arts & entertainment
Eric Benét: The ‘Trinity goodheart’ interview
B
orn in Milwaukee on Oct. 15, 1970,
two-time Grammy-nominee Eric
Benét is an actor, singer and song-
writer whose music has been influenced by
such R&B greats as Al Green, Sly Stone,
Chaka Khan and Marvin Gaye. His first
professional break came back in the late
Eighties while he was in a local group
called Gerard.
Since then, Eric has struck gold on the
R&B charts and released albums like True
to Myself, A Day in the Life and Love and
Life. He has collaborated with a range of
highly respected artists, including
Something for the People; Earth, Wind, and
Fire; and Wynonna Judd. As an actor, he’s
enjoyed recurring roles on the TV series
“For Your Love,” “Half & Half” and
“Kaya.”
Here, he talks about starring
opposite Erica Gluck in his new
film, Trinity Goodheart, a heart-
warming family drama about a
strained father-daughter relation-
ship. The movie premieres on the
GMC-TV Network on Saturday,
August 20th at 9 PM ET/PT (8 PM
CT).
c eLeBriTY
i nTerVieW
by Kam
Williams
to read it that night and fell in love with it,
because there were so many parallels
between the main character’s life and my
own. And I also liked how the story was so
warm and about faith and how it reminded
people that love and family are both worth
fighting for.
eB: I did not actually play. I kind of just
pantomimed, hoping that whoever really
played the sax would sound good and coin-
cide with what I was doing.
kW: Irene Smalls says: You play a black,
single father raising his child alone. This is
definitely not the norm in the Black com-
munity where there are so many single-
female headed households. She asks: What
message do you want to communicate
through your role?
eB: Irene’s right, it’s not the norm. But it
was my reality. I was pretty much a single-
father for most of my daughter India’s life.
She’s 19 now, just finished her freshman
year at USC, and she’s blossomed into an
incredibly talented, beautiful, strong young
woman. Looking back, were there things I
could’ve done better? Yes,
but I’m still pretty proud
of myself for having
raised such an amazing
individual. Being a parent
is not easy, but speaking
for myself, it’s a wonder-
-- Eric Benét ful blessing and the most
rewarding job I’ve ever
had.
The #1 tip I would probably
give myself is:
“Enjoy every moment of this journey”
kam Williams: Hi Eric, thanks
for the time. How’re you doing?
eric Benét: I’m doing very well, thank
you.
kW: I’ll be mixing in my questions with
a lot I got from fans. The first is from Teresa
Emerson who says: I love your music,
Eric. Great to see you back in films. What
interested you about this particular project?
eB: Well, my manager had read the
script, and liked it a lot. And I finally got
around to it after I was ambushed at a gig in
Atlanta by the producers and the
scriptwriter. They told me they felt I was
perfect for the part. So, I took the initiative
kW: Felicia Haney says: This film has
some similarities to your having been a sin-
gle-dad with a young daughter in real life. Is
that one of the reasons why you chose to do
the film?
eB: I felt that if this was going to be my
first male lead in a film, then it would be a
great opportunity to latch onto since there
were so many anchors in this character that
I could sink my teeth into because of all the
parallels with my life.
kW: Was that you really playing the sax
in the movie?
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kW: Teresa also asks: Will your daughter
India be following you into the music busi-
ness, and if so, how do you feel about it?
eB: India is an extremely talented
singer/songwriter, and she is absolutely
forging her own way musically. She’s
majoring in music business and communi-
cations, and she’s been spending a lot of
time in the studio while at school, so I think
we’re going to see a whole lot from India in
the future.
kW: Marcia Evans asks: What parenting
skills have you employed raising your beau-
tiful daughter, India, to produce such a
healthy offspring. Do you have any parent-
ing tips to share with single fathers?
eB: I have always tried to keep an honest,
age-appropriate line of communication
open with India, even during the teen years,
a painful time of development when they
usually shut down, and the last person they
want to speak to is a parent. But India would
always tell me what was going on, so I real-
ly encourage people to be as open with your
children as you possibly can.
