Email:neill@outloudculture.com
Socials: @neillfrazer
Branden Wellington currently stars as Tony King on Tyler Perry’s hit BET series which is currently the most-watched show by African American viewers on cable. After joining the cast during season 6 in a heavily recurring role as Danni’s handsome new co-worker who is clearly smitten with her, he recently became a series regular and you can read the Deadline exclusive here. The cast also includes Ebony Obsidian, Novi Brown, Kj Smith, and Mignon just to name a few. The highly-anticipated season 7 picks up three months later as the women face a whirlwind of changes that alter their perspectives on life, love, and career. Tony finds himself in a promising new relationship with Danni as she grapples with therapy and faces challenges in her newfound confidence. It is airing now and you can watch the trailer here.
He is best known for his role as CO Jarod Young on Netflix’s critically acclaimed series Orange is the New Black and he also appeared on Russian Doll. Wellington also brought his talent to the world of film as the lead in the HBO short When It All Falls Down and he can also be seen in the indie feature Inez & Doug & Kira, which is available now on Amazon Prime. He is also an Emmy-winning writer for his work on the spoken-word themed broadcast open titled TV Dreams In A World of Sports for Fox Sports in collaboration with the Miami Heat and was also nominated for his performance.
Hi Branden and welcome to OLC! Can you share your experience transitioning from a recurring role to becoming a series regular on “Sistas,” and how has this impacted your approach to the character of Tony King?
Making the jump to series regular wasn’t something that I set out to do in the beginning. Before recurring in season 6, I had gone three years without a recurring role, and I just started training at Amazon to become a delivery driver. The audition for Sistas came up on what would’ve been my second day of training but I called off to get the tape done. I had a great feeling about my audition, but I didn’t know if I would get the callback or not. Sistas has reigned as the #1 watched show amongst African American viewers on cable for 6 seasons in a row- so I’ve seen it work just fine without me. My goal coming into the second half of season 6 was to honor my position and support this extremely talented cast to the best of my ability. I was honestly just happy to be back at work again. When I got the call about being upgraded, time stopped for me because I was experiencing a dream that I had held onto since my teenage years come true. Now as a series regular, I have more responsibility in terms of building the character arch and synchronizing that to overall arching themes of the story. Mignon Von who play’s Danni, she and I put in a lot of work leading up to our first day of filming for season 7 and when they call action it comes down to trusting the process that got me here.
Your character, Tony King, is in a promising new relationship with Danni in the current season of “Sistas.” How do you prepare for and approach portraying the dynamics of this relationship?
There was a time jump between season 6 and 7 so a lot of where we left off had changed. Mignon and I had numerous conversations about what those three missing months might have entailed. We discussed what our first solo date might’ve looked like, how our work dynamics may have changed, and what conversations we may have had that led us to being in the relationship that everyone sees in the opening scene of the season. When we left season 6, our character’s conversation was about going on a solo date and at the start of season 7 we’re having a vulnerable conversation about potentially going to therapy. It was up to her and I to fill in those blanks and present the fans with a relationship that now feels lived in.
As CO Jarod Young in “Orange is the New Black,” you played a role in a critically acclaimed series. How did that experience shape your career, and what lessons did you take away from working on such a widely praised show?
When you’re stepping into a show as momentous as Orange is the New Black, you have to just bring it. I fell in love with this show as a fan and met a lot of the cast over the years on our journeys through New York. That helped me settle into the moment. I learned that a little kindness goes a long way. When I booked the job, my little brother was in the hospital recovering from gunshot injuries and every day I showed up to work. Uzo Aduba, who played Crazy-Eyes, would ask me how my brother was doing. That meant the world to me at the time, and I felt like I mattered beyond the work. Natasha Lyonne went out of her way to make conversation at crafty while we were on break. All these little things matter and now that I’m a series regular on a show, I make time to show love to everyone who drops in as a guest star or day player. These things show people that they belong…and they do.
Congratulations on your Emmy win for the spoken-word themed broadcast open titled “TV Dreams In A World of Sports.” Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this project and the process of bringing it to life?
Every year the Miami Heat host a day called Kids Day. It’s an annual event where middle and grade school kids are selected to come to the arena and be a part of the broadcast and game. In the 10th year of the Miami Heat doing this, I got tapped to write and perform a piece that commemorated how groundbreaking this opportunity is for the youth. Growing up in the inner cities of Indianapolis and South Florida- I know firsthand that youth need an outlet, opportunities, and inspiration to permeate their community- so being asked to play my part in that was inspiration enough, and an honor of a lifetime. When I write spoken word pieces for corporations, the challenge is threading the needle of hitting all the key talking points while still keeping it authentic to the chosen medium of expression. It’s taken years of writing and performing to be viable in this space and, like everything else, practice makes perfect.
