The UB Interview: The Cast of ‘Tyler Perry’s Bruh’ Talk New Series
“Tyler Perry’s Bruh” is a new half-hour original comedy series for BET+. It’s his second original series for the streaming service, the show examines the contemporary world of dating, career and friendship through the lens of four African American men with a brother-like bond.
John, Tom, Mike and Bill are four college friends now in their thirties. As they navigate life, they are learning to stand on their own two feet, while relying on each other for support. Sometimes the love is tough, and the honesty brutal, but no matter the situation they see each other through with levity and laughter.
In a society where companionship between men of color is often misjudged and misrepresented, the show depicts a healthy image of black brotherhood; embracing vulnerability without playing on stereotypical hyper-masculinity.
The guys behind the characters are, Barry Brewer who is quickly on the rise as one of Hollywood‘s most multifaceted stars. As an accomplished comedian, actor and musician. Mahdi Cocci, who was born in Minneapolis, MN and also plays the role of Keith, in the upcoming Paramount Pictures film, The Lovebirds, starring opposite Issa Rae.
Phillip Mullings Jr. is an actor/filmmaker from Orlando, FL. His recent credits include BET’s American Soul, OWN’s David Makes Man, and NCIS New Orleans. Last but not least, Monti Washington is an actor, writer, model and motivational speaker. He also stars in a recurring role as Terrence Abrams in BET’s Games People Play, coming back soon for season 2.
This week Aries and Tishelle from UB, spoke to the cast of the series, where the fellas discussed the new series, their thoughts on working with Tyler Perry, what fans can expect from the season and more.
The fellas also talk to us about other projects and they’re how dealing with the pandemic.
UrbanBridgez.com: In your words, tell our viewers what Bruh is about?
Mahdi Cocci: It’s about how friendship grows into adulthood. We’ve all been friends since college and had the experience of friends you have growing up, occupy a certain space. It had to do with the street you lived on or your mom was friends with theirs. But as you grow the friendships kind of get deeper. Like when you get in college you realize, everyone is there by choice. You meet like-minded people maybe in a faster way. So we’ve been friends since college and now post college, we’ve all in our thirties. The way in which the friendship remains where we’re not in class together anymore but living our own individual lives. Still connecting with a lot of love, but it’s just more grown-up and the stakes are higher at this point.
Monti Washington: Bruh is about friendship, family and love. Intimate relationships, but the relationship with each other as well. You get to go on the journey with us and we navigate these relationships. You don’t really get to see that with four black men, who come together. I think it’s cool to see it from a male’s point of view. Relationships and friendships like these, I don’t see on television.
Barry Brewer: Plus seeing our perspective and vulnerable side as it relates to relationships. You always see the man at the clubs and the cheater. But this shows the side of how they respond to that. Even the bond with each other where they have tough love, so this show is a combination of all of that.
Phillip Mullings: The look into the lives of four friends who consider themselves brothers. It dives into all of their lives, as far as careers, relationships and how they’re navigating growing up with one another.
UrbanBridgez.com: How would you describe your character?
Barry Brewer: John is layered. He is trying to find his way. He’s not as successful as his other friends. They’re set in their careers and he’s still navigating. He’s an entrepreneur, who has a sandwich shop. He only has it because he borrowed money from his friends. He’s trying to create big business ideas. You know just really learning his way, along the way. He has a mother who’s always in his business. Really just trying to find his identity for sure.
Mahdi Cocci: I play a doctor (Tom) and that’s very near and dear to my heart. As a profession, the work I put in to get here and my friends are also near and dear to my heart. Basically I value my profession and my friends over anything else. And maintaining those is what becomes very important to me. You’ll see as the season goes on. Certain things that transpire or sacrifices that I’ve made or ways I react to co-workers or whatever. These are all about protecting the things that I value in the world.
Monti Washington: Bill is a loyal friend, a successful friend. He’s a fighter and a lover. The first few episode he committed the cardinal sin, which is letting a good woman go. You get to see throughout the show, the things he does to attempt to get that woman back. You never know what you’re gonna get with Bill. The rest of the bruh’s are true to who they are. Bill is the wild card, you don’t know what you’ll get with him. You’ll see that as the season unfolds.
Phillip Mullings: Mike is the playboy of the group. He’s the hot head friend where his friends feel they have to reel him in at times. But he can’t be reeled in. Mike is the kind of guy who’s going to say what he has to say, no matter who he’s talking to. He is the one who will always hold his friends accountable.
UrbanBridgez.com: Barry, John’s dealing with a crazy situation on the series right now, where he’s faced with a decision a lot of our youth is faced with these days. Will that situation escalate as the season progresses?
Barry Brewer: Yeah it will definitely escalate. It’s an interesting thing to see somebody who’s trying to prove people wrong. He’s just figuring out how to go about it, I think that’s where he is. They kind of laughed in his face so he’s on this emotional roller coaster on some I’ll show you! It definitely takes it’s course and goes to another level.
