Gentry White – UnREAL

By: Lisa Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects you are working on?

A) “UnREAL” is one of the most recent. I’m guest starring on “Aquarius” as well. I will be getting into some shenanigans with David Duchovny.

Q) Talk to us about your character Romeo on “UnREAL.”

A) He and Darius (B.J.) grew up together. They got out of their particular upbringing together. Together they have overcome quite a bit of stuff. Romeo is definitely a sports manager, but at the end of the day he is willing to do what it takes that his cousin is well taken care of. Whatever it takes…

Q) Will some of the decisions Darius faces be less his own and more manipulation?

A) Oh yeah. What is interesting about the show is that it is about manipulating the characters on “Everlasting” as well as manipulating the people behind the scenes as well. You never know who to trust.

Q) What was your audition like and did the role evolve at all?

A) When I initially got the audition, the character was supposed to be older than the bachelor, but they said they wanted a Kid Cudi type (he’s a rapper/actor). I knew Kid Cudi, but I didn’t know if I would look older than the bachelor. Originally, I didn’t care to audition for it because I hadn’t seen the show. I hadn’t watched Lifetime since I was a kid with my mother. So, I didn’t see them having original content. That was just my original idea. Then, I got the part and saw the show aired on Hulu. So, I watched it and thought, “I can’t believe I get to be a part of this!” It was such a privilege to be a part of a TV show makes a point that I care about. This particular season has a lot of that. With it being a reality show, it’s important for people to see how they are constructed. Also, with the racial aspect of the show as well, I’m so excited to be a part of the show as well. It’s something I am passionate about on screen and off screen. So, it was a very special booking for me.

Q) What kind of insight do you hope the series provides into reality TV?

A) I don’t watch reality TV. I may watch one here or there like “True Life” on MTV and I used to watch “Made” when I was growing up. I think it will at least strike up the conversation. Whether or not they at least do something about it, who’s to know. At least we have a platform to make it a conversation. Things that can be talked about always excite me to be a part of, for sure.

Q) How do stakes get raised this season on “UnREAL?”

A) The stakes get raised because there is an African American suitor. So, from the jump, it’s already kind of a big thing. Also, Quinn (Constance Zimmer) and Rachel are even less together as they were last season. If you saw the past season, Quinn and Rachel (Shiri Appleby) have their ups and downs together. But the end of the last season they still have each other’s back in a very strange way. This season, they are going toe to toe the whole time it feels like. So, the stakes are high. Chet (Craig Bierko) comes back and he has lost a lot of weight. He is back to get his empire. Then, you have the girls who have their own motives and reasoning behind being the show. It’s such a large cast of us and each one of us has our own story that raises the stakes for the show. The people who are manipulating you don’t know who, when, where and why.

Q) What has been the most challenging part of filming the series?

A) I think in the beginning one of the most challenging things was the weather. When we got to Vancouver, it rained like the entire first two episodes (maybe more). On the show, we had to make the rain a part of it – almost a character – because it was so cold out there and raining. We had to write things into the script just to make up for the rain and talk about it. It was freezing out there. The girls would have bikinis on and men had swim trunks on. It was really cold! That was a challenge for all of us in the beginning, but because of that I think it bonded us a lot quicker. We were all in this together and we want the show to be received as good as it was last season. The crew and the cast are talented. But it was a challenge as far as the atmosphere, but for my character I’ve always liked playing powerful people with a reason behind what they do. Romeo’s significance is important because as much as he cares for his cousin he is willing to do anything. It was a challenge because the things he would do for his cousin as Gentry I wouldn’t’ be doing all of it for my cousin. It was just a challenge, but also very interesting experience. It was just the extent people would go to for their family’s career was pretty high.

Q) Will you be live tweeting during the episodes and are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback you will receive?

A) I am definitely going to be live tweeting as much as possible. The first two episodes will air while we are in Vancouver still shooting the season. We’ll all be live tweeting if we aren’t still shooting. I’m all about though interacting with fans. I think it is a very quality show and with women in the forefront, which is really cool. They aren’t playing moms. They are very unique characters that I haven’t seen on television. I think it is going to be really, really good for those reasons. If people have questions and want to chat or tweet they can message me.

Q) What have you taken away from working on “UnREAL?”

A) I’ve definitely taken away some really awesome friendships with a lot of really cool people. Incidentally enough, B.J. Britt is someone I have known since the second week I moved to Los Angeles. For me to have lived there for almost six years now and ended up on a show with an actor that I was given his phone number as a way to introduce me to LA and talk about acting from one young brand new actor for someone out here living it is really special to play his relative. We both come from North Carolina so we immediately had a certain understanding of one another. To have that opportunity to solidify our friendship was really something I’ll take away. Also, the girls we get to hang out with are so cool. Some are local hires so they take us around on local hikes and places to eat. The crew is fantastic, but I think overall the experience of being this sort of character and the comradery of the friends I’ve made is really cool. To be a part of a TV show that is making a point, as an artist money is one thing, but to be able to make art that impacts people and makes them talk about people about things they should talk about is what I care about most. It’s really awesome to be a part of that. So, I’ll take away the experience of being a part of something that strikes up a conversation.