arts & entertainment
romeo: the ‘Dancing with the Stars’
and ‘Jumping the Broom’ Interview
with the Stars” this past season.
By kam williams
Special to
The Skanner News
B
orn in New Orleans on Aug. 19,
1989, Percy Romeo Miller, Jr.,
aka Romeo, is an entertainer,
actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
The son of businessman and music
mogul Percy Miller, he has sold over
10 million records as a multi-platinum
music artist.
Romeo has also been awarded A
Grammy and an American Music
Award, and was named one of the 5
Sexiest Men in the World in 2010.
He’s the CEO of the multi-million dol-
lar record company No Limit Forever,
and became the youngest entertainer to
top the Billboard charts at the age of
10. A humanitarian and philanthropist,
Romeo has dedicated his life to giving
back to the communities and helping
at-risk youth with his foundation
Urban Born.
His acting credits include his #1 tel-
evision show Romeo! on
Nickelodeon, The Defenders,
The Cape, and he starred in the
movie Honey with Jessica Alba.
Romeo is not only a Hollywood
superstar but he’s also majoring
in Business and Film at the
University
of
Southern
California.
As a freshman, he helped the
school’s basketball team made
USC history by winning their
first PAC 10 Championship.
Romeo appreciates the importance of
education, which is why he remains at
USC while pursuing his entertainment
and business career opportunities.
Here, he talks about recently co-star-
ring in the romantic comedy “Jumping
the Broom” and about capturing the
hearts of young and old as a contestant
on the hit ABC reality series “Dancing
kam williams: Hi Romeo, thanks
for another interview.
romeo: Thank you, Kam.
kw: What interested you in doing
Dancing with the Stars, especially
after your father fared so poorly on the
program during the 2nd season?
r: I wanted to do this show to show
our future generation not to be afraid
to fail. More and more kids are drop-
ping out of high school and letting
their dreams slip away because of fail-
ure. I felt that this show was the per-
fect opportunity for me to step outside
of my comfort zone and take an
unknown journey with my fans. I did
Dancing with the Stars for the kids and
my
charity
“URBANBORN”
[UrbanBorn.org]. And FYI, my dad
taught me all of my dance moves.
[LOL]
kw: Did you have to get in shape
tionist, I made the choreography a
lot tougher because I wanted every
dance to be perfect. I’m a very fast
learner, but becoming a ballroom
dancer was definitely the most diffi-
cult task in my life yet. I definitely
respect dancers a whole lot more
now.
kw: Tell me a little
about the charity you
played for.
r: People may not
know that I’ve gone
to regular school
through my whole
career. Education has
always been the rock in
my life, and I think that
every kid should have the proper
education and that experience. School
for me has been like the real world in
a bubble. Everything about school and
education has built me to be the man
that I am today, and I wanted to share
that with our future. With
UrbanBorn.org I do a lot of
“Read to Achieve” events and I
go to a lot of underprivileged
schools to express the impor-
tance of education. The kids are
the future and I just want to let
them know that somebody cares.
Romeo has dedicated his
life to giving back to the
communities and helping
at-risk youth with his
foundation Urban Born
for the show, and how challenging did
you find learning the choreography?
r: Coming straight from playing
Division 1 Basketball at USC, I was in
terrific shape. But after doing the
show, I was in even better shape! My
vertical jump went from 39 inches to
42 inches, and my cardio and footwork
was better then ever. Being a perfec-
kw: Speaking of school, how
have you enjoyed USC?
r: College is some of the best
times a kid can have. You’re able
to make mistakes and learn from
them without being babied by your
parents. USC was the perfect school
for me because I was able to be a reg-
ular student on campus. I visited a cou-
ple other schools before I made my
decision to become a Trojan and it was
mayhem! Plus us TROJANS have the
best alumni, we stick together. [LOL]
Fight on!
kw: Tell me a little about Jumping the Broom?
r: Jumping the Broom is magic in a movie. It’s kind of
like watching a real life fairy-tale. This movie will make
you laugh, cry, and love. All star cast, great acting, great
movie!
kw: How would you describe your character, Sebastian?
r: Sebastian in one word. Hmmmmm… A cougar
hunter? [Laughs] Actually, he’s the youngest in the movie
but he’s the most mature and he’s trying to teach the other
fellas how to find and how to treat a real woman. He defi-
nitely watched too much Hitch!
kw: What’s more fun, making movies or being a con-
testant on a reality show?
r: I would definitely have to say making movies!
[Laughs some more] Although I loved the Dancing with the
Stars journey, I must admit I have never been sooooo nerv-
ous in my life. When I’m making movies, I’m a lot more
comfortable and relaxed. I feel reality is more fun for the
viewers because you get to see the celebrity in a different
light. But for me, learning a new dance in a few days to per-
form in front of 20 million people equals nervous break-
down. [Chuckles]
kw: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What message
do you think people will take away from Jumping the
Broom and what did you learn from appearing on Dancing
with the Stars?
r: Jumping the Broom teaches that anything is possible
with true love. From Dancing with the Stars, people will
learn that in order to succeed you’ll sometimes have to fail
and that, at the end of the day, all that matters is you doing
your best. Life has no limits if you just try.
kw: Patricia also wants to know what message do you
have for young people who believe in instantaneous success
without hard work or sacrifice?
r: That’s a myth. Anybody who you see that’s successful
has a story. You just may not know it. The key to success is
hard work. And when it’s your time, you have to make the
best of it.
Page 6 The Portland Skanner June 29, 2011