UrbanBridgez.com: How is it working with Tyler Perry alum Chandra Currelly?
Barry Brewer: Oh my god, first of all that lady is hilarious! She’s such a mother in real life, a person who’s loving and caring and just fun to be around. Some people you work with and that’s just who you work with and you move on. I love her, I Face-time her sometime and call her. I call her and be like hey ma, I call her ma, like I call my mother too. She be like hey son (laughs). It’s like a real mother/son relationship. Even off set so it has been a great pleasure working with her.
Mahdi Cocci: She’s phenomenal! When I first read the script, because we got them before we knew who else was apart of the cast. I was reading the part, like wow this Ms. Alice is going to be tough who can play her? I was the most curious to see who was playing that part when we got together for the first table read. When you read it it’s like who can play this because it’s so outlandish? Then she came and delivered and everything sounds perfectly right coming out of her mouth. I was in awe, that’s a testament to her and her ability and Mr. Perry for his casting because he sees it. She’s the ultimate sweet heart, she is nothing like her character. That’s like our off-screen mom.
UrbanBridgez.com: Mahdi, I love the show so far, Tom is like myself (Aries) I would say in the group. Kind of the big brother and responsible to my friends. Are their similarities in Tom and yourself?
Mahdi Cocci: Nice, I love hearing that! I really do because I feel that’s who I am in many ways. In my friends group, it’s funny because I have a group chat with actually three of my bruh’s that I graduated with at Cretin (St. Paul). So it’s four of us and after they watched it they were kind of throwing out comparisons, like Mahdi we know you’re Tom obviously (laughs). So we were figuring out the other elements that are in our group of friends. I think that’s what’s fun about the show. There’s reliability to the characters I think. In my own personal life, mostly I am Tom. But I’m also John as well, and that’s the thing. Like a lot of my friends are all fully invested in their careers, married with kids, purchasing nice homes. And I’ve been chasing a dream, so I can really relate to that aspect as well.
UrbanBridgez.com: Why should people check out Bruh?
Monti Washington: First the concept and originality of the show. You got four black men. Who are cisgender. Who identify as male and who ere in genderless society, we are identified as male. We’re alpha and masculine who show vulnerability, without the toxic you often see associated with black males. All the stereotypes and hyper-sexualization, you don’t get all of that. What you get is four brothers that you can identify with in real life. That you have in your family or friend circle. You get to see a true demonstration of how we are. Not some Hollywood stereotypical portrayal. Black folks should def watch it, it’s something for the ladies and something for the fellas to identify with. People in general get to see how black men really are. You get to see us in our natural environment and normal circumstances.
Barry Brewer: Man it is hilarious! It’s entertaining and it takes you on a journey. It’s like a roller-coaster, then brings you back down. Off the wall jokes, you will be entertained. I believe it’s great performances as well, as it relates to the actors.
Mahdi Cocci: The most important thing is reliability. I think that everyone will have someone they can relate to. I talked about this to someone else. A lot of the stories involving black men or what not. Are always somewhat hood related stories. And they’re fantastic, I loved those growing up. Me and my boys use to quote it all and were in there. But at the same time that wasn’t my upbringing or a lot of peoples. But we could all still relate. With us I think there is going to be a large demographic that hasn’t really had those kind of examples on television. Grown black men with a lot of love still there. But we’re all professionals and living our lives in a upstanding type of way. Even someone inner city or not apart of that can still relate because it’s about friendship and we all can kind of embrace that.
Phillip Mullings: I think it’s an opportunity for people to see something that’s not on TV right now. An opportunity to see a relatable brotherhood. Despite ethnicity, what you identify yourself as or etc. Everybody can relate to the connection of friendship. Being there for your friends, no matter what.
UrbanBridgez.com: Monti, what separates the portrayal on Bruh of black men, compared to other portrayals on TV?
Monti Washington: It was written by a black men, so you get the realness of that. Tyler gave us a lot more creative control than I thought he would. As far as if you work with directors and writers, often times what they write and how they see it, is locked in. As an actor, your job is to pretty much do what they say. You go, do your job and leave. He gave us a lot of freedom, to bring our own personalities. And to bring our own personal experiences. Since you have four black men and in the media normally we’re hyper-sexualized or hypermasculinity or toxic masculinity. Black men being alphas and black culture, kind of bring the flavor to America. On the show, you get real down to earth dudes, without the stereotypes. It’s beautiful thing as an actor who’s been in the business for awhile. In my role you get to see a strong, black alpha black male fight for his love. When it’s usually the other way around. So to see him fighting for love and doing everything he can do, to get his woman back. Is a beautiful thing to show.
UrbanBridgez.com: Phillip, What can viewers expect this season as a whole?
