When people see actor Michael Wright in person, he says many of them try to quote lines from some of their favorite characters. Wright is best known for his role as Eddie Kane, Jr. in the classic 1991 Robert Townsend hit film The Five Heartbeats and Sugar Hill. He's also been seen on the small screen in a number of shows including the 1983 NBC science fiction miniseries V, Miami Vice, and on the 1997 HBO series Oz as Omar White.
Many of Wright's characters have been burdened with some type of substance abuse. His ability to play these characters with pinpoint accuracy is sometimes uncanny. But is it art imitating life or vice versa?
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In 2012, Wright was reportedly trying to park his Rolls Royce in Manhattan when he smashed right into a patrol car that had two police officers sitting inside.
Wright was required to take a field sobriety test after the officers detected the smell of alcohol. The actor was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence. He's since been seen off and on, in a drunk and/or substance influenced state.
But the actor still works in different small-screen roles in Hollywood.
How Does He Play Drug Addicts So Well?
When asked what it takes to play characters who are like this, Wright draws on his own experiences, "What makes drugs and alcohol appealing to those in show business?" asks Wright. "Is it the feeling that it gives you? Is it the effect of being 'ready' for anything? As schedules are jam-packed and appearances are many, there seems to be a need for some type of mojo in order to cope with it all."
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"But what's the answer?" the actor continues. "The answer is love, love, love. Love is how we all can move forward."
One thing that Wright loves is cooking! Yes, cooking! If you look at his Instagram, he has a number of different dishes that he's prepared and eaten that he loves. Even one of his go-to cookbooks is The Joy of Cooking.
Wright is such a multi-dimensional man that literally drowns himself into each character in order for the audience--no matter if they are watching a screen or seeing him live and in-person--to feel every breath of that character.
Coping with Drugs and Alcohol Off Screen
While Wright lives a life that is free from dependencies like drugs and alcohol, unlike his characters, we examine how does one cope without becoming dependent on substances in real life? Here are five ways one can overcome:
1. Truth - Don’t lie. It is better not to lie by trying to make up some excuse like “no I just had some” because that will just lead the person peer pressuring you into their next sells pitch. Those who pressure you will usually arrive at the truth eventually, and if they don’t, they often will cause you to do something you wouldn’t normally do just so you can make your lie more believable.
2. Stand apart - There is no quicker way to make it clear that you are a follower than to use a drug that they know you are only trying because you pressured them to try it. People will respect you far more if you stand apart and...
... blaze your own trail.
3. Friends - Know who your true friends are: If your friends don’t respect your ability to live by your own standards, then those aren’t people you want to be friends with. True friends don’t pressure you to conform to their ways.
4. Worth - Know your worth. Keep repeating it or have it written down somewhere, so what when temptation arises, you will remember who you are and who you don't have to try to be.
5. Family - Work on improving communication with your family and friends: Many people turn to drugs as a way to cope with issues that related to their family and friends. It is important that you find someone to talk to. If you are having issues with your mom, talk to a friend. If you are having issues with a friend, talk to your mom. Talk to somebody because you don’t want to go through your struggles alone, and you certainly don’t want to go through them with drugs. Also, remember mediation, mentoring and counseling are always better alternatives to drug use.
Wright continues to act and is currently doing guest spots on a couple of television series.
What is the rest of The Five Heartbeats cast up to?
So what's the rest of the crew like Church Boy, Flash, Duck and everybody else been up to?
It's hard to believe its been over 30 years since the The Five Heartbeats classic hit movie theaters. The movie is now a staple in the Black household and everyone will tell you their favorite part. There's a number of favorite slogans that came out of the film as well, such as: "my office hours are from..." and "Nights like this I wish raindrops would fall"
Director and co-writer, Robert Townsend shares his journey to creating one of the best, most-loved films of all time.
“It was a big jump and I went in really prepared. I did storyboards. I did shot lists and I created my own language. I created what I call the Townsend Bible,” Townsend shared when speaking on his responsibility as director. “Having done my very first movie with no money, you gotta understand that you can never bump heads and make any mistakes once you get on the set."
The first movie he's talking about is, of course, Hollywood Shuffle, where Townsend wrote, directed and starred in the film. Hollywood Shuffle was a small budget of $100,000 while The Five Heartbeats was almost $9 million.
"So I created this very unique Townsend Bible and everybody knew what everyday was gonna be, from the first minute you stepped on set until you left and went home. And then I had rehearsal. So everything I did, I was trying to not waste money but try to make a movie that people would want to see again and again.”
Townsend took an unpopular way to shoot the film, by shooting the entire movie in reverse order. The effort proved to be effective.
“The first scene we shot of the movie was the church scene. And so Eddie is playing all this pain in his face and singing the song with Baby Doll and we haven’t done anything yet,” said Townsend, who credited Wright for delivering exactly what was needed to convey Eddie’s surprise appearance at the church service Duck attends after being invited by Choir Boy. “All of that is Michael Wright as an actor delivering a brilliant performance because all the pain he’s playing we really haven’t played yet.”
Although the movie was shot in a different order, Townsend and “Five Heartbeats” co-writer Keenan Ivory Wayans (yes, the "In Living Color" Wayans) made sure to never lose sight of family, a noticeable theme found throughout their joint collaboration.
“It was very important because when you see a lot of images of people of color, especially as it relates to men, it was a lot of angry stuff,” said Townsend. “There was never tender moments. We as a people are complicated. We are complicated. But even when people do us wrong, there is forgiveness. I think because of the Christian element of faith that surrounds African American people, there is a sense of forgiveness.”
“I think as Keenen and I were creating the story and developing the story, we wanted a sense of family,” he added. “We didn’t want to do the cliché thing where the guy dies. And then you go like ‘Oooh. Yeah, drugs.’ It was like, ‘We’re gonna have a hopeful moment.’ We’re gonna take you on a journey, but the family will stay together. They’re gonna go through stuff, yes, like any family does. Everybody has their seasons.”
“I think as writers, ‘The Five Heartbeats’ now is a staple in black households,” Townsend stated. “It’s the Thanksgiving movie to watch together. It’s the Christmas movie to watch together. It’s that comfort food when you want to feel good. That sense of family is something that Keenen and I both really believe in because we both have strong families and we know that images are powerful.”
