'It's Very Polarizing To Have A Show About Four Black Men Who Are Normal People': Monti Washington On BET+'s 'Tyler Perry's Bruh'
(CBS Local)-- Monti Washington is one of the stars of "Tyler Perry's Bruh" on BET+ and he auditioned for eight other Perry roles on different shows before he finally snagged the part of Bill on this series. The half hour original comedy series follows four Black men as they navigate the worlds of dating, career and friendship.
Washington is honored to work with Perry, who he calls the hardest working man in Hollywood and he believes it's incredibly important to have a show on TV right now with four Black men as the stars.
"It's a dope cast, everybody in the cast is like family. It's beautiful and it stars four Black men in this time and age, you can't find another show," said Washington in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "You haven't seen four Black men and to be at the forefront of that is special. Tyler works so damn fast. You get the role and less than a month later, you are on set filming. Things move crazy fast."
In addition to being an actor, Washington is also a motivational speaker. He has spoken for years on his journey through the foster care system, the importance of therapy and explaining how your story doesn't define you. The actor is also proud to be on a show that is redefining what a Black man looks like.
"It's needed. I had a heavy heart this morning dealing with the Breonna Taylor decision," said Washington. "Just being Black, there's such a weight. There's this thing called double consciousness. When you're Black in America, you go around with this double consciousness. You know your Blackness and you are aware of it and then you are aware of how that is viewed on the outside. You operate and navigate that and it is no different from the entertainment industry. It's very polarizing to have a show with four Black men who are normal people and not the crazy, hyper-masculine thug or the super nice guy or the down on his luck slave. It's not all these archetypes and stereotypes you see portrayed of Black men. It's dope to just say this is me and this is us in our normal environment."
Stream "Tyler Perry's Bruh" on BET+.