Lamman Rucker – Greenleaf

By: Jamie Steinberg

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

A) The major one at the center of all the attention right now is “Greenleaf.” Of course, I’ve got my hand in a number of things around the country when it comes to various initiatives. I’m looking to do more substantial work in the Georgia area because I’ve been spending a significant of time here filming the show. It’s always a busy time! I’m always trying to do something productive on screen and off. We have Service of Men which is another film project of ours here. I’m the associate producer and starring in it as well. It’s a wonderful film about the Meharry Medical College and it is set in the 60’s. We actually just won an award at the American Black Film Festival in Miami.

Q) How was Jacob on “Greenleaf” originally described to you?

A) In the character breakdown, he was actually described as the only son of Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield). He was described as weak, unfaithful and a married father of two. It was a somewhat vague description of him. I think he was described as much weaker than I cared for. But therein lies what I found interesting about him because I thought it was going to be interesting to have the opportunity to show that weakness in a way that had some dignity to it and justify why that weakness was there. If we’re going to judge somebody and call them weak or identify their behaviors as weak, I think the more interesting question is why. When I read the rest of the character descriptions, I started to get an idea of what the pressures, expectations and responsibilities were and the dynamics were between him and his wife and it just created intrigued. When you read the script and see how it is all put together and how some of those behaviors and internal dialogues start to flesh out and play out it became clear to me that Jacob wasn’t just a weak guy. He was actually a very layered, complex, compassionate, intelligent, powerful and engaging guy with all of this potential that just wasn’t really being realized or actualized. The question remained was “why” and that’s the question I get to struggle with and explore and have fun with every day that I get to live in Jacob’s skin. It’s getting to the why and that’s what is so interesting about him and the show – we get to discover why these people are the way they are.

Q) What have you added to Jacob that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) I think some of the things that I mentioned. Again, that’s part of what we actors do is bring depth and layers to what is on a page. No matter what is on a writer’s mind or a show creator’s mind, they are still not the actor. So, our job is to give everything that is not in the writing a whole other layer and life. That’s exactly what I tried to do. I tried to take Jacob from just being some weak, feeble guy (because weak is a strong word) and allowed that “weak” to just mean vulnerable. I tried to allow his weakness and give a certain kind of pain, transparency and vulnerability to him that I’m not sure was always in their sights or not. I don’t know how much I’m doing differently than what they had already envisioned. But thankfully they trusted me, worked with me and appreciate what I’m doing and the choices that I’m making. It was easy to just look at him being identified as a cheater because he is having this tryst with this young lady that he works with, but what I’ve tried to do in my actual execution of the portrayal of Jacob is give you an understanding of why he is in this relations with this woman, where that comes from and what it is a reflection of. Actually, I even hope it shows that it is more so reflection, or just as much a reflection, of his childhood and his upbringing as much as it is a reflection of the dysfunction in this marriage. I just try to add complexity to him because when you are writing even though things can be wonderfully written with that complexity it still takes another human being to have the privilege of making someone three dimensional or five dimensional for that matter, to see them evolve with all this nuance and complexity than you would have with just words on a page.

Q) Kim Hawthrone mentioned instant chemistry when she began working with you. Did you feel it, too?

A) It is funny because there was an initial attraction and we often joke that there was an initial abrasion. [laughs] We talked about and we said I was immediately like, “She’s going to get on my nerves.” I thought that was a good thing. I say that facetiously, but immediately identified that there were things that we didn’t agree on and didn’t see eye to eye on, in particular the root of that disagreement was naturally the gender bias in the perspective. I was like, “You know what, that’s exactly right because as a man he is going to see it one way and as a woman you are going to see it in a different way.” I thought that was actually a gift and the fact she is so vocal about it and she is such an opinionated person and such an intelligent, strong-willed woman that was exactly the dynamic that was going to be required in order for the sparks to fly. So, I knew I was in good company and I was confident in her ability to deliver. As you can see, Kim is doing a bangup job. She is cooperative and giving. So, we’ve been able to have a really healthy onscreen relationship and friendship as well. It’s always good to have an actor that you can depend on, talk to, work things through with, communicate with and negotiate with. I think that is also one of the very important skills and elements of making a good acting and professional relationship work. I think a lot of people come to work with their mind made up about what they are going to do and the other person has their mind made up of what they are going to do, but never really work together to get on the same page. I think you can see it and I think that’s why some actors aren’t that good and some projects aren’t as good because you can see a certain dynamic and chemistry that is missing. But I think we have some really good energy together professionally and the dynamics of Jacob and Kerissa are also involved with that. I’m happy to have her as a partner.

