Bryan Terrell Clark dishes on the secret to a happy marriage, X-men crushes & ‘Diarra From Detroit’
The Broadway star talks comedy, the Motown that moves him, and the best advice he's ever received from Angela Bassett.
With his role on the original BET+ series Diarra From Detroit, out gay actor Bryan Terrell Clark gets to flex a new muscle on screen (and, no, we’re not talking about those arms).
The darkly comedic mystery—about a woman (creator and star Diarra Kilpatrick) who gets caught up in a dangerous plot while tracking down the man who ghosted her—finds seasoned Broadway star Clark playing an all-too-rare comedic role.
“I don’t often get cast in comedies,” Clark shares. “I was excited to be able to exercise my comedy chops!”
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And exercise them he does as Mr. Tea, the aptly named bestie of Diarra, who is bluntly honest, hilarious, and always eager to lay out the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear. In other words, Mr. Tea always has the tea.
The series is a great showcase for yet another side of this well-rounded performer, a Yale trained actor, singer, songwriter and director who has been racking up a steady stream of credits on stage and screen since the 2000s (including Snowpiercer, Queen Sugar, and Our Son to name a few). In 2013, he made his Broadway debut playing Marvin Gaye in Motown: The Musical, and you better believe he has the voice to back it up—earlier this month, he was tapped to headline an NY Pops celebration of Motown at Carnegie Hall.
And, in 2022, he added “husband” to his list of credits, marrying costume designer Devario Simmons at a beautiful ceremony outside of Los Angeles. The two make a gorgeous pair, with Clark gushing that he feels at home whenever Devario is around.
With the first three episodes of Diarra From Detroit now available on BET+ (with new episodes dropping weekly through April), we thought it was the perfect time to hit up Clark and invite him into the hot seat for our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It. In our conversation, he opens up about why he relates to Mr. tea more than any character he’s ever played, the Black queer TV shows that gave him hope back in the day, and the best advice he ever received from his mentor, the iconic Angela Bassett.
Is there a piece of media—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, theater, video game, etc…—that you consider a big part of your own coming-out journey, or that has played an important role in your understanding of queerness? Why does it stand out to you?
The two TV shows that assisted me on my self-awareness journey were Noah’s Arc and The DL Chronicles. To see representation on the screen of what it meant to be Black and queer was few and far between. These shows were a peek into a community that I would later call family.
Your next role is in the series Diarra From Detroit, where you play Diarra’s bestie, a teacher named Mr. Tea. What do you like most about playing Mr. Tea? What’s something you had to do for this role that you’ve never done before?
I am so excited about this role, and this TV show! Playing Mr. Tea has been the closest character I’ve played to myself. Tea is a truth-teller. I always say the truth without love and compassion is violence. He loves Diarra deeply, so he isn’t violent, but he is definitely telling the truth and spilling the tea. I don’t often get cast in comedies. I was excited to be able to exercise my comedy chops. It’s currently my favorite genre.
You made your Broadway debut in Motown: The Musical and will have just performed at Carnegie Hall for the NY Pops’ celebration of Motown. What does Motown mean to you? (Bonus: Do you have an all-time favorite Motown song?)
My favorite Motown song is “What’s Going On” [by Marvin Gaye]. My cousin was lost to gun violence, and I got word of his death during a rehearsal. After I hung up the phone, I had to go in and sing “What’s Going On” for the first time. The lyrics resonated with me in a way they never had before.
It was a reminder that, although Motown music has become classic American music… although this music has influenced pop music around the world… Motown music was also the soundtrack of the civil rights movement. Some of this music reached the hearts and ears of Americans before Dr. King, and any of his speeches. Art has the power to change lives and change the world. I was deeply aware of that while working on Motown: The Musical.
Where’s one of the first spaces you can remember that made you feel a part of a queer community?
I’m not gonna lie: It was very difficult for me when I was in my early 20s. I looked out into the queer community and didn’t really see myself. There wasn’t a lot of representation on TV of the type of queer man that I was. To this day, that representation is still limited but the first time I felt a part of the queer community was when I had turned 21 and friends from college surprised me with a trip to New York. There was a club called THE WAREHOUSE. It was the first time I had been surrounded by so many beautiful sexy men. We had a tiiiime that night!
You count the legendary Angela Bassett among your mentors, who famously has called you her “chosen godson.” What would you say is one of the most important lessons she’s taught you? (BONUS: What’s your favorite Angela Bassett role?)
When I graduated drama school and came to LA, I asked Angela what’s one piece of advice she could give me as an actor entering the business? She looked at me with a wise smile and said, “Make sure your income is more than your out-go.” I honestly wanted a different answer, but I’m so glad she said what she said. There are moments in this career full of great financial abundance. But most of the time there are great seasons without. We as artists have to learn how to balance our art and our survival. It’s not a traditional career to financially navigate. Her wisdom changed my relationship to money.
And of course my favorite role she’s played, other than The Queen Mother in Black Panther, is the iconic Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It.
Who’s a fictional character you had a crush on at a younger age (or maybe still do!)? What do you remember loving about them?
I am slightly embarrassed to say, but as a preteen my first fictional character crush was on comic book characters. I was a huge comic book fan specifically, the X-Men. Gambit and Cyclops could get it. Lol.
You’ve know been married for two years, so we have to ask: What’s the key to success? What’s something you’ve learned about yourself in your two years with Devario?
I love him so much. I think the first key to success is to define what success looks like for you. Every marriage is different. I think our superpower is communication. We tend to talk about everything and discuss every scenario.
I’ve learned so much in the past few years. If you allow it, your relationship with your partner can be one of your greatest teachers. The relationship is like a big life mirror, showing you who you really are. No one sees you the way they do and no one sees what you don’t see like they do lol. I’ve learned to be more patient, slow down and be more present. He has become “Home” for me. So whenever we are together I feel the safest, most comfortable, and sleepiest.
Who is a queer or trans artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?
Wow! This is a hard one because so many of my friends are doing such great work. So no one feels left out… I’ll just say me. lol. I’ve got new music dropping later this season and of course keep your eyes peeled for Diarra From Detroit.
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