Being an actor, Emmy winner, writer, and host, you wear multiple hats. How do you balance these different roles, and do you have a preference for one over the others?
One of my mentors, who’s also my older cousin, Malcom Wells, always reminds me to “honor your position.” What that means to me is to place no preference of one over the other but to more so honor the space that I’m given today. If God gives me poetry today- then that’s my favorite. If tomorrow it’s acting then that’s my favorite as well. However, the through line in all of these has been learning to effectively communicate language. Each job plays a vital part in assisting that endeavor.
Your involvement in the HBO short “When It All Falls Down” and the indie feature “Inez & Doug & Kira” showcases your versatility. What attracts you to a particular project, and how do you choose the roles you take on?
When I take on a role the first thing I ask myself is “Was it ever a dream of yours to be some aspect of this character?” In the case of Nehemiah in When It All Falls Down, the answer is yes. Nehemiah was a musician who was struggling to make a living at art and was in love with another artist who wasn’t. I wanted to be a recording artist at one point in my life so I can vividly put myself in the mind of a character who’s seeking that for his own life. In Inez, Doug, and Kira I play Joe, the muscular and fit downstairs neighbor to Doug- played by Michael Chernus- who confronts Doug about eavesdropping and spying on his girlfriend. I’m a hopeful romantic in real life and some part of me always wanted to stand up and defend the honor of my fair lady.
Your achievements extend beyond the screen, having served as an in-game host for the New York Mets and a host/sideline reporter for the NBA G-League. How has your background in sports hosting influenced your acting career, and vice versa?
In-Game hosting taught me how to focus in uncontrollable environments. I was asked to give the opening rally speech during game 3 of the 2015 World Series and it was a sold-out crowd of about 45,000 people. It was the second time Queens hosted a World Series game since the late 80’s so crowd noise was at an all-time high. But when you have a job to do, there’s no excuses – I was being counted on to lock in and focus. Hosting taught me that before you love anyone else, you must first love being yourself. For about six years straight I was employed by simply being myself. I went through a lot of tragedies in my 20’s but employers saw me beyond the hurt and eventually I did too. As a young adult, learning to love myself was an infinitely valuable lesson.
“America in 4 Minutes” received praise from FOX. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this video project and the message you aimed to convey?
American in 4 Minutes was originally titled “The America Poem,” I began writing it when I was 17 to enter into the NAACP Act-So competition. It was a teenager’s outlook on the polarities that make up our country and trying to find the line in the middle. I placed 2nd in the competition to another young artist that entered their poem in the video competition as well and that was a “light-bulb” moment for me. Over the next 4-5 years I continued to perform and perfect this piece to the best of my ability, and when I felt it was good enough, I released it on YouTube under the title America in 4 Minutes. The title was inspired by another poet named “Propaganda” who did a video called “The Gospel in 4 Minutes”.
From attending A-List events to winning a Webby Award for “Take A Knee,” you’ve been involved in various high-profile projects. How do you navigate the entertainment industry, and what advice would you give to aspiring actors and writers?
Don’t assume you know which one of your talents will get you in the door. If you’ve been blessed with multiple gifts, use all of them along the journey. I always wanted to be an actor, but along the way I’ve become much more. The best teacher is life, and it’s going to be a challenge to act or write without first going out to live.
Your commercial “Greatness” won an award for Best Sports Promotional Piece at the Telly Awards. What significance does this recognition hold for you, and how do you approach projects that involve both your writing and acting talents?
It was a broadcast-open that I did for the NBA. The award holds significance for me because it was my first professional writing job, to be recognized for it helped to believe that I belong in this space. It came on the heels of America in 4 Minutes and at a time in my life where my family was grieving the loss of my grandmother and my older brother who passed away two weeks after her. When I write and perform my goal is to find a place inside of me that makes what I’m doing or saying personal. Greatness was about the substance that makes up every NBA player and believing that the same substance made you. The closing remarks of that piece are “Through the NBA- the basketball God’s have been gracious/ by allowing us to see on full display/ the one thing that’s in all of us- Greatness.” I loved this piece because I would’ve said the last lines of it to my brother. He committed suicide two weeks before I got this opportunity and I didn’t get a chance to have a conversation with him. If I knew he was going through internal battles of self-worth, I would’ve reminded him of all the things that made him great. My older brother was my first hero and will always hold space in my heart.
