Christian Keyes can be called many things, actor, writer, producer, singer and as I found out during our interview on the eve of the DVD release for his new film “Note To Self” which is available today, he can also be referred to as a survivor and one of the hardest working men in show business.
Keyes who now resides in Los Angeles hails from Michigan where he went through the foster care system, survived homelessness and drove a truck for a living before hitting it big in the entertainment industry. In addition to appearing in nationally televised commercials hawking such products as Tide, Acura, and Little Caesars and starring in music videos with R&B singers Ashanti and Ledisi, Keyes has also left his mark in other aspects of the industry. He has also discovered success in theater with leading roles in Tyler Perry’s “What’s Done In The Dark” and “Madea Goes To Jail”, television (BET’s “Let’s Stay Together”) and in films such as “Dysfunctional Friends”, “The Good Life” and “Perfect Combination”.
However it is “Note To Self” the drama-romance-comedy co-starring LeToya Luckett, Richard T. Jones, Valarie Pettiford, Clifton Powell, Brian McKnight, Brély Evans, Jason Weaver, Eva Marcille and J.T. Jackson that has Keyes the most enthusiastic. And it’s certainly understandable because he not only stars in the movie, he also wrote the screenplay and serves as an executive producer. Considering Keyes’ humble beginnings, his success in Hollywood is a demonstration in perseverance combined with talent and an unwavering faith.
BME: “Note To Self” is released on DVD on Tuesday, you must be excited that movie fans will finally get a chance to see it.
CK: I’m blessed. I’m over the moon. I mean, it’s a dream come true to have worked on something that long and re-written and developed it and to have been able to partner with several companies in Image and Swirl Films and Tri Destined Studios and make it happen, it’s a dream come true.
BME: It must be extra special for you since you not only star but wrote the film and produced it as well.
CK: It definitely is. It’s definitely close to my heart and I wanted a situation where I could kind of keep my hands on it to make sure that it stayed as close to my vision as possible and it allowed me a substantial amount of input in selecting of course the cast and certain elements …so it was definitely appreciated. The production team that we worked with and the director (Trey Haley), it was a great team effort on this and it wasn’t just one person or one group of people, it was all of us together and making a really good production.
Video: See trailer for “Note To Self”
BME: In the film you play Curtis King, a non-traditional student -athlete in that he’s just a little older than a typical college student. How would you describe him?
CK: Curtis is in the second semester of his senior year of what should be the last few months of his college career and that should be pretty easy and it’s the exact opposite. His world literally falls apart. His mom gets sick again and his father who took off for 15 or 16 years comes back around throwing a curve ball in his life. He confides in this doctor who he’s doing an internship with for therapy. He starts trying to talk through his issues and he recognizes that Curtis should keep a journal about it. It’s really a cool character to play because you know he wasn’t squeaky clean, he had some things wrong with him but it was a character with some heart which I really liked.
BME: There are a lot of universal themes in this film, care-giving, parental estrangement, just to name a few. During the writing process, what was the inspiration for tackling these themes versus staying with the usual formula for romantic comedies where the characters don’t have to overcome such heavy-duty issues while trying to find themselves and find love?
CK: The movie-going audience is intelligent and they don’t want you to give them just basic stuff, the expected stuff. They want the twists and turns and they want to be surprised as opposed to being able to pick the movie apart and already know what’s going to happen. And so in writing that, it was part of a goal to give the character some issues, give him some dirt to deal with and it helps to build different levels and layers that way each character has some things to go through. And the things that they’re dealing with and have to overcome, half-way through you’re pulling for some of these people to win. I just wanted to give them (the audience) that because I know I love good movies and cinema, so I wanted to give them what I like to get.
BME: You have assembled a great group of actors for “Note To Self”. What was it like working with this cast?
CK: It was awesome. Brian (McKnight) came in and killed it! He was my first choice, always for the therapist. He was excited about doing it which was an honor for me because a musical icon of his caliber wanting to work on a project that was so important to me is amazing. LeToya came in and did her thing. She looks like a young Dorothy Dandridge. She’s very beautiful human being in spirit and she came in and killed it. Eva did the same thing. Jason Weaver, and Brély Evans, you know definitely a couple of my favorite characters in there because they’re hilarious at all times. J.T. Jackson as well, he plays the character ‘Soup’, he’s the super-senior and we call him ‘Soup’...he’s hilarious, that guy is funny all day long, like you will hurt something laughing at him. Valarie Pettiford, oh my goodness, clearly an icon. It was a blessing to work with her. Her skill and talent just oozed off of her and the same with Richard T. Jones. The brother came in, you know he’s a great personality, great spirit and came in and did his thing. Just everybody, I couldn’t complain if I wanted to. They treated it like it was theirs which is ultimately all you can ask for. They respected it and appreciated all the work that went into it and killed it.
BME: What can movie fans look forward to when they purchase the film?
CK: They can expect to laugh, to either remember how great college was or look forward to it depending on where they’re at in their life. They can expect to remember certain moments in their family history. It has a lot of heart, a lot of meat and potatoes as far as issues and things that are dealt with in there. I think they’re going to have to buckle up; it’s a good little ride. They’re definitely going to laugh a lot, there’s a lot of intelligent humor in there. Their eyes may tear up a little bit because there is some heavier stuff in there as well. It’s just a really feel-good movie. I really believe they are going to enjoy it.
BME: “Note To Self” I believe is yet another collaboration with Tri Destined for you. Tell me about your relationship with them.
