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DJ
Qualls Interview
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 PCM's
Kristyn Clarke was able to particpate in a recent conference
call with DJ Qualls, star of TNT's new series Memphis Beat!
Memphis Beat airs on TNT Tuesdays at 10pm EST. Be sure to
tune in!
Be sure to check out the interview below:
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| Q: How much of
yourself do you bring to the character of "Sutton"? |
| DJ Qualls: Well, I certainly identify
with him. We're both from Southern boys. I'm from Tennessee
also. But I really love - I love the fact of how eager he is.
And it reminds me of like when I first started my acting career,
like I would have done anything. And I also thought I knew a
lot more than I did. And that's sort of "Sutton" in
a nutshell. Like he's a patrolman but he really thinks that
he's ready to be a detective. And because of that - and because
of what he doesn't know - he doesn't - he's so ignorant he doesn't
know what he doesn't know.
And that's actually how I got my second job. My second job
was with Barry Sonnenfeld and I didn't really understand the
audition process. So like I went in to that audition thinking
I all ready had the job. So I started talking about how excited
I was to work with him and going to Miami, I'd never been
there. And he thought it was so charming he gave me the job.
So that's pretty much how "Sutton" approaches everything.
And he messes up a lot.
But what's so fun about playing him is that as the season
is going he's learning more, he's getting to do more things.
And then the episode that airs on Tuesday night, I think that's
the 13th, it's his first sort of big shot. He gets the shot
to go undercover. And try to bust a girl who's hiring a contract
killer to kill her brother.
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| Q: Well, we're
definitely looking forward to seeing that one. And you know
as a follow up question, what are three words you would use
to describe your character? |
| DJ Qualls: That's a good one. He
is - he's definitely adorable because he my face on him. And
he is funny and earnest. |
| Q: What does it
mean for you to be on a show based in Memphis since you're from
Tennessee? |
| DJ Qualls: You know I - it was one
of the reasons why I wanted to do this show and initially when
I signed on to do it I thought we'd be filming there. Apparently,
Tennessee has problems with their tax incentives. They really
don't offer any to draw filming. So we wound up showing the
show in Louisiana. But I still feel like I'm doing the South
justice.
And I feel like people don't get the South right. And if
there's a joke to be made about the South it's mine to make.
And also I - you get to see how good the hearts of Southern
people are. We really are a pretty simple people as a group.
People think we're stupid because we have southern accents
which couldn't be furthest from the truth. But I think that
we do a good job in representing the spirit of Memphis even
though we don't shoot there.
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| Q: When you were
growing up was there people around like "Dwight" that
you looked up to? |
| DJ Qualls: Yes, there are people
all over my community. I had teachers that I wanted to - that
had been - most of the people who I really looked up to had
been outside of the south or seen other places. And I mean,
I grew up in a town of 4000 people. So I didn't see a lot of
the world. The first time I was ever on an airplane was when
I moved away to go to college.
So I didn't, you know, know a lot about the world. And the
people that I really thought were really cool and interesting
were people like my teachers who had gone other places and
seen other things. And also TV for me was a huge thing. I
grew up in a town with no movie theater. So TV was - like
people say watching TV makes kids dumb and you know it wastes
their time.
But for me it showed me this whole world outside of what
I experienced and I was like I want some of that and I'm going
to go get it. And it really sort of drove me to leave my small
town and go out and seek out something else. And it's also
in doing that giving me perspective about where I'm from.
And now I can go home and really appreciate all of the beautiful
parts of being Southern.
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| Q: How do you -
with shooting in New Orleans, I mean how you guys keep that
kind of Memphis feeling on the set, I mean do you listen to
Memphis music? How do you keep that in mind? |
| DJ Qualls: I spent a lot of my childhood
in Memphis. My grandparents lived in Collierville for a while
you know so Memphis was just a destination. You know everybody
makes that like teenage pilgrimage to Graceland at like midnight,
let's go to Memphis. I got my first tattoo in Memphis.
Like it's just - and also like doing "Hustle and Flow"
I feel like such a guardian of the city and I completely understand.
Our biggest critics are Memphians and I get it. They want
to show a called "Memphis Beat" shot in Memphis.
And what I really want to urge everyone to do is if you want
a show shot in your town we really have to work on our state
legislature. We should be drawing these jobs to our own state.
: I mean I love the city. And what's also great is that Jason
Lee our lead he loves the city too. And we've all spent time
there. We've all gone there. And really gotten to soak up
like what Memphis is about.
And most of our show is shot on location and there are lots
of parts of New Orleans that actually look a lot Memphis.
I mean clearly not downtown but we really do sort of like
our locations people they try to you know find - isolate spots
that look the south side of Memphis. And I mean Memphis has
my heart. And I'm hoping that next season something changes
and we're shooting there.
But also the music goes a long way. I mean Stax - Isaac Hayes
is a friend of mine. I did "Hustle and Flow" with
him and those are my jams, 70s R&B. My favorite local
spot in New Orleans is a place called Vic's Kangaroo Café
and they have the best 70s R&B jukebox ever. And so that's
what I listen to.
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| Q: I was curious
how it feels to be a series regular after you know you've done
many guest appearances on various TV shows? |
| DJ Qualls: That's a really good question.
It is completely different because when you go on a show as
a guest, you're playing in somebody else's house. They have
a set rhythm. You never, no matter how nice they are, you never
feel at home.
And so when I took this job I really you know I didn't know
what that felt like to have that sort of home feeling. And
about three episodes and I loved doing TV. First of all, it's
an acting boot camp. Anybody who you know some actors really
get most of the accolades TV is hard. You're shooting so many
pages a day. You've got to be on - I mean you have to be on
all of the time. Our days are like 16, 17 hours every day.
But I love it because you let your guard down on TV in a
way that you don't in film because on film there's a beginning,
a middle and an end. It's a 2-hour movie. You're going to
be there for a set amount of time. But TV could go on for
a very long time. So you really bond with your cast and crew
in a completely different way.
And honestly, like if the show doesn't come back next season,
although it's kind of looking like we will because we're doing
pretty well, actually we're doing very well, I'll be pretty
sad. I'm going to be sad about it because I really love this
job. And I love these people. And I've been lucky enough that
Alfre Woodard and Jason Lee and I have known each other for
about 10 years so they're old friends.
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| Q: You just mentioned
you were friends with Jason. I wanted to know what was it like
to work with him, again. |
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DJ Qualls: Jason did my second movie. I did a movie
called "Big Trouble" years ago that nobody saw,
that Barry Sonnenfeld directed. And then I worked with him
again on "Earl" for a few episodes.
And it's just - it's really a comfortable friendship. And
because - and it makes it easy for me because I actually do
like him as a guy and my character looks up to him so much.
And most of - the majority of my scenes are with him. And
I like him as an actor but it's most important I like you
as a person if I have to be -if they have to be in your face
like this many hours a day.
We just shot a scene - I just finished doing a scene today.
There were eight people in it. And I lost track at 62 times
we did the same four pages. That's a lot of time we're spending
together so you have to like each other and it's great. I
really like him a lot. I loved him on "Earl". I
like this better. I think it's more suited to his personality.
But yes I mean it couldn't be better.
And also Alfre Woodard, I mean she sort of became a mentor
to me. We did a movie called "The Core" together
I think in '03. And I was brand new to the business. I'd been
- I think it was maybe my sixth or seventh movie and she took
me aside and sort of - and there's no mentoring in Hollywood.
And I'm very lucky that she took me aside and befriended me.
And she's sort of been a good sounding board and just an amazing
friend. I like a mile from her back in L.A.
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| Continued
on Page 2 |
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