try to just do a good job every time, because like you said, I know it's not just me. I'm representing my mom and my daddy, my whole community, you know, and, And not only the ones that I know, but all the people, the ancestors who came before, who made it possible for me to be here today.

13:14The ones who had to get up and go when they didn't want to go, you know, who had to stay longer than they wanted to stay. Who, you know, yeah, who planted trees from which they never got to eat the fruit. You know what I mean? And I know I'm eating the fruit from trees I didn't plant. So I want to do my job to plant some trees for the next folks that come along.

13:37Mick Hunt:Bro, I don't know if it's in there. I don't know where this is coming from. I'm going to be real. But there's a book, there's a memoir or something about those trees and the fruit, bro. Like the Andre Holland story. Like, I don't know what it is. But that is it right there. I think, you know, people of faith like you and I, like, we can feel those spirits. And that spirit just told me, bro, like, you got a book or memoir coming. Thank you. It's interesting you say that because I did, about a week ago, have the thought that, not that I necessarily wanted to write a book, but I have all these journals that I keep and old scripts and just things.

14:14And it's all piled up in my home in Brooklyn. And I want to do something with it. I want to organize that. And maybe it is some kind of a, I don't know if it's a memoir or a story or something. It's there. Yeah. Yeah.

14:27Mick Hunt:It's definitely there. So I know you have a lot going on, man. And so I'm going to go to some hot takes now. And this is my hot take right here. They Fight is going to be that film. They Fight is going to be that film. I think, you know, we've got some early releases, but the main thing is coming out here really soon. Man, talk to us about They Fight, the spirit behind that. I know you've been in the gym a little bit, too. I heard your jab is amazing right now. But talk to us about They Fight, bro. Yeah, man, it's a great little film. It is written and directed by Sheldon Candace, who directed the movie Love, which was at Sundance a number of years ago.

15:19And he and I met there at Sundance that year that his movie was there. His was there the same year that Ava DuVernay was there with her film, Middle of Nowhere. And so I met him then. And I was really taken with him. I was like, man, that's a cool young brother. He's like smart. He's got his thing together. It'd be cool to work with him one day. And then over the years, I would run into him. I'd always see him. And when I would go to LA, he'd be at this one coffee shop that I like to go to as well. And he's always there on his computer. And I'd say, hey, man, what you up to? He's like, man, I'm working.

15:47I'm writing. He's always hustling, always grinding. And that really touched me. And so when he came to me with this script, I knew I wanted to do it because I knew I wanted to be in community with him. And then I read it and I thought there's something really sweet about this movie. I play a man named Walt Madigan. It's based on a true story. And Walt has just come in the beginning of the movie. He's just come home from prison. He's been in and out. He's had some substance abuse issues along with other challenges. and he finds himself back at this boxing gym that was kind of his home back in the day.

16:24And he discovers that there's this new group of young boys who are curious about the sport of boxing and who also are bringing their own kind of traumas and challenges into the gym. And so he gets an opportunity, a sort of second chance at life through these young people, these young men. And that really touches me, you know, that kind of story of like mentorship and second chances. You know, we all need them and we all deserve them. And sometimes we don't, we as black folks don't get them, you know, in the ways that other people do. So I was really proud to be a part of a story that really highlights that.

17:01Mick Hunt:And I'm excited to see it. For those that are watching, those that are listening, we've got links everywhere in the show notes, the descriptions. make sure that you are going to support this film which leads me to hot take number two Andre man like your ability to truly immerse yourself in a character is freaking amazing and these are the words of Mick and Mick only so Andre is not saying this there are actors that you can tell when they're acting right like and that's not a bad thing like it's really not a bad thing but i i study the art of what you all do and so i can kind of see it it's very rare that you can see someone truly immerse themselves in their character and you do that freaking amazing like what's your process to to do that brother man thank you man you make me feel good about myself man i appreciate it yes sir thank you so much man thank you um well you know i work i work hard at it man you You know, I went to school, I did an undergrad degree in acting, and then I did a master's degree in acting.

