David Mann: Carrying the Tyler Perry Torch as Leroy Brown
Unless you’ve been stuck under a rock not yet outfitted with cable television, then you’re aware of Tyler Perry’s continued dominance of the big and small screens. Part of his success can be attributed to the continued relevance of beloved stage play characters like Leroy Brown. The man behind the character, David Mann, sat down with rolling out to talk about the return of his TBS show, “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns.” While the responsibility of being the lead character for a show that has already been picked up for 80 episodes can be great, Mann is taking it all in stride.
What has the response been from the audience?
“At first I didn’t want to know what people had to say about the show. That’s not always good to know. But I went on our Web site, and began to read some of the comments, and people really like the show. Of course, you do have some that hate it, but overall the feedback has been very positive. But now that you have people that enjoy the show, it makes you want to work that much harder to keep them liking it.”
What can we expect from Mr. Brown this season?
“Well, we are learning more about Mr. Brown. In the plays, you really didn’t get to know much about him. But now we are able to dig a little deeper, and learn more about his background. We also have some drama mixed in there, and Mr. Brown will be off the chain like he always is.”
How does spirituality play a role in your life as an entertainer?
“With this character, everyone knows that Mr. Brown is a religious fanatic. I’m not a fanatic, but anyone that knows my wife Tamala and I, knows that [Christianity] is our faith. We know that this whole ride has been nothing but the favor of the Lord on our lives. I wouldn’t lie to you and say that we are the best actors, but God has chosen this hour to show us favor.”
**The new season of “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” premieres May 27 at 10 p.m. EST on TBS.
–dewayne rogers
