Peter Parros – The Have and Have Nots

Q) Is “The Haves and Have Nots” your most recent project?

A) That’s the most recent and with the nature of the industry there are always things in the work. You don’t really know what is going to happen. Probably the most interesting thing that has happened since we finished shooting is that my son who runs track went to the World Championships in Poland. He ran the qualifying round and won the gold. He set a world record for the 400m indoor!

Q) What can you tease will be coming up the rest of the season and with your character David?

A) The conflict between David and Veronica and how she is treating Jeffrey is going to create a lot more tension between them with a lot of relationship fall out there. It’s going to get pretty interesting between all of the machinations Veronica is doing to try and control both Jeffrey and Candace and the things that David and Jim are doing to cover up Wyatt’s accident. I don’t know how Tyler [Perry] comes up with this stuff! There is a lot of deep, intense stuff that is coming up.

Q) Was there anything about your role that you added to the character that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) There are always little bits and pieces that we bring that come out of the relationships and working with the different actors. Two scenes that people that have responded to was when David was crying when Hanna was crying for him. That was something that wasn’t specifically scripted, but it did just because of the change that was happening with the character, his perspective and the way the dynamic of the scenes worked. People responded to a different kind of vulnerability and I thought that was the biggest thing in the first season. The second season was at the gym when David goes off on Jim when he tries to set up Jeffrey for the accident. It wasn’t originally scripted that way and it wasn’t scripted that strongly. John [Schneider] and myself felt that because of what is at stake it required something stronger. The conflict, breakdown and the way that all happened it gave us a bit of room to work there and improv some stuff. That final line, “a good friend and a better enemy” came from him. I think there are some other little minor things that happened. I think those are the two strongest, most memorable moments of where we brought more than what was scripted.

Q) What have you found challenging about this role?

A) Not really challenging. It’s a very exciting character to play. I think I’ve generally played good guys and this is the first time I’ve played – somebody said he’s like a “good evil guy.” At some point, I don’t know if you want David to just be better or if he seems like he has the potential to be better, the reality of the situation and what he feels needs to be done to get what he wants. He does some not so moral, upright things. I don’t know that there is anything particularly difficult about it. I like it. When I read the scripts, I often don’t know where Tyler is going and what he is going to do. There is some stuff in the next season that I wouldn’t have seen coming. So, it’s exciting to go with it and see where Tyler takes it and even what we’ve done leaves you wondering, “Where is this going to go?”

Q) What makes the OWN Network such a good fit for the show?

A) Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey are two people that have a very clear vision of what their message is and what their purpose is. The way that I think both of them primarily their message speaks to women. I think Tyler writes stories that works for that audience and that network and there are a lot of strong women. Oprah’s message is very much about empowering women and women’s relationships. There are a lot of strong women on our show. I would venture to guess there are more strong women on our show than on any show on television. They are strong in very different ways. They have vulnerabilities, but their strengths are all very evident. I think that for the network that’s good that you have a variety of different women going through circumstances that women can draw strength from the examples of the characters and how they deal with their situations and maybe in some cases it can be a little cautionary tale in terms of how not to deal with certain kind of circumstances. I think that what makes it a good fit is that there is a very strong overlap between Tyler’s audience and Oprah’s audience. They are vulnerable with a very spiritual basis behind what it is that they’re doing. What Tyler presents is mainly from the Christian perspective, which I think is great and strong. I think the timing was perfect because us and “Love Thy Neighbor” were Oprah’s first scripted shows and for the network to grow it needed that. It needed something more than a reality show. You can kind of get into the drama of it and know that behind it nobody is really getting hurt. It’s kind of like a guilty pleasure kind of show with a lot of positive stuff behind it. On a lot of levels for the audience the timing and where the network was going was a great fit.

Q) Did the cast chemistry come natural or did it take some time to develop?

A) I knew Gavin [Houston] from before. He was on “Guiding Light” and for a time I was on “As The World Turns.” They were both Proctor and Gamble shows. So, I knew him from that. I knew him in LA because we had the same manager. We had never worked together, but were friendly. That was a nice energy. We’ve rarely had scenes together though. Most of his scenes are either with Veronica or the girls. I’ve not had much of an opportunity to work with him, but we do have that kind of history. Everybody else, I think is pretty much new. I know when Gavin and Angela [Robinson] auditioned they auditioned together and had great chemistry together. That’s why they both came in and were basically cast together. Everything else just happened on the set. It’s really kind of a God thing, the way that the cast came together because everybody is so talented. Whether they are people that have had a relatively lengthy television resume such as myself or John or someone like Angela who has done a lot of theater, but not done a lot of television. Yet, her work is so strong and solid. We have great energy together and chemistry. Everybody is amazing in just the way it all kind of comes together. Crystal [Fox] and Renee [Lawless], I don’t think they knew each other before. With the women, a lot of them have theater backgrounds and I think that helps with the way that they work together and their energy. I love their stuff. Tyler’s stuff with Crystal is great. Tyler Lepley is very new as an actor. So, there is really just the way the chemistry came together in my awareness it wasn’t difficult. It just kind of happened. We get together on set and off set, which is really rare for there not to be major egos, issues or problems. It’s really been a great positive experience and I think everybody because we get along as friends off set it makes it easy to do whatever we have to do on set, whether we are doing close positive stuff or getting in each other’s faces. It kind of frees you up because nobody is going to take it personally. We’re trying to bring the best we can. It’s clicking. Tyler Perry is great. I think working with him has been a great experience and it helps with that. Even though he writes and directs every episode, he is on set for every scene. His vision is very clear and yet he gives us room to bring a little whatever relationship stuff or what we feel as a person.

Q) You are a part of social networking sites. Why is this an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) Before the show I wasn’t on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. I’m still only on Twitter. They encouraged us to get Twitter and I got on just because of the show. I find that instant interaction during the show makes watching the show, for me, fun and a new experience. It’s kind of cool being here because I can go back and forth between the time zones while watching it. It’s fun and neat. I like it in certain ways better than fan mail. It used to be fan mail, but it was getting so far behind with what was happening. And you get to see how instantly people are reacting to the show, which is very different. It’s interesting and it’s cool. I think it’s a whole new way of watching television, really.

Q) What would you like to say about the guest stars on the show?

A) I think with the guest star we’ve really got a great bunch of actors that come in. People don’t realize how fast and how sharp people have to be. Allison [McAtee] who plays Maggie, has done a great job of keeping up with it and the great bulk of what she has to do.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A) With the fans, whether on Twitter or in person, have been really responding to the show and loving the show. I’m excited to see how people have been responding to David’s relationship with Jeffrey and the whole of the show. It’s something that people wanted and it’s such a unique kind of soap. Maybe with so many soaps gone, people are missing that drama. Tyler has done an excellent job and that the fans are appreciating it, supporting it, sticking with it and helping the show grow. Hopefully, I can continue to bring them more exciting, nail biting, cliffhanging drama for years to come.