Alumni Profile | R. Charles Wilkerson

ACTING UP

THE THEATRE PROGRAM TAUGHT ALUMNUS RANDALL WILKERSON TO INVEST IN HIMSELF. NOW HE'S DOING HIS PART TO PAY IT FORWARD.

R. Charles Wilkerson

by Donna Mooney

To be or not to be a biochemist? That was the question Randall Charles Wilkerson answered before he settled on a college major. In his eyes, he could either put in the grueling hours studying biology, a subject he struggled with in high school, or he could receive a degree in acting, and not only portray a biochemist, but hundreds of other impressive characters from time to time, minus the headache .

Today, Wilkerson is an actor known for his work in commercials, voice overs and video game characters. To his credit, he played a character in the first season of Empire, and has played a role in Chicago P.D. Other stints include commercials for Hot Wire and Progressive Insurance.

Wilkerson gained his college theater experience while studying and performing with the John McLinn Ross Players at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. An active 2008 alumni, Wilkerson said he will always be grateful for his onstage and backstage presence at UAPB. His allegiance to Dear Mother is evident not only in his words, but also in his deeds as he devotedly donates 10 % of his personal finances to the University from each check he receives.

“Looking back, this was the best decision ever for me...I really learned about acting at UAPB...I had great experiences at UAPB.”

Currently living in Los Angeles, Wilkerson began his long-distance interview eager to discuss the craft he loves, the people who helped him and the lessons he's learned along the way. His tenor voice is steady and each sentence conveys his conviction that he is living out his purpose.

“The idea to become a biochemist stemmed from seeing the movie The Rock, when I was in middle school and watched Sean Connery ‘save the world,’” Wilkerson explained. “Eventually, it became clear that I just wanted to play a biochemist in a show, and not be one.”

“You know when you are a little kid swimming in the summer in Arkansas and they say, you’ve got one hour left, you try to make everything count,” Wilkerson explained. “I found myself trying to hold on to the very last minute I was in that pool. That’s how I feel about acting. When you’re in it, you stop thinking about time, and try to enjoy it because you know it will be over soon, but once you’re done, you have that feeling that you’ve got to get back to it. Once bitten, you never want to shake it.”

As a tribute to both his late father and his late grandfather, named Charles Wilkerson, Jr., and Sr., respectively, Randall Wilkerson said he changed his professional name to R. Charles Wilkerson. According to Wilkerson, both his father and grandfather were his greatest fans, encouraging him to follow his dream no matter what. His father died in 2012. “The last thing my father said to me was ‘I love you son. Keep acting,’” Wilkerson said.

Waiting in the Wings

and I went to him and expressed my interest and told him I wanted to be an actor,” Wilkerson said. “I told him I wanted to learn more, and he allowed me to travel with them to the Kennedy Center as a stage manager, and we sold out the Center. Steve Broadnax came to UAPB and told all of us in that class that we were special, and that we would leave our mark.”

While at UAPB, Wilkerson performed as the lead character Walter Lee, in “A Raisin in the Sun.” Once he became established at UAPB, Wilkerson was active in several organizations, including Honor’s College, the Golden Ambassadors, Junior Class officer, Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Psi Omega.

Outside of theater, Wilkerson said he had instructors who kept him focused like Joyce Bracy Vaughn. “She not only looks like my Mom, but she acts like her too,” Wilkerson joked. “Ms. Vaughn was my emotional support and Dr. Carolyn Blakely was my academic support. Dr. Blakely’s classes taught me structure.”

Wilkerson had originally planned to attend Howard University and major in theater to study at the same school graced by actors Ruby Dee, Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad, but that didn’t work out. He was prepared to look at another college when his mother, Patricia Wilkerson, intervened. Although Howard University had accepted him, the school did not offer him the financial aid packet he desired. With a little prodding from his mother, Wilkerson reluctantly applied to UAPB and received a full scholarship ride. Also, Wilkerson’s twin sister, Regina, had enrolled at UAPB the semester before and had received a full ride scholarship.

“Looking back, this was the best decision ever for me,” Wilkerson said. “I went to UAPB for free. I really learned about acting at UAPB, and I met my wife, LaShaun in Dr. Carolyn Blakely’s English class. I had great experiences at UAPB.”

Another benefit of attending UAPB was Wilkerson meeting Stephen Broadnax who would soon become Wilkerson’s theatrical mentor. Broadnax was a well-known national and international actor performing a successful one-man show in Edinburg, Scotland, prior to 2003. Throat surgery brought Broadnax back to the states, and fate lead him to the UAPB Theater Department.

The next year, Broadnax was invited to take UAPB students on the road to perform THE HIP HOP PROJECT in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C. [THE HIP HOP PROJECT is an awardwinning, full-length original play directed, choreographed and conceived by Broadnax.] Currently, Broadnax is the Head of the Master’s of Fine Arts (MFA) in Acting, and Associate Artistic Director for Outreach at Pennsylvania State University. “I was in Steve Broadnax’ s Acting 1 class at UAPB in 2004,

All the World’s a Stage

In 2008, Wilkerson graduated from UAPB with a bachelor’s of arts degree in theatre. Afterward, he received a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in acting from the University of Virginia. Following graduate school, he and his wife moved to Chicago, and he worked in Community Theater. He also taught theater and worked in the box office of Cirque de Soleil.

“Chicago is a good place to nurture stage acting, but just about everyone I knew had two or three jobs – survival jobs,” he said. “What they don’t tell you in graduate school is how to prepare for life after college. I would tell my younger self and theater majors to learn about financial literacy, contracts, how to survive, how to set up a 401K, how to pay taxes and how to pay your rent.”

R. Charles Wilkerson as a tough Guard opposite Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) on the Fox Show, Empire.

Photo by Fox - © Empire

In 2014, Wilkerson and his wife moved to Los Angeles, the hot spot for all upcoming actors in search of television and film acting jobs.

According to Wilkerson, Los Angeles is also the “make or break” location of all actors because of the high cost of living. “You have to have a place to stay and a car in Los Angeles to travel to auditions that may be 1-2 hours away,” he said. “However, most apartment complexes won’t rent to people with less than a year working on a job. Ninety-five percent of actors moving to L.A. leave after one year because of the cost. I was told that the most important thing to do is hang around. ”

A husband and wife are at a hardware store looking at appliances. After wandering the aisles, the only expert they can find is Wilkerson's character from the fertilizer department.

Photo by McGarry Bowen LLC - © Sears

According to Wilkerson, “I’ve learned that sometimes it doesn’t matter how much talent you have, you may not get the job, but don’t let that affect how you feel about yourself or your self-esteem” Wilkerson said. “It doesn’t mean you are not talented or you’re not worthy. You can’t be afraid to fail."

If you get three or four call backs, you’re doing a good job. It just may not be your time. I have found in my life some of my best answers from God have been ‘no.’ God reminds me that my grace is sufficient for all men.”