Local News
Michael Ealy: The ‘Unconditional’ Interview
M
ichael Ealy is already
back on the big screen,
fresh off the phenomenal
success he enjoyed earlier this
year in Think Like a Man, the
$100 million box-office hit that
knocked The Hunger Games out
of the #1 spot. Michael first found
fame in 2002 for his memorable
performance as Ricky Nash in
Barbershop.
His other feature films include
Seven Pounds, 2 Fast 2 Furious,
Never Die Alone, For Colored
Girls, Miracle at St. Anna, Takers
and Underworld: Awakening. In
2007, he received a Golden Globe
Award nomination for his role in
Showtime’s Sleeper Cell. Mean-
while, on TV, he’s appeared in
ABC’s Flashforward and CBS’s
The Good Wife.
Here, the versatile thespian talks
about starring in Unconditional,
an inspirational, faith-based fea-
ture based on actual events. In this
bittersweet tale of redemption, he
portrays Papa Joe Bradford, a guy
with kidney disease who teams
with a recently-widowed, child-
hood friend (Lynn Collins) to
make a difference in the lives of
needy kids in Nashville.
Kam Williams: Hey Michael.
Thanks for another interview.
Michael Ealy: I’m good, Kam.
How are ya?
KW: What interested you in
Unconditional?
ME: It started with the script. I
kind of fell in love with some of
the miraculous, lyrical and poetic
nature of the writing. Ultimately, I
still had to respond to the role.
And I did respond to the character.
The fact that this guy was a real
person, someone who, after turn-
ing his own life around, was doing
everything in his power to influ-
ence the development of youth in
his neighborhood made me feel
like this was an important movie
to do.
C
O
C ELEBRITY
I NTERVIEW
by Kam
Williams
KW: Did you get to meet the
real Papa Joe Bradford in the
process of making the movie?
ME: Yes, sir, and we’re still
good friends to this day.
KW: Editor/legist Patricia
Turnier says she loves your per-
formance in Think Like a Man
because you made your character
really believable. She asks: What
does Papa Joe’s philanthropy
mean to you?
ME: It’s tough for me to see
Papa Joe as a philanthropist
because I generally think of phi-
lanthropy on a grander scale. For
instance, I consider Bill Cosby a
philanthropist because of all the
colleges and charities he supports.
I see Papa Joe as more grassroots.
With him, it’s not so much about
big changes as it is about an indi-
vidual’s daily effort. It’s a lot like
what a teacher does. When I visit a
school, and students get excited, I
always tell them, “It’s not me you
should be listening to, it’s your
teachers, because they’re here
every day.” It’s that sort of com-
mitment that Papa made, even
though he had his own family,
seven kids. Yet, he still finds the
time to be daddy to a lot of other
children, too. He’s there on a daily
basis. I can’t give that. That means
a lot. That is special. That is
extraordinary.
KW: Patricia goes on to say that
friendship is one of the main
themes in Unconditional where
M
M
U
N
Michael Ealy in a scene from ‘Unconditional.’
the lead character reconnects with
an old friend. She’s wondering
whether you have a best friend
with whom you would like to
reconnect.
ME: No, me and my three best
friends from childhood never
stopped being boys.
KW: Patricia also recognizes
you as the love interest in music
videos by both Beyonce’ and
Mariah Carey. She wonders
whether you plan to play the hunk
again opposite a pop diva in
another upcoming video.
ME: No, not really.
KW: On a similar note, chil-
dren’s book author Irene Smalls
asks: Is being so good-looking
ever a drawback because people
I
T
Y
C
try to typecast you in your career?
ME: [Chuckles] Yes.
KW: Irene would also like to
know what’s up next for you.
ME: I am about to start shooting
the remake of About Last Night,
an adaptation of David Mamet’s
play Sexual Perversity in Chicago.
KW: Last time we spoke, I
asked you to come up with a
generic Michael Ealy question.
Did you think of one yet?
ME: Yeah, I did, Kam, and I had
it emailed it to you.
KW: My bad. I don’t remember
receiving it. Hope they can send it
again, because I want to start using
it when I interview other celebri-
ties. Let me ask you the Pastor
A
L
E
N
D
Alex Kendrick question: What
motivates you at this stage of your
career?
ME: Good question. It’s impor-
tant to me to start challenging
myself more as an artist. I’d like to
try different genres, and not
always take the popular role or the
favorite part. I’m highly motivated
to be flexible. I don’t always have
to play the picture’s moral com-
pass. And I also want to have a lot
more fun.
KW: What would make your
life easier?
ME: [LOL] What would make
my life is easier would be being
able to keep my private life private
as long as possible.
A
R
S EATTLE 2012
Please join Seattle Parks and Recreation and
your neighbors in celebration as we open the
new Belltown Community Center, Music,
entertainment, art, food and fun. 4 – 8:30 p.m.
415 Bell St.
If you have an event you want to share
with the community, email it two weeks
in advance to The Skanner at
info@theskanner.com
Thursday September 13
QUEEN ANNE FARMERS MARKET. Find more then 50
vendors, including Washington farms as well as
the largest gathering of street food vendors
anywhere in Seattle. 3 – 7:30 p.m. Queen Anne
Avenue North and Howe Street.
Friday September 14
BACK – TO – SCHOOL BLAST OPEN HOUSE. Get
back into the swing of things join us for a
community Open House BBQ, gym games and
much more. Fun for all ages. 6 – 8 p.m. Ravenna
Eckstein Community Center, 6535 Ravenna Ave.
NE.
Saturday September 15
6TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF FRUIT. There will be cider
pressing, apple tasting & try to identify the
different kinds of apples, apple pie off – contest,
treats for sale, kids crafts and much more. 10
a.m. – 2 p.m. Carkeek Park Environmental
Learning Center, 950 NW Carkeek Park Rd.
Tuesday September 18
BELLTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER OPEN HOUSE.
Page 2 The Seattle Skanner
September 12, 2012
BELLEVUE JOB FAIR. Meet companies hiring in your
home town. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Red Lion Bellevue
Inn, 11211 NE Main St.
Friday & Saturday September 21 – 22
THE GREAT WALLINGFORD WURST FESTIVAL. The
Great Wallingford Wurst Festival is an Octoberfest
style end-of-summer celebration. The festival
features rides, games for kids, craft booths, food
and much more. St. Benedict School, 4811
Wallingford Ave. N. Friday outdoor hours 4 – 11
p.m. indoor hours 4 p.m. – midnight. Saturday
outdoor hours 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Indoor hours 11
a.m. – midnight.
Saturday September 22
RACHEL HARTMAN READS FROM SERAPHINA AT THE
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. Rachel Hartman will read
from her new book Seraphina from 6 – 7:15 p.m.
at the NE Branch Library, 6801 35th Ave. NE The
program is free and open to the public.