Julian Horton is one of the stars of “Beauty in Black.” This was his first time working with Tyler Perry, so it was a full-circle moment working with the man who has produced so many iconic films. The first season of “Beauty in Black” was released last year and season two will be out this week. Rolling out caught up with Horton to hear more about his role on the show and what it is like working with Perry.
Julian Horton talks about his experiences
What is it like to work with Tyler Perry?
He’s a savant. He’s one of the greatest directors I’ve ever worked with, and just to be able to work on this set, to work on this show is a dream come true, a blessing and something that I’m forever grateful for. As we know, Tyler has done so many amazing things with the Black community, for Hollywood, for creating his own studio, paved the way for so many people, and so to work with a man has been amazing, and something that I have a [grateful] spirit for. And you know, working with them is different.
You know, in other sets, you don’t have as many resources as Tyler has. Tyler has a lot of resources. He works in a multi camera system. So when you’re shooting a lot of movies and stuff, you usually do one camera or two cameras, so they get your coverage, and we’re gonna get his coverage. And it takes time. With Tyler, he has four cameras going to get every angle so nothing gets missed. So therefore, you don’t really have to do as many takes. So, with Tyler, he’s the most efficient director in the business. Efficiency is the name of the game with him.
Why should people tune into “Beauty In Black“?
You should watch “Beauty in Black” because, first of all, it’s binge-worthy. Drama at its core, I’m talking about it will keep you on the edge of your seat, so many things happening at one time and at the end of the day, is so many commonalities with Black culture that you want to watch the show. Tyler Perry runs into a lot of you know, why is it more positive? Right? But Tyler is still telling the truth in this show. Because we can say the positive thing, and I get it. But at the same time, show reality too. It’s a strip club culture. He’s talking about trafficking in the show. It’s talking about really Black excellence in the show and Black wealth in the show. It’s so many topics that Tyler touches on within the show that has commonalities with the real world. And that’s why, I think, keeps people on the edge of their seat, because they have so much in common with it. So, if you want to watch the show and be mesmerized, you want to be on your edge of a seat watching the show. “Beauty in Black” is great.
How did you play the character of Roy so well?
Funny enough, they wanted me to audition for a couple roles on the series. But life is the best teacher. And I’ve been through a lot of things in my life, tumultuous things in my life, ups and downs, ebbs and flows. But Roy, when I saw the breakdown of him, I saw a lot of things that I share commonalities with. I mean, the guy, high energy, he’s animated a little bit a dark side to him, kind of crazy, vulnerable in a way, prideful in a way. And I’m not saying I’m that guy now, but maybe I was, maybe a little younger. I was those things. People always ask, “Why do you act?” You know, first of all, acting is fun. Acting is great, but a great reason why I love acting, bro, it’s allowed me to not let the things I went through in my life, in the past be in vain. I’ve gone through a lot. You feel the anxiety from it, you feel the stress from it, you feel the intrusive thoughts from it, you feel the worry from it. You feel the pressure from it at the time you’re going through it, it hurts, it’s heart wrenching, and to know that acting has allowed me to go back into those feelings and convey it in certain characters is a beautiful thing. It’s meditative, it’s therapeutic, and it kind of it’s a healing process. Which is why acting is so amazing. I’m not a dark guy but I’ve been through dark stuff.