Phillip Mullings: You can expect a lot of growth from these characters. You get to look at the unit of black men, men of color. In a way that hasn’t been depicted if not ever, in a long time.
UrbanBridgez.com: How is it working with the great Tyler Perry and what have you learned so far from his work ethic?
Barry Brewer: I’ll sleep when I’m dead (laughs). That seems to be his work ethic. People don’t understand when we were working on set I was tired. He’s like I could go another, I’m so use to going at least 14 hours. I’m looking at him like what? His engine which I know is just fueled by what he sees in himself. The empire he’s built is inspirational. Obviously something I aspire to. So it was just a pleasure, a joy and honor to work close and personal to this giant in the entertainment industry. As it relates to African Americans you see what you can achieve. Nobody has ever been on this level as it relates to an African American entertainer, in the history of Hollywood ever. So people can say what they want, but I don’t think they look closely to what it is. His work ethic brought me to a perspective, of you have a lot more to do. To where I’m trying to get to, takes another level of discipline.
Monti Washington: At first was a bit intimidating, he works at a very fast pace. He’s very much about his business, he’s very efficient in how he works. So like most people who are good what they do, they expect you to step your game up. That’s how they operate and at first it’s intimidating. Then you realize after you work with him that oh, you were chosen for a reason. You were selected because him, the other producers and the casting saw that you could handle the pressure and responsibility that comes with carrying a show. The four bruh’s have to carry the show along with the rest of the cast. What I’ve learned is you have to stay ready, if you watch the way this man works (laughs). His work ethic and vision of exactly how he wants stuff. As an actor you realize, yo I have to have my stuff together! Outside of the production aspect, when you go into Tyler Perry’s studio from the janitorial workers to Tyler himself to the people on set, there is a humbleness of love surrounded by that whole building. You learn it’s not about you and actors we notoriously are egoistical. Because we’re the one you see on screen and the ones giving the interviews, so we think it’s all about us. It’s about the project, the people on set, about rewriting the narrative on what it means being a black man. Just realized your ego is edging the good out. There’s none of that in this environment, you leave your ego at the door. You come to work, to play and do your job. You do it from the position that I’m just grateful to be here. Just that experience was very humbling.
UrbanBridgez.com: Barry, Tell us about your new music project you recently released.
Barry Brewer: Yeah I’ve been doing music for a long time. I started on drums and moved to the saxophone. Piano, then relocated to L.A. and started songwriting and producing. I never really aspired to be an artist, but I was so inspired by Donald Glover’s Guava Island. He’s a stand-up comedian too, but also a writer, musician and producer. All those elements was encouraging. Like hey express all of your gifts. So I was inspired to do my album. So it’s an R&B, Pop type of record. As well as inspirational. I feel like I’m really meant to inspire, if that makes sense. To show that dreams really can come true. My album is called Conquer Goliath and is about facing fears and conquering them. So you can get to your destiny or purpose. It’available now.
UrbanBridgez.com: Mahdi, Tell us about The Lovebirds coming out later this month with Issa Rae?
Mahdi Cocci: I’m super excited to see it, I think it’s going to be super funny. I have a fun part, I play kind of the villain of the relationship. Sort of like the potential threat that works with her. He’s jealous of me and thinks she may be kind of sweet on me. So yeah, I’m excited of what became of that, it should be some good film. It comes to Netflix May 22nd. Initially it was coming to theaters but due to Covid, Paramount did the deal with Netflix. So now we’ll all be able to tune in from our homes.
UrbanBridgez.com: Monti, You’re also on Games People Play, is it coming back and what’s been the best part for you shooting that series so far?
Monti Washington: Games People Play is coming back, shooting is delayed obvious due to Covid-19. We would of been in the process of filming now actually. So we’ve only heard once this is over then we will be able to shoot. It was fun because it was my first major TV role. I have roles but to have a recurring role and that character was amazing. Funny enough me and Barry Brewer who is with me on Bruh. Is also in the series and we were both after the same girl. On there I play a man, surprise who’s trying to take another mans woman (laughs).
UrbanBridgez.com: Phillip, How have you been dealing with the pandemic, and our new reality due to the Cornonavirus?
Phillip Mullings: Personally I’m a home body. This isn’t very new as far being confined. I have personal anxiety, I don’t mingle much. So it’s been a smooth transition from what I do anyway. Having the show out now is exciting. I’m happy to be able to experience it being so new. There’s not really a lot of options as far as entertainment. It’s just an interesting time. I’ve gotten closer ironically to my family. And my relationship is getting stronger; 24/7, 60 days and counting, we get a lot of time to talk (all laugh).
Stay Tuned for More UB Coverage on the cast of “Bruh.”
Tyler Perry’s “Bruh” drops every Thursday, exclusively on BET+
The UB Video Interview: The Cast of ‘Tyler Perry’s Bruh’ Talk First Season and Pandemic
