The versatile, classically-trained actor and performer Michael Beach has accumulated a great body of work from award-winning movies to critically-acclaimed TV shows, but for some reason, the super-talented actor has a knack for playing characters people love to hate.
Beach first came to prominence as the charismatically unfaithful husband in Terry McMillan’s adapted novel, Waiting to Exhale (1995), and on the hit medical drama, ER (NBC, 1994-2009), playing a man who infects his ex-wife (Gloria Reuben) with HIV.
Later in his career, he played the cheating husband in the beloved feature film, Soul Food (1997). He continues to act in both movies and TV like on the long-running NBC drama Third Watch and the award-winning movie, If Beale Street Could Talk.
One of his latest project, Truth Be Told, is part of Apple TV+’s new string of original programming, with executive producer and star Octavia Spencer portraying Poppy Parnell, a true-crime investigative reporter and podcaster drawn to reexamine a case she played a pivotal role in years ago.
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This comes after a successful run on the hit TV series, The 100, where Michael, once again, played a bad guy, Pike.
“That was one of the more enjoyable characters I’ve played,” explains Beach to BCR.com. “Because even though 99% of the fanbase see him as a bad guy — not just a bad guy, I think he’s the most hated character of that show, which is fine, I don’t mind — I have a lot of empathy for Pike and what he’s been through.
I’ve been hated on social media but I don’t put much stock in it; I don’t argue with people on social media and it’s not my job, it’s not up to me to determine how people feel about a character that I play.”
“I’m a pretty intense worker, but I love to have fun. Like I can’t just be intense like that all the time on the set.
So I really do love joking around and having a decent time in between scenes.”
“Obviously, if there are actors that don’t do that in-between takes, I don’t force
