Michael Jai White
The
“Vigilante Diaries” Interview
with
Kam Williams
White
Back Kicking Butt as Rogue CIA Agent!
Born
November 10, 1967 in Brooklyn, New York, it was watching the film
Five Fingers of Death that initiated Michael’s interest in the
martial arts. At the tender age 7, he started taking weekly Japanese
Jujitsu classes to stay focused while growing up on the tough streets
of Brooklyn.
At 8,
Michael’s family relocated to Bridgeport, Connecticut where he
studied the Shotokan and Kyokushin forms of karate, earning his first
black belt by 13. Upon graduating from Bridgeport’s Central High
School, he went on to further his education, first attending Southern
Connecticut and then UConn. While winning multiple championships as a
national martial arts competitor, he became a Special Education
teacher at Wilbur Cross Elementary School in Bridgeport.
Bitten
by the acting bug, Michael began auditioning for commercials and
acting gigs on weekends and during summer breaks while teaching. When
he began landing jobs in commercials and guest-starring roles on
television shows and films; he left teaching and moved to Los Angeles
to pursue an acting career full-time.
Before
long, he would go on to guest star on such hit television shows as
Saved by the Bell, Martin, NYPD Blue, and CSI. Proving his acting
ability, he would also be cast in the lead role of legendary boxer
Mike Tyson in the HBO biopic, Tyson.
Michael
was subsequently cast to play the title character in the movie Spawn
which came with the distinction of being the first black superhero in
a major motion picture. While he cemented his Hollywood status as a
bonafide action star, more diverse roles emerged that allowed him to
showcase his physical prowess as well as display his on-screen
charisma and comedic ability in such films as Exit Wounds, Undisputed
2, Silver Hawk, Blood & Bone, Black Dynamite and Tyler Perry’s
Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I Get Married Too playing opposite
Tasha Smith. The two would ignite such on-screen chemistry, they
would go on to star together in the long running OWN Network series,
For Better or Worse.
Michael
resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Gillian White, and their
three daughters. Here, he talks about his new movie, Vigilante
Diaries, an action thriller starring Paul Sloan, and featuring
Michael Madsen, Jason Mewes, Quinton Rampage Jackson and Danny Trejo.
Kam
Williams: Hey
Michael, thanks for another opportunity to speak with you.
Michael
Jai White:
My
pleasure, Kam.
KW:
What interested you in this crazy action film, Vigilante Diaries?
MJW:
I was
one of the players invited to the party, and I had fun at it. Paul
Sloan, the picture's scriptwriter and lead actor, invited me to join
the project, as did Christian Sesma, who directed it. And it became a
really fun romp.
KW:
You
certainly had an impressive and diverse cast, with actors ranging
from veteran actor Michael Madsen to Jason Mewes from the Kevin Smith
movies to action stars like like you and Danny Trejo of Machete. How
were you all assembled?
MJW:
Well,
it started out as a web series, and then they turned it into a
full-length feature film. .
KW:
Tell me
a little about the guy you play, Barrington?
MJW:
He's
sort of a rogue CIA Agent who's pulling strings all over the place,
You can't tell if he's a good guy or a bad guy. I think that's
indicative of all the characters. It's kind of a dark comedy.
[Chuckles] The good thing about the movie is that you just can't tell
where it's going to go.
KW:
I won't
spoil the ending of the film, but let me say I was definitely shocked
by one of the surprising developments involving your character.
MJW:
Yeah.
It's one of those movies where you find yourself saying, "Wait a
minute. Where are we now?" It's an action movie that's not
trying to pretend to be anything other than that.
KW: Does the movie have a message, or should people just sit back and enjoy the action?
MJW:
I'd say
just sit back and enjoy the action, and also the laughs, because
there's a lot of funny stuff in the movie as well.
KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone,
is there a remake you'd like to star in?
MJW:
Wow!
There are probably several of them. I made my attempt to redo Hard
Times [the Charles Bronson classic from 1975]. I called it Blood and
Bone. And there are certain other classic films I'd love to see
again, but under a different name.
KW:
Ling-Ju Yen asks: What
is your earliest childhood memory?
MJW:
Well,
the first movie I ever saw was Five Fingers of Death, which was
really the first kung fu movie sent to the United States. It freaked
me out because people were pulling out adversaries' eyeballs. I ran
out of the theater, and my brothers and cousins had to come get me.
So, it's amazing that I would study martial arts years later, because
that certainly freaked me out at first. .
KW:
What
type of dietary regimen do you follow to stay in such good shape?
MJW:
I
basically eat fish and vegetables, pretty much the pescatarian route.
KW:
When
you look in the mirror, what do you see?
MJW:
A
constant work in progress.
KW:
What's
the craziest thing you've ever done?
MJW:
At 16,
I traveled across the country by Greyhound bus.
KW:
If you
could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
MJW:
Fairness.
I just wish there was fairness overall. And you know what? I also
wish for honesty.
KW:
Larry
Greenberg asks: Do you have a favorite movie monster?
MJW:
Gamera, the giant, flying mutant turtle.
KW:
The Anthony Mackie question: Is
there
anything that you promised yourself you’d do if you became famous,
that you still haven’t done yet?
MJW:
Boy,
these are great questions. I'm a former Special Ed teacher, and I
plan to do more in the country's public schools system. I definitely
intend to help with policies in the inner-city school system. That's
something I haven't done yet., but I'm going to.
KW:
Finally,
what’s in your wallet?
MJW:
Two
credit cards, my driver's license and 20 bucks.
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Michael, and best of luck with the film.
MJW:
Thank
you, Kam.
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