Written by: Natasha Lee, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Rising Star Marcus Murphy is booked and busy. He continues to show a promising future and career with his passion, creativity, and talent. Marcus is highly accomplished in the entertainment industry. He is a part of so many productions to count including acting in Jesus Saves, Beyond the Surface, Amazon Prime’s and Tubi What Would Picasso Do?, Diary of Changed Man Directed by KaZarr Coleman, Souls of Black Pebbles written by Anthony Green, Kenos is in Wonderland by Kenya Crawford and Directed by Bless Childs, and the Off-Broadway Production of Until The Flood which is Directed by Julie Janson to name a few.
Hey Marcus, we love interviewing entertainment industry experts such as yourself. Please tell us about some of your latest projects and the projects that you have coming up?
Marcus: First, thank you for the opportunity to have this interview to discuss my latest projects and what is in store. It has been a busy year for me auditioning, filming, and working on my own debut project I can’t wait to share soon. My latest project you can expect this year is Threshold written and directed by Bryan “Boom” Washington, a story about a young boy who seeks protection from a disgruntled man with PTSD and must choose to embrace heroism or continue to become a prisoner in his own home. My role in the film is portraying a suited gangster. I can’t for you all to see this project expected to be released in 2022.
I am currently a part of a film on Amazon Prime and Tubi called What Would Picasso Do? The film was written by Kenny Best, Andrew Brooks, and Ron Kelly. The film is about an up-and-coming artist, DeWayne who sells his first million-dollar painting, changing his life and career forever. My role in the film is Sleek Art Buyer.
I was fortunate to be a part of an award-winning film project called American Gone Viral written and directed by Selton Shaw. The film is a provocative anthology of the veiled realities of postmodern black America exposing race, culture, and society. The film is currently still on the film festival circuit and will be released in 2022. My role in the film is Ram.
Beyond the Surface written by Jamal Valentine and Directed by Darryl Jones is an amazing project I had the opportunity to shoot in Baltimore that challenges the changing of perspectives. I wish I could give more details but what I can say it is a modern-day coming-of-age story that anyone can relate to. My role in the film is portraying Brandon the Mayor of Baltimore.
The Diary of Changed of Changed Man written by Marlon Reid and directed by KaZarr Coleman is based on Marlon Reid’s life growing up has been a product of a drug addict mother who passed away at twenty-eight years old. The film follows his choices and how those choices ultimately allowed him to change his life for the better. Tray Chaney, known for his roles in The Wire and Saint and Sinners is attached to the project. My character in the film is Brian who is the boyfriend of Marlon’s mom before her untimely passing and learned Marlon was never his son despite what she told him.
My latest projects you can expect are Greed and Loyalty written and directed by DeWayne Etheridge. I will serve as Executive Producer and portray the role of Ant. The film will take place in Charlotte, N.C., and Washington, D.C. The film is centered around Hunter, a hitman for an organized crime family in Washington, D.C. that decides to change his life around after being shot during a job. He moves to Charlotte, N.C. where he meets a woman named Missy and falls in love with her.
Tremaine and Los are a television series in development created by DeAndre Little. The series is about two brothers Tremaine and Carlos “Los” Williams from a suburban family who has always had a dream of becoming cops. Eventually, their dream occupation turns into a reality after being framed. My role in the series is portraying Lionel.
Producing and Acting both require a huge amount of demand. How do you manage both careers?
Marcus: Initially, acting and modeling was solely my interest in my career due to the comfort of knowing that craft. As I have gotten older my interests have grown to learn different skills and producing is a lot of fun just like acting. The way I balance both careers is by making the appropriate time to give my all in both fields. If I am filming a project that requires more time than normal, I dedicate my focus to that. If I am done with my filming obligations, I redirect my focus to producing and making sure the logistics are together. It is important to make quality projects and not rush at all.
We see that you have been booked and busy. How are you feeling about your career at this point in your life?
Marcus: At this point in my life pertaining to my career I feel blessed to really be able to work towards my dreams and goals. My career started off as a print model and to see my growth and transition from a model to an actor seems surreal. However, throughout the years each day gives me the motivation that I am on the right track and to continue to do my best not only for myself but for the generation coming behind me.
What life changes did you have to make to pursue your career?
Marcus: Life is a journey and when you have goals to achieve making changes is uncomfortable. One change I had to make was not beating myself up so much for not making time for family and friends. I felt so bad at one point I almost gave up my career just to appease the people in it. My best friend Isis reminded me why to give up a career you enjoy when you can find a balance between your career, family, and friends. It was one of the best pieces of advice to receive from my peer because now I have the balance and appreciate my career much more and much more to come.
What do hard work, and success look like from your point of view?
Marcus: The way I view hard work and success is believing in yourself and not looking for a handout to solidify your position in life. The more authentic you are in whatever you want to achieve will attract the right people to support you in your vision. In addition, not comparing myself to others' success, praise me for my achievements, and enjoy the journey that is set out ahead of me.
If you were in a classroom teaching an acting course, which five actors would you tell the class to study?
Marcus: The five actors I would recommend to study if I was teaching an acting course would be the late Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, Marlon Brando, Gregory Hines, and Merlin Santana.
What are some tips you would have with our readers who may want to follow your career path?
Marcus: My tip to anyone who follows my career is to trust your process and know why you want to be an entertainer. It is normal to feel down at times but don’t stay in that space for too long because it takes away the goals you have set out to complete. It is important to have self-care days that don’t consist of working and reading motivational quotes to get you through the day. My favorite quote I live by is “We are what we repeatedly do, Excellence, then is not an act but a habit.” –Aristotle
Keep up to date with Marcus Murphy rising acting career by connecting on social media @hollywooddevon and @SupermanMarc
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Natasha Lee, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natasha Lee, a Business Enthusiast, Thought Leader, Speaker, Influencer, Philanthropist, Editor, Educator, and serial entrepreneur, is the proud Founder & CEO of Make Your Dreams Come True (MYDCT) & Being That Girl (That Girl). Make Your Dreams Come True (mydct.net) is an internationally known outsourcing firm. Professionals, Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Fortune 50 and 500 companies outsource their business needs to the firm, and Natasha makes sure that it gets done! There is no project too small or too big for the firm. Now in regards to Being That Girl, the agency encourages, supports, and celebrates the success of women. The collaborative partnerships stretch from the USA to the UK. It's been a tremendous experience for Natasha to serve countless business owners and organizations over the last 15 years. Wearing many hats when servicing her clients and community, she's identified as a consultant, a mentor, coach, and cheerleader, and described as a Shero by many. Natasha and her team assist individuals and organizations daily, offering services that promote self-esteem and creating companies daily from idea to conception. When executing dreams, she is the missing antidote to business success. Services include call center, procurement and fulfillment, marketing, strategy, business development, sales, technical support, design, seo, training, programming, recruitment, pr/media, and new processes and services implementation. Natasha is always on the call; though complex, it keeps her busy doing good things. Natasha Lee continues to mentor individuals of all ages, helping them build self-esteem, chance their dreams, celebrate one another and create together.
