4 minute read
TRINITY WHITESIDE
Trin ty Whiteside took viewers by storm with h s portrayal as Preston in one of BET s premiere h t television shows Tyler Perry’s Sistas Preston is a wh te character on the show who has h s first experience dat ng a Black woman (Danni played by Mignon) The tension between the two rises as race and culture play a significant role in their relationship dynamic from friend groups to family
Work ng on Tyler Perry’s Sista’s and with Tyler Perry
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I spoke with Trinity about his experience playing the role of a character who is 100% white while he is biracial (half black & half white) “The great part about playing a character l ke Preston is he is so far off the spectrum of who I am in my everyday life as a Black man Though my skin tone may be that of someone white, pass ng my demeanor and soul s that of a Black man,” said Whiteside This role was both a breakout and a challenge for Trinity With any part the actor has to find a way to empath ze w th them n how they view the world their actions, and even if they have a nefarious agenda, but this wasn’t the case for him Trinity said, “Playing this role gave me the confidence I need as an actor because I’m playing someone who I can’t relate to because the way Preston sees and interacts with the world is opposite of me and how I’m living everyday life ” In his role, Trinity can demonstrate his ab l ty to genuinely and authentically get nto character
“The approach I take for Preston is thinking what would be the complete opposite of how Trin ty would th nk about a s tuation, h s attitude, and knowledge of Afr can-American culture,” Whites de
It’s interest ng for Trinity because n the show he has to act as if he doesn t know how to nteract with a Black woman or understand her He was candid about growing up biracial and how much of his ident ty and culture were shaped by the Black women on his father’s s de “Black women on my father s side had a major hand n who I have become today So, acting as someone who doesn’t know how to deal with Black women is something n itself when it’s my reality regularly My wife s Black, and I’m well versed in dealing w th Black women,” said Whites de
“The stuff you see from Tyler Perry is a microcosm of who he s as a person,” Whites de Trin ty had worked with Tyler Perry before on various projects in smaller capacities However, he said working with h m has been one of his career’s best and most reward ng exper ences “It doesn’t even seem l ke work when you are working w th Tyler I mean it’s working when we arr ve on set, but Tyler makes t fun and comfortable for all of us,” said Whiteside This role took his excitement to the next level because the capacity at wh ch he worked w th him ncreased
Trin ty s Love for The Craft
“Even back then I was enamored with creativity and express on ” Whiteside I m always interested in learn ng about an actor s origin story and w th Trinity, he went back to grade school As a child make believe was his favorite pastime, but he enjoyed it solo “As a kid, I didn’t like to inv te other kids to play make-believe with me because if they weren t really nto t and it wasn’t believable, it would bother me ” said Wh teside Ident f ed early on as a gift always had this sp rit of focus and determinat on that he takes with him throughout his journey
In the spirit of determ nation, Trinity recalled times when he would drive three hours to do extra work “There were many t mes when I would end up spending more than what I would get paid I knew the money would come in due time, and had a b gger vision for myself ” said Whites de He was more focused on gaining all the experiences he could Trin ty didn’t care to mingle with everyone when he was on set because he had an objective “You would find me off to the side observing all the people in positions I aspired to be in one day I m learning through observat on how they are doing things and preparing for the scenes,” said Whites de When everyone was look ng to either network or get attention as an extra, Trinity wanted to make sure he understood what he needed to do to be ready for his moment
“The attent on will come when I get into the pos tion I want to be A lot of t mes, people are in such as hurry to get right to the result that they forget you don t get the butterfly w thout the caterp llar ” said Whiteside
Trin ty said, “every time I got a new extra role, the role was b gger than the last So, when I aud tion and go in for a screen test and if I don’t get it, I know they saw someth ng in me to br ng me in in the f rst place ” His faith keeps him going in this demanding ndustry where you hear more nos than yeses Everything is always a win for him because he knows that even the opportunities, he doesn’t get aren t due to his inability to act but rather a change in direction from the casting directors or that the role su ted someone else “I try to control what I can control, and I let everything else fall where it does There are always outside factors in this ndustry you can t control but if you keep plugging along, then you will eventually get to where you want to be,” said Whites de
“God s plans are great than your deadline,” Whiteside
Trinity, The Father & Husband
Before we ended our conversation, I wanted to know more about Trinity as a proud father and husband You can visit his social media and see that his family is his world “I love be ng a father, and I can be the overly active father,” said Whiteside He is that father you will catch at all h s kids’ extra-curricular activities Work is the only reason why he has missed anything “As far as Trinity, the husband goes I m with my wife 24/7 When it s time for us to go to sleep or watch tv, I’m laying my head in her lap,” sa d Whiteside His favorite place to be s with h s wife and children