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Townsend talks to Marc L. Hill about the BET+ series that’s based on a far-fetched true story. Plus, she shares the impact of Hollywood’s strike.
What happens when your father-in-law dies, and you discover the man lived a secret life — and stole some big money from some dangerous people? Now, they’re looking for your boo!
Sound far-fetched? Call it “Average Joe,” the brand new BET+ dark comedy that’s based on a true story. One of its stars, actress Tammy Townsend, who’s featured opposite comic favorite Deon Cole, shares the show’s not-so-average details with theGrio’s Marc L. Hill. Plus, she weighs in on the impact of Hollywood on strike.
The following is a transcript of their conversation.
Marc L. Hill: Our next guest is nobody’s average Joe. Tammy Townsend first hit the scene in the cult classic “The Five Heartbeats.” You may have recently seen her on OWN’s drama series “Queen Sugar.” And now she’s taking a new lead role in BET Plus’ latest series. It’s called “Average Joe.”
(From “Average Joe” scene:)
Voice One: “I thought we’d sink the bodies and then just … time, find out where, you know, where the $10 million dollars is.
Voice Two: “That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard.”
Voice Three: “I could not agree more.”
Voice Two: “Thank you.”
Voice Three: “The reservoir is where the whole city gets its drinking water from. You contaminate it, they drain it. Then they find your little Russian friends. Game over. What we need to do is chop these fools up.”
Hill: Get the popcorn. Y’all going to be glued to your screen, as you can tell. Joining us right now to talk about this amazing new project is the legend herself, Tammy Townsend. So good to see you.
Tammy Townsend: Good to see you too!
Hill: The audience saw a little clip of this, and I don’t want you to give away too much, but talk to us about the show, and tell us a little bit about your character.
Townsend: Well, this show, like you said, is based on a guy who finds out that his father is working for the mob after he passes away, and they are coming after him to collect from his father’s debt. And it just creates mayhem with his family and his friends. And I play the wife on the show to Deon Cole.
Hill: That must be an interesting onscreen and on-set experience. Deon is a great actor, but also a funny dude.
Townsend: Yeah, he’s hilarious. I mean, we would all… He has these great stories that he puts his little twists on, and we all kind of sit around a campfire, and amazed by what he comes up with. What the hell goes on in this man’s mind?
Hill: He’s gotta … he’s kinda perfect for a dark comedy because of how his mind works. Now, I know you’re used to drama, and I know you’re funny, but what’s it been like to do a dark comedy?
Townsend: Well, it is kind of, like, rides a fine line because, you know, I have said in my other interviews there are themes and subjects that pop up, and you find yourself laughing, and you kind of feel bad and guilty about the things that we get to be laughing about. So I think the biggest thing for us is not to play it too slapstick, but then to balance the drama in between. So it’s been an interesting ride for me, but I love it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hill: I love that kind of comedy and the kind of comedy that makes you feel like a terrible person while you’re watching it, because, like you said, awful things are happening. But it’s funny as hell. Look, I’ve just accepted that. That’s just my fate. So it’s all good. Tell me what viewers are going to get out of this that they might not have otherwise gotten, you know, in terms of the storylines. Because it’s some stuff here that I feel like they’ve never seen before.
Townsend: Yeah, well, you know, we didn’t see it before. Because when we were all sitting around, the cast were sitting around reading like each week, we would have, you know, a table read and we’re like, ‘What the hell is happening here?’ So, you can expect a lot of, like, twists and turns, things that you think make you think, you know, a lot of people like, ‘Oh, I know what’s happening.’ No, you don’t know what’s happening. Everything is so unexpected. And so I, I don’t want to give too much away. But this is a ride of your life because it was for us, and we were a part of it. So get ready.
Hill: I love that. I love that. Now, the show is actually inspired by a real person, creator Rob Cullen and Rob Cullen’s life. How has that been, sort of working closely with him? How has it been sort of developing your character when you know there’s a real-life person behind it?
Townsend: It’s a little bit of pressure, especially because, you know, I’m based on his wife, and she has this really developed debilitating disease. And so I wanted to make sure because this is his baby, you know, he’s very passionate about it and I wanted to make sure that I was portraying her correctly and portraying the kind of the hardships that she was going through daily. So a little bit of pressure there. But, you know, we all got through it, and he seems to be pretty happy about it, so …
Hill: Well, that was going to be my question, because if it’s somebody’s real-life wife, you know, it’s kind of like: She’s Black; that’s not how she do that, that’s not how she say that …
Townsend: Right? (laughs) He has to give me some creative license because, you know, this show was originally for a white show, and then he switched it and changed it for it to be an African-American show. So I got to put my stuff in it, you know. So, again, mixing what is true to our culture and also to his wife was a little tricky. But I checked in with him a lot to make sure it was all good, and it was.
Hill: Now, that’s dope. Now, I’ve got to ask you: If you were ever in a situation where a family member stole $10 million and a luxury car, how would you, in real life, handle that?
Townsend: It depends on who this family person, who this family member is. So if it was, like, my mom, my dad, my brother, the core, I’m riding or dying. Do what we got to do, what mask I’ve got to put on, who I got to rob or got to kill. But if it’s somebody outside of that …
Hill: Who’s, like, your third cousin?
Townsend: Right under the bus. Yes, exactly. You’re going under the bus.
Hill: So, I just want you all to know if you Tammy’s third cousin, if you ain’t seen her in a while, if you a stepsister or whatever, just expect to be under the jail very, very quickly. Tammy, what’s next for you?
Townsend: Well, next is getting through this strike. Oh, so. Right. So and that’s the thing. I’m so happy that I got you in, because if we actually do strike tonight, we’re not allowed to do any other publicity for the show. So, we’re all as a team trying to crank out as many folks and be seen as much as possible. So I appreciate you having me on the show.
But, yeah, we’re going to get through it. We’ll work it out and, hopefully, I pray, get on the other side of this AI thing.
Hill: Well we’re going to get on the other side of this. Y’all are going to be victorious. We stand with you. We have solidarity with you. We want you all and the writers to get everything you deserve and more because nobody should be exploited, but certainly not the people who give so much of their gifts. And that’s what you all do. So, thank you for hanging out with me for this wonderful offering on BET+.
Everybody, make sure you check it out. It’s called “Average Joe” and it is on BET+. And new episodes drop every Thursday.
Learn more about “Average Joe,” from the clip above, and tune into theGrio with Marc Lamont Hill every weeknight at 7 pm ET on theGrio cable channel.