Dante Brown The “Won’t Back Down” Interview
Born in Chicago on October 6, 1999, Dante Brown’s big break came at the tender age of 5 when he beat out 500 other children to be showcased as a dancer, comedian and actor on Oprah’s 1st “Amazing Kids” show. A self-taught dancer who learned his moves by watching Michael Jackson, Usher and Chris Brown’s Youtube videos, Brown’s amazing moves have been compared to that of a young Usher.
Dante can also beatbox, rap, play piano by ear and make beats. With his younger brother, Dusan, he performs as a duo known as “The Brown Boys.” The siblings released their first album at 10 and 8, and have opened for such notable acts as the New Boyz, DJ Tha Pope and Trey Songz.
Here, he talks about starring opposite Viola Davis in Won’t Back Down, an inspirational tale of female empowerment about a teacher and a single-mom who join forces to improve a grammar school.
Kam Williams: Hi, Dante, thanks for the interview.
Dante Brown: Oh, no problem, Mr. Williams. Thanks for interviewing me.
KW: What interested you in Won't Back Down?
DB: When my agent sent over the sides for my audition on the tape, the
project was originally named Still I Rise. I immediately thought of
Maya
Angelou's poem and was very interested in getting to know my character more,
as well as the story. My name means poetic, so it's ironic that I love
poetry, and I was like, “Wow, interesting movie! [LOL] Then I read the sides
and the character was very different than me. But since the movie is a
drama, and I love drama, I wanted to nail my audition to make sure I got a
callback and be strongly considered for the role. So, it was a combination
of all those things that initially interested me in Won't Back Down. And, oh
yeah, for callbacks, I had to read the entire script before auditioning with
the director, Mr. Daniel Barnz. By then, I knew that the message would be
very powerful and I definitely wanted to be a part of this.
KW: What was it like to work opposite Viola Davis as your mother, and with the rest of such an accomplished cast?
DB: Working with Mrs. Davis… it was a joy! She was funny. She gave me tips and also helped me understand the importance of "being in the scene," so I could hold up to her star quality. She was very approachable and down to earth, so it made working with her very easy. She sort of reminds me of my Mom, so I never felt like I had to act, but simply be her son for the time being, while shooting the movie. Whenever I'd goof around, she'd have no problem with me either, in a nice way, of course. [Chuckles] I still keep in contact with her and will always look at her as an amazing actress that I was privileged to work with and get to know. As for working with the entire cast, it was like I was playing in the NBA All-Star game. [LOL] It showed me how great things can happen when you apply yourself and believe in yourself. Being in their presence taught me that hard work and dedication pay off and one day I hope to be able to share my on-set experience and knowledge with newcomers. Overall, everyone was really nice and fun to work with and being a part of such a talented cast forced me to bring my A-game, too.
KW: How would you describe your character, Cody?
DB: My character, Cody Alberts, is the son of Nona [played by Viola Davis] and Charles Alberts [played by Mr. Lance Reddick]. Cody has a learning disability and, during a pivotal point in the movie, you'll learn the cause of his learning disorder. He's sort of a quiet kid, gets bullied at school, doesn't have any friends, and the kids pick on him by calling him names and stuff.
DB: No, it didn't make it hard because as an actor I've learned to pull traits and characteristics from friends at school, relatives, by watching YouTube videos, other characters in other movies, etcetera. So, although I'm not like Cody at all, it took a lot of preparation and research to prepare emotionally for my audition and scenes as Cody. But that's what we do as actors and that's the gift God blessed me with, an ability to relate to people, and to actually become the characters I hope to play. Transforming into someone else…. I love it!
KW: How would you describe you and your brother, Dusan's, debut CD, Here
Come The Brown Boys?
DB: Fun! Exciting! Entertaining! Our CD has 11 songs, a little something for
everyone. We get calls and messages from family and friends all the time
telling us how catchy the songs are, how our friends and cousins enjoy
listening on car rides to and from school, and just how proud they are of
this project. Kids love it and adults, too. We actually have some dope beats
on it and some great lyrics. We love performing songs from our CD and look
forward to making more music in the future. We like making the type of music
that inspires people. We've performed at schools and churches. The CD is
good, kid-friendly music that can be performed anywhere. Shout out to my
parents for executive-producing the album and Mr. Spike Rebel for producing
and helping us tremendously with our first project. We look forward to our
next album. Oh yeah, and stay tuned for the 8 year-old singing sensation
Jayda B's new hit, “I Rock My Tutu." She invited us to collaborate and it's
hot! The video should be coming out soon, and the single will be available
on iTunes as well.
KW: You have been blessed with many talents. Which is your favorite way to
perform: acting, rapping, singing, dancing or playing piano?
DB: That's kind of tough, but I'd have to say acting because it's just so
much fun being able to be someone else when auditioning for different roles
and then working on set. But most definitely rapping, too. What I enjoy
about rapping is being able to express myself with words. The Bible says
that our words are very powerful. I like being able to spit hot bars and see
the surprised reaction of people and hearing them say, "Wow, did that just
come from a kid?" So, both acting and rapping allow me to tell stories and,
like most people, I love a good story!
