Name: Terrance Magee
Occupation: Entertainer, aka The Mayor of Atlanta
What compelled you to sign on as a cast member for the show?
I must first start off by saying that I am not a flag waiving type of person, but I do believe in forging ahead. So when I was approached with the opportunity to work with Correah Miller (Producer of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and “What Chili Wants”) I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of. We have never had a show like this on television to showcase the black gay male in society, because it’s a shaky subject and most people don’t want you to talk about stuff like that. But I realize who I am, and I want to show society that there are other aspects of life other than what you see every day, or what you may consider to be your norm.
How has the show been received since its debut last year?
When our show “The Real,” now known as “Tha Life,” first started a year ago it was labeled as this down-low show and I was offended by that because no one who is on the down-low would put themselves out there on film. I like to let people know off the top that I am not on the down-low and none of my other cast members were on the down-low. We are all openly gay males living in society, and although we are not advocating being gay by wearing rainbow shirts, we are definitely not going to hide who we are either. I think our viewers eventually caught up with what we were trying to accomplish and the show has found its fan base which has led us to opportunities of syndication.
What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with coming out of the closet?
Be true to yourself, you may have some push backs or opposition from your family or in your professional career, but in the long run everyone will come to accept you. You can’t live your life for other people, you have to live your life for you and the people who are accepting of you. Embrace them, and the people who refuse to accept you weren’t your true friends anyway.
What’s next for Terrance?
I studied acting throughout high school and college, so moving into the acting field is really where I would like to go from this experience. I’m also working on a show called Skin Deep” based out of Atlanta, and it’s a diverse cast of straight and gay men and black and white men — so you get everything in the show. We hope to be finished taping in the fall and its being shopped around to HBO and programs of that nature.
For more information please visit: www.facebook.com/Skin Deep www.facebook.com/Terrance Magee www.facebook.com/The Real https://ghsentertainmentpresents.weebly.com/home.html
