Whenever the higher ups at the advertising agency where she worked as an account manager needed Boutte to go the extra mile, they found it easy to ask her to fill in as a model upon the client’s request.
Her acquiescence paid off.
“Acting was never a potential for me. I grew up in a very small town on a farm. I watched television for enjoyment and never saw it as a potential career,” offers the Maurice, La., native.
“I worked in print and interactive advertising. Every time I would get a new account, when I would meet the client, they would ask me to do their print campaign. It happened notoriously. The first campaign was for Pampers; I wish I had an endorsement from them,” jokes the new mother. “The client came to town and said that you have a bright look, and you are right for our demographic. I did one for Iams where the dog repeatedly licked my face. For the sake of the client, I did it. The last time it happened, it was for a print campaign for Fossil. It coached me for modeling work. I was in front of the camera, and it was actually fun, kinda cool … I got on set and was bit by the acting bug.”
Boutte is most recognized for her role in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married and “Meet the Browns.” She’s now co-starring in Heritage Entertainment’s independent movie, N-Secure, a drama about a wealthy and domineering businessman, played by Cordell Moore, who dates a naive girl named Tina Simpson, played by Boutte.
“Julius Lewis [who the story is based on] is a great financier. Whenever you do independent, it takes so long. You really have be passionate about a project. Julius is no holds barred. He knows how to wheel and deal. To get this movie on DVD is a huge accomplishment. I have done movies before and, sometimes, they don’t see the light of day,” she offers.
A resident of Los Angeles for the past six years, by way of Dallas, Boutte and her husband, Kevin, are enjoying their new addition to the family, their daughter Jordan. “I never changed a diaper in my life. It is amazing what God equips you with instinctively,” she beams. –yvette caslin