Q) What have been some of your most memorable moments from filming?

A) There are countless ones! Some of the most memorable ones have been the personal time that we have been able to spend time together as a cast, building our relationship, friendships and trust is a very important step. Naturally, that dinner scene sticks out. It was the very first day of production. We had to all really capture a lot of relationship dynamics and family nuances right away. That was really challenging and long day. It kind of set the tone for us in a number of different ways. That day is a day that none of us I think will ever forget. I really love the stuff with the kids. The kind of person that I am and the affection that I have developed for Lovie Simone who plays my daughter and for the twins who play my son Winky and even when Kim is in a scene, I love the stuff that is focused around my family. You get to see some of the other redeeming qualities he has and you get to see what a loving father he is. He is really trying to do a good job even though he is still learning as he goes, struggling to make his father happy and fulfill the responsibilities of being a good husband and a faithful member of the church and a dependable member of the staff. He loves his family. He loves his mother, father and sisters and I think those scenes where we really get to have these “normal moments” where we are a family and affectionate with one another those are some of my favorite scenes. Again, some of those moments aren’t captured on screen when we are between takes and we’re putting a puzzle together with Winky or just kind of talking, cutting up and being silly. It’s the smaller things that really kind of stay with you.

Q) What do you think it is about the show that has made it such a fan favorite?

A) It’s interesting. A lot of what is happening is not just the drama that they like. It’s the fact that it is believable. I think there is an honesty and authenticity to the roles and the portrayals of the roles. I know sometimes my opinions and observations I have made when watching certain things I will look and I’m like, “They would never do that.” Without trying to get into to anything racially or culturally bias, as black folks we think “that would never happen” or “black people don’t do that.” We would have responded in a way as opposed to some way where it was written by someone else that doesn’t get it or doesn’t have that cultural awareness, if you will. So, a lot of what people are really appreciating is the honesty and authenticity of our portrayal of the people in the story. It’s just “that’s real” or “I believe that.” It’s not this predesigned behavior or type of response. It’s real. You can tell it is honest and I think that is because we have been given the privilege of shaping these characters along with our writers and the people who created it as opposed to feeling like “my job is just to spit out what is on the page.” We’re really allowed to make those words our own.

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you enjoying the instant fan feedback you have been receiving?

A) Oh yes! It’s super fun. It’s something I have had to get used to because I wasn’t really someone who was super excited about having social media permeate the conversation. But it’s very entertaining, of course, but it is also really interesting to get a vibe for what people’s interpretation, feedback and what they are taking away from each moment and each scene – who’s side they are on and how that may even change! They may be giving someone a hard time and then later say, “Oh, ok. I see why you did that.” It’s just interesting to really get insight into how people are processing, receiving and interpreting what is going and what some of their stances are. It’s surprising sometimes how people feel or what they have to say. You almost expect all the women to side with all the women and the guys always side with the guys. One of the great things about engaging in social media is you can actually see the diverseness in the responses and even the types of people responding. It’s nice to see that although maybe the majority of our viewership may be African American, not all of them are. So, it’s always great to hear everybody coming in and contributing to the conversation and having a dialogue amongst themselves. That’s the other great thing about the show – it stimulates debate. When people are having healthy debates and healthy conversations and challenging each other, questioning each other and questioning us (the characters on the show) it is actually really cool and really interesting to understand how they feel and what is important to them and what they want to see more of. Because essentially, we are also there to serve them as our viewers.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) We really appreciate everybody’s support and engagement. We were really excited for our production process and we see it now out there and we see our expectations are met and even more so that our fans expectations are being matched by their satisfaction. We wouldn’t be able to be such a leader in the industry and have the hottest show on TV and topping Neilson ratings and social ratings without the involvement, engagement and commitment of our fans. I love the fact they are a part of it. They are a part of the congregation. All the prayer and encouragement to us personally and to our characters…There is even a hashtag #PrayForJacob. So, there are people all the time sending out prayers and support for him because they can see how difficult it is and troubling it is for this man to be going through all the things he is going through. To have their support, Jacob appreciates it very much. He needs all the support, encouragement and prayers that he can get and that prayer is going to help him get through the things he is going through. It will help him get his marriage and family on track. Let’s just hope that he can keep it together. Every bit of energy and encouragement helps to go a long way.