18:12And so it's really what I've done my whole life. And I've always been very most excited about actors who do have that ability to, like, disappear into a part. You know, I was always a fan of, like, Daniel Day-Lewis. That's the guy who I really admire, you know. And on stage, actors like Mark Rylance, you know. So, and obviously like Denzel and Sidney Poitier and all these other people who I grew up watching, but I always wanted to be, I considered myself to be more of a character actor than like, yeah, than like a leading man. Not because I, you know, only because those character actors were the ones who I felt like had played the most interesting parts, you know.

18:54And so my process is like, you know, I do a lot of research when I'm working on a part. I try to be honest and vulnerable about like the places where me and the character are not the same, but then also find those places where we are the same, you know, and really allow those things to be, to be, to be real for me, to feel real for me. so that at a certain point, the distance between the character and myself, it starts to kind of close, you know? And then you ultimately want to get to a place, or aspire to get to a place where you can think like the character, you know, and be spontaneous within the framework of the world, of the character that you built.

19:35So that's the kind of like technical part of it. But it's also just an act of faith, man. Like I think at the end of the day, like my job is to make your imagination believe in my imagination by any means necessary. And so whatever I got to do to make it happen, I'm willing to do it. And I think some of that is me. And a lot more of it is like from somewhere else. You know what I mean? That I think was put in me to do. So I can't even take much credit for it because sometimes I don't even know how I'd be acting, to be honest. It's like a work and work and work. And there comes a point where you step out on faith and you just go, well, now I'm out here.

20:11And I hope people are coming with me. You know? Yeah. So, yeah. Like that. I mean, I could talk about craft stuff all day, so I don't want to bore your listeners with that.

20:22Mick Hunt:No, no, no. That's what we're here for, man. Like, that's what we're here for. And so I'm going to transition to what I call the room.

20:31Mick Hunt:And, yeah, I know I'm an ACC guy. Like, I went to the University of North Carolina. I know you went to Florida State. Like, we'll talk about before NIL was real. We'll talk about the bag Florida State was trying to give their, not only their athletes, but apparently their fine arts department too. But we'll talk about that later. But was there, I call it the room, but was there a room, a conversation, a meeting, a lunch, a dinner? Was there anything that like changed the trajectory of your career? Right. Like, was there a moment where it was like, not only am I there, but now the door is open?

21:15Yeah, I think the thing that comes to mind for me is it was there were a lot of things in Florida State that happened that really helped me. Because it was there where I started to believe that I could be an actor. And I started to learn what that what the work of being an actor really was. So I had great teachers down there, great classmates, and I learned a lot. But then when I went to NYU, I did the three-year master's program there. And there was a moment in my second year where I had this class. We were in this room with this teacher named Jim Calder, who to this day is my guy. Like, I really, he's my guy.

21:51And we were doing this kind of workshop or project where we had to take a piece of literature, a short story, for example. And then we were breaking into small groups and we would perform that, find a way to perform the short story. It's hard to describe, but you really, you're supposed to do it physically and like really embodying the characters. And it's kind of improvisatory, so you don't have a lot of time to prepare. You just got to do it. And at that time, I always felt like I was struggling because I felt like most of the plays that we were working on at that time were plays that were written by white writers.

22:26You know, we hadn't, we didn't really spend a lot of time working on black texts. To such a point where I didn't even know about many black texts, you know, and I was seven years acting at this point, six. Anyway, this one particular day, Jim, while we were working on this process, came to me and he said, well, Andre, I want you to bring in a story tomorrow. And I said, well, what kind of story? He said, well, I want you to go home and why don't you write something? He said, just write something. And I thought, well, I'm thinking I'm not a writer. Why would I do that? You know, anyway, I went home and I wrote this story that took place in Bessman.

23:00The lead character was a man named Zanny Ray. It was like really pulled from my life. You know what I mean? It was a church. It was down home. And I brought him in. He said, well, now read it to the class. And I read it. And then he assigned some people in the class to go and do my story. Now, mind you, most of my classmates were white, right? And so they were being asked to inhabit these characters, these black characters. You know, even though I never said they were black, it was clear that they were, right? Anyway, at the end of the process, he said to them, well, how was that experience for you?