The comic star discusses his career and latest film, The Condo.
Baron Jay is known for his diverse performances in the likes of Not Another Celebrity Movie (playing Kanye West), TV's Passions and Fast and Furious 6. His latest film, The Condo, which he stars in and produces, tells of four men who decide to take a condo as a shared residence they can use to cheat on their spouses. As one expects, the guys get caught.
Congrats on your success. What do you consider yourself first and foremost – an actor, producer, DJ, host?
Thank you so much! I consider myself an actor that produces, which makes me a filmmaker. Diddy considers himself a rapper that produces. Jay Z considers himself a rapper that produces. Kanye West considers himself a rapper that produces. On a side note, people say Kanye looks like me. It boils down to that we all are artists. The majority of the time we have to do one thing to do the other; Let me explain....Kanye was a rapper first...but he had to produce first to get his opportunity to rap; Diddy had to produce first to get his opportunity to rap. I had to produce to give myself more opportunity as an actor
For a while there, you were even somewhat of a sportsman. Did you consider getting into sports for a career?
Well if you call playing high school and college sports, then yes, I am somewhat of a sportsman. Let me give you a breakdown of my sports. In high school and college I was a judo champion that travelled around the USA fighting in tournaments. In high school I participated in track, volleyball, basketball and football. I began playing football my sophomore year after I saw Desmond Howard of University of Michigan Wolverines run a punt return back for a touchdown. I said....hmmm.....I can do that, and I tried out and made my high school team, the Murray Wright Pilots in Detroit Michigan. I was very athletic but I did not understand the game of football; 95% of the players have been playing since pee wee football and they had an advantage over me. I will never forget Coach Moore came up to me during our homecoming dance and said once you learn the game of football you are going to be one hell of a player. It amazes me how we remember positive things that are said about us during our adolescent years. I was also a Bat Boy for the Detroit Tigers visitors teams, and many of the general managers and players asked me to play minor league baseball, but I declined because I wanted to experience Michigan State University and my goal was to walk-on the football team under coach Nick Saban, which I accomplished my freshman year in college.
I did consider sports as a career along with entrepreneurial ambitions. Sports would have been the perfect way to leverage those ambitions. But I blew out my knee in Spring football and those aspirations went away. I will never forget that Coach Mark Dantonio, who was our defensive back coach and now the current head coach of the Michigan State University Spartans, came to see me in the hospital, and I was a new fresh walk-on - he barely knew me!
How did you get into filmmaking and producing?
It’s like sex.....you just do it and eventually you will begin producing artistic results... Lol....I surrounded myself around people who were making films. I read books and bios on people in the industry. I was a stand in and photo double for many actors in the business and that is how I was able to get on set to observe, learn and get comfortable. My first job in the business was an office production assistant for Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. You just jump in and start doing and learn while you go.
And would you say that’s the biggest role of your career thus far?
Yes. I have many more in the pipeline. I consider myself an under cover FBI agent in Hollywood once people bust my cover....roles in projects will be coming like sunshine in Southern California.
Did doing stand-in work for the likes of Don Cheadle and Jamie Foxx open a lot of doors for you?
NO. It gave me more confidence in myself! No doors have been open for me yet. I have been opening all my doors.
When and where did The Condo come into all this?
The idea of The Condo came about when I was binge watching DVD movies that I checked out from the public library in North Hollywood. While lying in bed I watched The Apartment, directed and written by Billy Wilder and staring Jack Lemmon. The premise of The Apartment is a man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue. When I watch movies I always put myself in the character's shoes and play the game in my mind…what would I do and how will I react; from that visual experience I develop the idea of The Condo and I commissioned Bill Morroni to write the script, who directed my first feature film Safe House - not the Safe House starring Denzel Washington…(laughs).
Did you immediately know how to play this character? Could you relate to him?
No. I was just in the present moment reacting to the characters and situations around me. Yes I was able to relate to DUKE & JMAN. One of my gifts is being able to relate to many people and making them feel comfortable around me.
How was it to work with all those great characters on the movie? Anyone that really left an impression?
It was a love letter written in secret code! Yes! Jackie Moore, who played Sunday/Monday/Tuesday. She left an impression in my shadow. I want to work with her again.
What’s the main difference working on a major production like Horrible Bosses 2 to a smaller indie film?
On Horrible Bosses they have plenty of time to get things right, they have the luxury to do 15 takes. On a small indie film you have less time, you can only do one or two takes, less set ups, and fewer resources at your disposal
What do you hope audiences get out of The Condo?
That men and women should have more than one husband and wife! But everyone needs to be in agreement.