Richard Lawson steps into Darkness
Richard Lawson has never portrayed a role as unique as Norman Bellarie in his illustrious career. He enthusiastically embraces the character of Tyler Perry in Beauty in Black.
Season 2 of the Netflix series commenced this week; however, there is a new Bellarie in charge. The family is a remarkable spectacle as a unit, motivated by avarice, lust, and a desire for power through any means necessary. Lawson suggests that this is not dissimilar to the way our own families operate, albeit to a lesser extent.
“Kimmie is a wrench in the machinery,” he shared of Taylor Polidore Williams’ character in a recent interview with Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “Between Olivia (Debbi Morgan) and Norman, their wheels are rolling, so the machinery was operating. It was functioning. They were making their money. They were doing their thing, and then Kimmie comes along, and her presence throws a wrench into the machinery. Like someone sticking a pipe in the forks of your bike, and it flips the bike upside down. Now, you gotta deal with this stranger who doesn’t know what she’s doing, at least we don’t think she does, and we’ve gotta deal with this unknown entity in our very known world. It’s a big buzzard in the potato salad — not a fly, it’s like a buzzard.”
Kimmie's new dynamic with the Bellaries is distinct from their usual dynamic, as no one knows you as well as family.
“No characters are all one color; that’s the interesting thing about good drama, is that there’s contradiction everywhere,” the actor explained. “In this character, there’s a contradiction in his ability to love, you know? Interestingly enough, the family is at war. There is a lot of love within the family, as there is in all families. It’s just who has control and who’s going to get the lion’s share of the pie when it’s all broken down. Everybody is vying for that.”
in addition he shared “In regard to what part of Norman do I relate to, what part of myself do I borrow to the character of Norman? … I love deeply, I love passionately, and I have a sense of fashion, style, and design. Norman is very conscious of taking care of himself. He looks good. Everybody has a dark side. As an actor, you have to be really clear about your light and dark. What is the 24 hours of your day? There’s 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. That’s what gives balance to all of us. The dark side of us is important for us to be able to survive. We create the dark side of us to protect ourselves from the rest of the world, or within the dynamic of the family. You’d better learn how to fight for yours, be a little selfish, be able to be strong, be able to be in control, so that you don’t have to be the weak one. I use a lot of Richard. Now, what part of Richard? People will have to discern that for themselves because most people have never seen me play a character as diabolical as he is.”
He went on to expound about his troubled character.
“I have two alter egos. There’s Richard, who’s always over there, and this is the studious one, with black-rim glasses with the tape in the middle. He has a short haircut, and he’s a spiritual dud, and he knows everything,” Lawson explained. “He says, ‘Don’t do this, no do this. Get off this plan. She’s not good for you. Don’t do it.’ And the other side I’d call Tricky Dick.Tricky Dick wants to get into everything. And they argue with one another. These two sides of me are very real in terms of the spiritual, giving, loving side, and the darker person that will take it right to the edge and go right to the edge of this slippery slope, and sometimes will slip into the abyss. Then, I have to pull myself back out and listen because, again, you borrow to the characters.”
Beauty in the Black Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.