CK: Oh they’re awesome. For all three studios that I work with; Image, I love them because you know this couldn’t have happened without them. Swirl Films the same thing. They got with Image and said you know we want to do this. With Tri Destined, this is one of several projects we’ve done. I just like the way they do stuff. They handle stuff professionally; it’s a black-owned company. It’s just the way it should be and it’s a nice way to feel to show up on set and know that things are going to be the way they should be. If it’s not perfect, it’s going to be right and with Tri Destined it’s always right.
BME: You have been very busy over the years with projects in all aspects of entertainment quietly building a career it seems. Is this by design? Are you purposely flying under the radar?
CK: No, I’m walking through whatever doors God opens up. At this point, I’m certain that I’m on the path that he wants me to be on. So if I explode and I’m George Clooney in a couple of years then cool but either way and at the end of the day as long as I get to make classy and classic projects whether it be mine or other people’s.…whatever the case may be I just want to leave a legacy of things that I’m proud of and things that my son can watch and that my family can look back and say wow that’s my brother up there and eventually when I get married, my wife can say that’s my husband up there, that kind of thing. I’m not very concerned with the quote-unquote radar I believe everything has its time and even with things like this, I’m learning how to pull together a production, learning how to treat people that you work with, that you work for and that work for you and all essential lessons that you need to know. I’m taking everything and making a lot of notes. I’m just going and growing with everything. I definitely think…God’s got, I’m in a script that he wrote right now. Wherever his script takes me that’s pretty much where I’m going to go and I’m cool.
BME: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that you sing as well. What benefits do you see to being such a well-rounded artist?
CK: I would hate to think of all the things that I do and not have a way to get it out. So when certain ideas come to me and they feel like a film or they feel like a television show and they feel like “I’m Alright” which is a song in the film and the music video is actually on the DVD for the film as well and it’s an inspirational song...It’s a song that I needed to help me get through some tough times so I love being able to get that stuff out and then for it to be able to bless and benefit other people as well, it’s an added plus and I think that’s a part of the purpose. I get to incorporate some of my songs sometimes in different film projects that I’m blessed to be able to work on. So it’s awesome, everything is working together for the good, so I’m loving it.
BME: You’re acting, writing, singing and producing, do you see directing in your future someday?
CK: That’s a good question. I have a lot to learn before I want to direct anything. It’s tough. It requires immense amount of knowledge and I respect it too much to jump in and do that right away. I’ve got a lot to learn…maybe in ten years. (Laughter) There’s so much that goes into that, developing that eye, things to look for, the feel of things, the frame and the angles, and the set up…it’s so much. So eventually yeah but right now I would just like to concentrate on growing as an actor everyday, to take on more roles, roles that people wouldn’t expect me to have; the bad guy, the villain, eventually I want to play a serial killer. I want to step outside the box. I’m not afraid to do that. I want to do comedies where I get to make fun of myself like in “Dysfunctional Friends”. I had a ball playing that character because I got to make fun of me, it was a blast. I want to keep writing as well, I got a stack of scripts that I’ve written and I write about one a month now so I want to keep banging those out and creating great work.
BME: You’re twitter page features a lot of inspirational quotes; tell me about the motivation behind you sharing those with your fans.
CK: I just love to surround myself with that kind of stuff. It’s easier to get caught up in doubting and I guess it’s strengthening when you continually surround yourself and immerse yourself in faith-based and positive things, positive thinking. It just keeps your mind producing greatness. It keeps your mind on the track that you can accomplish anything. That’s where I am at. I gotta movie coming out tomorrow and I’m a foster kid. I grew up in a foster care system fourteen years; group homes, detention centers, foster homes, homeless and I gotta movie coming out. I mean if I can come from that to this, I can do anything. As long as I keep God in my life I can do anything that I want to do!
BME: Is it important for you to be an example for others who come from tough beginnings and are struggling and don’t believe that life gets better?
CK: I think it’s definitely important. I think that’s part of my purpose. I think that some people may say this pretty boy he probably had life handed to him on a silver plate and that’s not the case. I was in 12 or 15 different foster homes. I’ve been homeless like sleeping behind K-mart-homeless, eating out the dumpster-homeless….you know been through the abuse in the group homes and detention centers. I didn’t have it easy but I’m grateful for it because it made me appreciate where I’m at now. It kept me grounded , it keeps me grounded daily and I think that’s part of what I’m supposed to do, let people know I came from that and now I’m doing this and I’m just scratching the surface.
BME: Back then, could you see the light at the end of the tunnel?
CK: No, especially not back then. It was darker and the reason I want to share is because I wonder what I could have accomplished if I had a little more faith back then. I would be at this point in my life a little sooner. You know maybe we can help some other people keep with their faith and things can kick in a litter earlier for them, change their mind-set and maybe take a risk, take a gamble and write that script or write that novel or start that business or whatever it is. It doesn’t have to be in the entertainment field…get that degree. I definitely want to just put that out there so that people can see it. I’m just an everyday guy. I drove a truck in Michigan for six years before I moved out here to L.A. I’m a working man. I’m a blue-collar guy but God let me do stuff that I dreamed about doing which is awesome. And it’s through faith.
BME: That’s a remarkable story and I thank you for sharing it.
CK: Thank you. I appreciate you guys for taking the time to talk to me.
(Note: Christian Keyes will start pre-production this winter on a black version of the hit film “Magic Mike” called “Black Magic”. Keyes says fans can look for the film in early 2013)
To learn more about Christian Keyes you can visit his website
For further updates on “Note To Self” you can follow Christian Keyes at his twitter page or check for the movie at its facebook page
“Note To Self” will have its theatrical premiere on Thursday October 25 at the Hollywood Black Film Festival
