Interview: Tyrone Marshall Brown On How He Got His Role In OWN’s ‘Love Is_’

” I discovered so much just from being Tyrone working on this project. I feel like I’ve grown so much.” Tyrone Marshall Brown on playing Sean in OWN’s Love Is__

Tyrone Marshall Brown star of OWN’s new hit series Love Is__ The show has just been renewed for a second season. As the first comes to an end tonight, I caught up with Tyrone Marshall Brown to talk about how he got the role and why playing Sean is such a positive thing in his life, and the lesson he has learned from playing Sean.

Set primarily in 1990’s Los Angeles against the backdrop of Black Hollywood, Love Is__ follows Nuri (Michele Weaver) and Yasir (Will Catlett), a couple from seemingly opposite worlds, as they chase their dreams and learn to follow their hearts. Told from the perspective of the couple’s present-day selves, the romantic drama also revisits the social issues and vibrant black culture of that time reflecting on how it all aligned to shape the couple they have become nearly 20 years later — a power couple navigating a complex set of social codes while also balancing successful careers and a beautiful family. Drawing inspiration from creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil’s own relationship journey, the series explores the highs, the lows, and the magic of falling (and staying) in love. Brown plays Sean, Yasir’s opinionated best friend who possesses great taste and is full of ideas but lacks follow through.

Love Is __ has been renewed for a second season so congratulations.

Thank you.

Let’s talk about how that conversation happened for you?

It started before I even had an audition for the show. A friend of mine who I used to work with at a boxing gym originally got the audition for Yasir and whenever one of us was off and the other one was working, we’d ask the other one to come in and sit at the front desk and run some lines. So, he asked me to run some lines with him for the audition. He told me about the project when I asked about it and initially, we are the same type. I love helping other people with work whether we are of the same type or different type because what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours.

For some reason for this project, I joked and said, “Where is my project at?” We got to work. Coincidentally, I read for Sean helping him for his audition.

He auditioned and said it went well. Two weeks go by and I get a call about an audition for a TV show called, Love Is. I thought, “Oh, that sounds familiar.” I look at the material and I remember I was helping my friend out. I already knew the material and understood the world he lived in.

I went in and auditioned for it. I read the first scene one time and we did it a few times and we did the second scene a few times and I felt I had done really well.

Once I was done, I threw it away in the waiting room to forget about it and wash everything off of me. I went to play a game of pool to get back into normal life.

I didn’t think anything of it and a few days go by and I get a call saying they were interested in me testing to play Sean. On the way to the audition, I was nervous because testing is different. I got a bit nervous and I told myself, “They want me to do well, they paid for me to come out here and they want me to succeed.”

I met everyone and we did a few scenes. It wasn’t about sitting in awe of who was in the room, it was time to play. My job was to live the life of the character and do him justice. I did that and left and met some friends.

I was in New York shooting a music video and we had a scene in the barber shop. I went into the restroom to change and I got a call from my manager/agent. My manager says, ” Hey Tyrone, we’ve got some good news.” And then my agent chimed in, and right then, I broke down bawling. I fell on the bathroom floor in tears crying my eyes out. I composed myself, walked out and people were staring at me asking if I was ok. They had no idea about the phone call and that was my initial interaction and from there I learned that for me, Love is__ self discovery.

What I love about Sean is he’s a positive character, involved in his kid’s life. What draws you to playing a part like Sean?

The one thing I can relate to that Sean possesses is his desire and his will to really be in his child’s life. Personally, I have no idea who my biological father is. I always told myself that my child would know who their father is.

Some of the backstories I created for Sean was something similar but in reverse, his issues with his mother would then produce the way he treats women. He won’t go a day without trying to teach the most important woman in his life, his daughter, everything she needs to know to survive and bypass some of the hardships that he has had to deal with or that he’s put women through.

There lies the ambivalence and the conundrum of Sean when it comes to the relationship with his daughter. The desire to be in her life and the desire to change the narrative, that was the biggest thing for me. I feel he possesses that in many ways. It’s easy to judge many of the characters on the show. I think the reason he feels like a positive character is you get to see the underbelly of why he does what he does. I feel the ability to play that and to be a voice to someone who maybe came from unfortunate beginnings and is doing everything they can to make a change in their life and their daughter’s life, I think that was key for me.

The most recent episode of Sean pushing Yasir pushing to celebrate your girl. That was a highlight. I do, as you say, think there’s so much more to learn about Sean.

I talked to about it the other day. Get ready for the transformation. You’re going to see the huge transformation and so much will be revealed through him.

Sean’s narrative is a great story and where they’re going to go with it. What’s it like as you see that reveal?

First and foremost, it’s a relief because someone is giving voice to these people. It’s about time. Thank you, God! The universe for this. The Valentine’s Day you’re talking about, that to me was a very powerful scene. He’s seeing this huge transformation in his friend and he has yet to experience that. What would he give to feel to take that risk to say he loves someone and feel that turmoil? I think that’s huge.

I feel so fortunate. I think what you said about there’s so much to discover. We go through our daily lives and reading the scripts about Sean has really helped me understand more about myself and others and I think that’s the best gift that I’ve been given through this material because of the beautiful writing. It encompasses the human behavior.

What would you like to see with Sean in the second season?

I would like to see him face his fear and go deeper into himself. I think taking those steps to begin that search. What am I doing that creates this and dictating my circumstances? What am I not doing? Why have I not found someone that gives me that same feeling that this woman gives Yasir? What is it about me that is stopping me from finding someone like that? I’d like to see him question himself and in return, there’s this string of action that is created. I think we’ll see a beautiful rollercoaster. I feel far too often we don’t look into ourselves.

You said, Love is Self-discovery and I love that.

Without self-discovery and self-forgiveness. I discovered so much just from being Tyrone working on this project. I feel like I’ve grown so much. It was just a parallel life that I was living. I couldn’t have been on a better project at a better point myself.

I say self-discovery, we’re looking for people to give us things that we shouldn’t ask of other people.