A Conversation with Actor Michael Ealy of Seven Pounds - Page 3

What life lessons did you take from the film?

Honestly, I don't take life lessons from the movies because you start living your life like a movie. I take my life lessons from my own experiences and my family. I try not to take life lessons from movies.

What about your own character that you played? What did you like most about him, especially during the initial reading of the script? Did you really care how you were cast or did you just want to be a part of it based on the script?

Man, I really did want to be a part of it. What intrigued me about the script – and we worked on this in rehearsal pretty strongly – is it's a delicate line when you're dealing with family. Because Will Smith is my older brother, as I said before, I can't just try and whoop his ass, you know what I mean? I have to be gentle with him yet firm. It was a delicate line to play where you're trying to get him to get his life together and be productive and move on. Because I don't understand his pain but I am his brother, I have to be sympathetic to his pain but at the same time tough love dictates how you got to help him move on. There were so many familial layers to this character and to the relationship between Ben and his brother that I really enjoyed playing that. I don't have a big brother; I always wanted one. To have one in the movie was cool. It's different for me but it's a strong, strong bond that you have to be very careful with. You can't just cut them all off. You can't just send him out of your life. You can't just ignore the fact that he's in pain because he has done some things in his past which dictate that he might try to check out. You have to be careful. 

Was there a particular scene that you found difficult to shoot?

That scene on the street is probably the most difficult because that scene epitomizes their relationship. That scene is the only scene where you see them together. We had to have an argument and at the same time display love for each other, you know what I mean? There was a certain amount of surrender on his part and there was a certain amount of frustration on my part because if he was not my brother, I would have him arrested for what he did because he put my family in jeopardy. That's just crazy. It's selfish and very risky. He really did put my life at risk and my family's life at risk. I just don't understand what's going on. There's a certain amount of power that I have to have with him but at the same time, he's really crossed the line. It was just a delicate tightrope to walk. The other scenes that we did, we talked on the phone. Will came up with this great idea to actually talk on the phone so the scenes where he and I were on the phone, we're actually talking to each other. That helps a lot more, I think. 

Article Author: Clayton Perry

Clayton Perry's mission parallels that of John Hope Franklin, Marcus Garvey and Carter G. Woodson. As the founder of the NUBIANO Project, Perry facilitates the design of projects that give voice to the Black diaspora, empower the Black community, …

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