KW: Where do you go to school? Or are you homeschooled?
DB: I attend a great middle school in The Valley. I hope you understand that
I can’t say which one for security reasons. But I love going to school,
being in a traditional school atmosphere, having immediate access to my
teachers, when needed, and interacting with my friends and playing sports.
And I plan to attend regular school so long as I can balance everything and
thrive while preparing for college.
KW: What do you do for fun?
DB: Fun? I'm the type of person that loves to have fun! So, I can turn any
situation into a fun environment fun for me. I have fun going to school and
auditioning, and even more fun when I'm on set. I have fun at home with my
little brother, I have fun wrestling and fishing with my Dad. I have fun at
church. I have fun when our family has movie nights at home or movie dates
at the theater. But particularly my weekends, here in L.A., are generally
free and I love living a very active lifestyle. So, we're rarely home. I'll
either hang out with my friends for a while or go play basketball, swim, go
to the movies, participate in The Looking Ahead Program, watch YouTube
videos, work on my rap music or make beats, or even play NBA 2K12 - My
Player Mode.
KW: What's your favorite TV show and your favorite movie?
DB: My favorite TV show is Everybody Hates Chris and my fave movie is…
let's see… We love and watch a lot of movies… Okay…Finding Nemo! [LOL]
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?
DB: Just now! [LOL] My little brother just flew in from L.A. to be with us
for my movie premiere here at home in Chicago. I haven't seen him in about a
week, but he's hysterical, such a funny guy. He keeps me rolling! I laugh a
lot. Laughing is good for the soul, my Mom says, so I must have an amazing
soul, as much as I love to laugh. [LOL]
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
DB: Candy! Twizzlers in particular. [Laughs] Yummy for my tummy!
KW: The Michael Ealy question: If you could meet any historical figure, who
would it be?
DB: Hmmm… interesting question. I would love to meet Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.
KW: The bookworm
Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
DB: “The Barcode Tattoo” by Suzanne Weyn.
KW: The music maven
Heather Covington question: What was the last song you
listened to?
DB: “Diamonds of Sierra Leone” by Kanye West, the clean version, of course.
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
DB: Mostly breakfast foods. I'm still learning dinner dishes, but for now my
fave dishes to cook are omelettes and French toast.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
DB: A young man with a desire to make a positive impact on the world by
using the gifts God has blessed him with. I see a nice guy that enjoys
people, a happy person enjoying life.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
DB: Oh, I know, I know. To be the President of the United States… just for
one day, though. I think it would be pretty cool being able to represent our
country in the highest available office.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
DB: Ooh… let me think. [LOL] Cutting a huge hole in my little brother's
hair. I think I was probably about 3 or 4 and he was 1 or 2. In my mind, I
was pretending to be my Dad, who's a barber, but things didn't quite go as
planned, as they do when my Dad cuts his clients’ hair. [Laughs some more]
My brother ended up having to get all of his afro cut off, the lowest his
hair's ever been. And my Dad wasn't a happy camper.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would
you be?
DB: That's easy, a Lion, because he's the king of the jungle and nobody can
stop him or get in his way. He's fearless, yet loyal to his pride.
KW: The
Touré question: Who is the person who helped you to become the
person you are today?
DB: Definitely, my parents. I don't really have one person, because they
both help equally to develop me, guide me, support me and keep me on the
straight and narrow path.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all
successful people share?
DB: They all have "something" that drives them to be hard workers… a passion
for their goals. And they also appear to be very focused on achieving their
dreams. As my Mom had a successful corporate career and my Dad is a
successful entrepreneur, I would have to say for me and my family,
visualizing our accomplishments, taking small steps, daily, and putting God
first.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your
footsteps?
DB: Alright, read a whole bunch of books and pray! This way, you'll become
an exceptional reader, as well as learn how to fully comprehend and
interpret the many scripts that you may receive. Stay true to yourself.
Don't let anyone tell you, you can't do it. Maintain your inner confidence
and for the details, contact my Mom. You can
visit her website because she's helped a lot of moms get their kids
started in the business and she has a very, very long note there on that
website, spelling out exactly what she did to get me and my little brother
started. The key part to this is prayer. I hold this part sacred and don't
really share this with any and everybody, but I do feel it's necessary to
spread the truth about what I find most valuable. I'd tell other kids
wanting to become an actor, to ask God to direct your path and if this is
His goal for your life, then He will open doors for you.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
DB: I want to be remembered as a good person. Someone who people enjoy being
around. That person that inspires you and has a light about him that you
just can't put your finger on, but makes you feel good when you're in his
presence. I also want to be remembered as a true professional of the
entertainment industry, as a sharp thinker and creative. As a hard-working,
yet fun person that people love and that loves to have fun. People often
refer to me as a young Denzel. I think that would be great to follow in his
footsteps as an actor. Although I haven't met him yet, he seems like a very
classy man, so being referred as a younger him, I think is a huge
compliment.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Dante, and best of luck with the film.
DB: Thank you, Mr. Williams. Thank you. It was fun doing this interview.
Good questions and I appreciate your taking the time to interview me.
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