“True Blood’s” Mehcad Brooks is more than just
eye candy for his adoring female fans to savor. In fact, the Texas native is one of the more
enlightened members of his profession. Rolling out caught up with the actor during
a promotional swing through Atlanta. The discussion ranged from his
displeasure with crime in our community to the blessings of having a supportive
family. Here are some of the highlights from Brooks’ conversation with ro.
I noticed the posters of you with your shirt open in the advertisements
for today’s autograph signing. When did you become comfortable with
people viewing you as a sex symbol?
I’m not comfortable with it. I don’t think I’ll ever
be comfortable with it. I actually took that picture for charity and it’s
going to be a part of this book that’s raising money for brain cancer
research. Since it’s for a good cause, then I’m totally OK with opening my
shirt. But as far as me being considered a sex symbol, it’s still a little
weird to me.
I see your aunt is
here with you today. How important is family to you?
Family is everything to me. Family and health are
the two most important things to me.
Do you feel
fortunate that you discovered your passion and you’re able to do it for a
living?
I think that I’m fortunate that I had a family and
a state [of mind] that allowed me to discover what it was that I really wanted to
do. There are so many of us that just do things to pay bills, but I never
wanted that to be me. I read a quote by James Dean when I was 17; he said,
‘I’d rather starve than do a whole bunch of work that I don’t care about.’ The
older I got, the more I understood what he was saying. If I want to do a whole lot
of work that I don’t care about, then I would probably be working in a law
office somewhere. But if I’m really passionate about entertainment, I’m
going to work hard every day to make sure that I can do this.
Now that your
stint on “True Blood” is over, are you excited about your new show on ABC,
“The Deep End?”
I’m very excited about it. To be honest with you, I
think this is the best show that I have ever read.
Let’s talk about crime.
What are your views on violence among black men?
It’s sad. But I think the only way we can turn the
tide is by focusing on education. We have to set good example, and be the
best that we can be. To me, that’s the only way that we can improve our
circumstances as a community.
**Stay tuned for our Mehcad Brooks interview in its
entirety. –dewayne rogers
