The star of 'The High Note' opens up about his career, his fears, and what to expect from 'Euphoria' season two.
Strikingly handsome with a proven knack for portraying complex Black men, Harrison was quickly deemed a tour-de-force — a title that was validated by the BAFTA and Film Independent Spirit nominations he later received for his performances.
. It was clear that Harrison was destined for greatness, but after diving into these intensely dark roles, the rising actor, who got his start in 2013 with bit roles in, was desperate for something different — roles that were lighter, that wouldn’t have potential dates thinking he was crazy., a music industry comedy starring Tracee Ellis Ross as a Diana Ross-type pop star and Dakota Johnson as her loyal but unfulfilled assistant of three years. Harrison plays David Cliff, the romantic lead for Johnson’s Maggie. An aspiring singer himself, he teams up with Maggie under false pretenses, bamboozled into thinking that she’s a real producer that can actually help his music career. As their relationship develops, secrets are revealed and feelings are hurt. But like any romcom, it’s easy to see where the pair will eventually end up. It doesn’t help that, on screen, the pair radiate boundless chemistry. So much so, in fact, that you’d be forgiven for not realizing this is Harrison’s first high-profile big studio project. Despite his inexperience, he seems like a natural.hopped on the phone with Kelvin Harrison Jr. to talk about stepping into the role of romcom lead as a Black man, working with A-List stars like Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross, how fear impacted his decision to not audition for Jon M. Chu’s upcomingEuphoriaThe High NoteI got the script about a year before we shot and I loved the story. I loved Grace’s character and I also thought it was exciting to have a fun movie for once. But I also didn’t really see how I would play David. I think he’s really charming and likable, and I never looked in the mirror and was like, “Oh, look, I’m the guy!” So I said, “Find someone else. I’m going to pass.” I passed, and then I passed again when they came back to me. But the third time it came, I was like, “Fine, I’ll meet with the director if she really wants me to. It’s on her at this point!” So we talked and really found a common goal for how we wanted David to be. She told me, “I do think you have something to offer. Your perspective on it is interesting.” So I took the audition, they liked it, I did the chemistry read with Dakota, and then I didn’t get the job. I was like,! But a week later, they changed their minds, and I had the job and was flying to L.A. the next day. Suddenly, it felt like I was in the movie.... I was in L.A. in a nice apartment that they paid for, I was in the studio recording music, and I had Dakota Johnson’s phone number. I was like,I know this is your first role as a romcom lead. How did it feel to make that pivot? It was honestly refreshing and terrifying at the same time. I felt like I had enough after putting myself through the ringer with. I felt crazy and everyone I was around thought I was crazy. If I’m on a dating app, they’re probably like, “I’ve seen that movie. You’re crazy. I don’t like the way you treat women.” So I felt like I really needed to do a proper movie to find myself again and get some therapy. Jumping into this was scary because I didn’t know if I had that piece of myself, but also because I didn’t know how to play a day over 18. But it was a good challenge and it was fun.Oh, totally. Stella Meghie recently did [a Black romcom,was still about him helping that Albert guy fromget the girl. Suddenly, he gets Eva Longoria and that’s great — spoiler alert — but he still wasn’tthe guy. If you go even further, most of the leads are Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Ashton Kutcher, and all those guys. I was like,. So I think part of my reasoning for wanting to play David was to do my version of that, to take pieces of all my favorite artists and see what that would look like, and represent. You got to do some singing in this film, which I know you studied at one point. Were you excited about getting the opportunity to merge these two worlds? 100%. I think that since I grew up playing music, I mirrored David in a lot of ways. My mom and dad aren’t Grace Davis or Diana Ross. I wasn’t rich like that. But I think part of my excitement for the part was to access those pieces of myself I denied for so long, mostly because I was afraid I wouldn’t live up to the expectations of my parents — that I wasn’t good enough and wouldn’t be taken seriously as a musician. But I felt I was a good actor, that I understood the craft a bit better. But to go into the studio and record an album, I think that was new for all of us. Especially when you have Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins producing it, you’re like,The little kid in me was jumping.I would love to do a musical! One of my favorite movies isbut I got too scared. I started doing my audition tape for that but then I was like, “No, I’m not good enough. I don’t want the casting directors to know I’m not ready yet,” so I stopped taping. I would do a lot of stop-and-go. It’s interesting to hear how many reservations you have about your talent, particularly after coming off such a huge year with
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