kW: Marcia goes on to say: The duets that
you’ve done, like the one with Tamia, have
been outstanding. So, she wants to know
whether you’ve considered doing an entire
album of duets, especially since love songs
are what people are craving during these
trying times.
eB: Hmm… That’s a good idea, but I
don’t think I will ever do an entire duet
album, because the logistics and scheduling
get tough. I will continue to do two or three
duets per album. And I agree with Marcia
that those kinds of very nurturing melodies
and lyrics are needed more so than ever
right now and I’m definitely going to do my
part to make sure more of those songs are
out there.
kW: Finally, Marcia asks: How do you
explain to India about real love, and how do
you explain your songs with risqué lyrics to
her?
eB: Hmm… as accurately as I possibly
can. I explain that love’s an elusive, fragile
and resilient thing. And as far as the lyrics,
I say that part of being an adult is being sex-
ual, and when you’re in a relationship, to
express yourself that way is a beautiful
thing.
kW: Harriet Pakula Teweles asks: Is
there a recording artist you haven’t worked
with that you’d like to? And which of your
recordings is your favorite?
eB: Every time I think about the first
question, the answer generally turns out to
be a living legend like Al Green, Aretha
Franklin, Stevie Wonder or Chaka Khan. I
would love to record with any one of them,
because they helped shape and mold who I
am creatively. As to Harriet’s second ques-
tion, the answer changes with my mood.
But right now, I’d have to say it’s a song I
wrote called “Sometimes I Cry,” which
audiences always really get into when I per-
form it at live shows.
kW: Larry Greenberg asks: When you
played music producer T. Davis on the
MTV series Kaya, was that character based
on anyone you know from the music indus-
try?
eB: [LOL] Yeah, I did base my character
on a mosaic of a lot of the cocky, self-
assured producers I’d worked with over the
years. [Laughs some more]
kW: Legist/Editor Patricia Turnier asks:
If you could back in time and speak to the
Eric Benét of 1992, when your first album
was released with the band called Benét,
what advice would you give to yourself?
eB: Oh, that’s a great question! The #1 tip
I would probably give myself is: “Enjoy
every moment of this journey,” because
back then I would really get caught up in the
details of “Why aren’t we signed yet?” and
“Why isn’t this happening faster?” I would
have to tell myself that there’s always a rea-
son why things happen. I’ve learned in my
older age how to let it go when things don’t
work out, because something incredible that
I don’t know about yet is probably right
around the corner.
kW: Patricia also asks: What is more
challenging for you, singing or acting?
eB: Singing, for me, is like breathing air.
Acting is a challenge. I find it difficult to
switch gears emotionally.
kW: Lisa Loving says: There are proba-
bly a lot of struggling young artists who are
working at UPS and trying to break through
into the music industry at the same time,
like you did. What advice do you have for
them besides, “Lift with your your back?”
eB: [LOL] I think the best advice I
would give them is to always be working on
your craft, because there are so many peo-
ple out there with a dream similar to yours,
a whole lot more than when I started.
kW: Lisa also says: You have lived
through some real tragedy in your life. How
did you deal with the grief?
eB: The way I’ve tried to grieve is by not
holding it in. If you’re mourning, cry,
scream and purge whatever is going on
inside you emotionally. That’s part of the
process. And keep those that love you very
close as you go through it.
kW: Is there any question no one ever
asks you, that you wish someone would?
eB: No, because one of the least enjoy-
able things for me to do is to talk about
myself.
kW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you
ever afraid?
eB: Yes.
kW: The Columbus Short question: Are
you happy?
eB: Very happy!
kW: The Teri Emerson question: When
was the last time you had a good laugh?
eB: I can’t even remember what we were
talking about, but I had a lot of family in
town recently and we shared a deep, gut-
wrenching laugh in the kitchen before I left
for New York.
kW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
eB: Reality-TV shows like Hoarders.