"Pain, betrayal, isolation...I've endured them all": Queen Sugar's Timon Durett on why he feels Davis West in his bones
44-year-old Timon Kyle Durrett was almost on the verge of quitting acting when he struck gold - 'Queen Sugar' picked him up. A television series by Oprah Winfrey Networks, Durett was cast as Davis West, a charismatic basketball player that shot him to fame.
To him, it was like a pull like no other - a unique opportunity. As soon as he saw the names Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay, he just dove in. The new season of 'Queen Sugar' is coming out at the end of this month and Durrett reveals that it is going to be a very emotional one. "Well, as you know, I can’t discuss any of the details, but I will say that we dig a little deeper into each character. Folks better get ready for their heartstrings to get pulled, a lot," he told Meaww in an interview.
His character, David will also see a lot of personal growth this season. "Davis is still a work in progress. He continues to show more colors and facets of himself as he navigates this humbling maturation period. The multiplicity of his persona is, even more, engaging this season."
Durrett has been a part of the show since it started in 2016 and he says that Davis is a lot like him in real life. He told Meaww: "Davis and I are similar in the ways he's been looked at by other people. Now, I haven’t done anything like Davis did in Season One, but I'm no life-long angel either. I've had to take the brunt of a lot of scrutinies, right or wrong, in maturation periods of my own."
He adds that he mostly identifies with the character in terms of growth and change. "I can relate to Davis' desire to become a better man. I’ve been there. I prepare by breaking down the script and finding moments, a phrase, or even just a word, that prompts me to recall times where I’ve gone through the same emotional turmoil Davis would go through in that situation. Pain, betrayal, loathing, blame, isolation...I've endured them all. Not that I've never had happier times in my life. We just don't get to see an abundance of joy in Davis' world."
Playing a character with such depth can take a toll on an actor but Durrett says that the entire team makes things better. "I love them. Plain and simple. As actors, we expect and allow greatness from one another, while relishing in this warm, familial atmosphere. It’s a very enjoyable experience to work with such inspired and loving people who actually care a great deal about their work/craft."
Especially when he is working with director Ava DuVernay. "It doesn’t feel like work. Ava has an uncanny way of elevating everything and everyone around her. She shines by brightening the lights of others: actors, crew, production team, everybody. That kind of energy is so precious and rare. Ava is my superhero, bottom line," says the actor.
A self-proclaimed on set jester, he recalls the time he got some pretty embarrassing pictures of the cast and crew. "Blame the mischievous little boy in me. There’s rarely a dull moment when I’m around, mainly because everybody picks on me. But that’s part of the love and the fun. One time we wrapped early in the morning after a pretty long day, and some of the cast and crew and I were being shuttled back to base camp. On the ride there, a few of them fell asleep. So, I sneakily snapped photos of the sleepers, made a collage on my phone, and group texted them all with "GOTCHA" as the caption."
Thanks to directors like DuVernay and icons like Oprah, we see a lot more color on the big and small screens portrayed as more than just sidekicks. Durrett says that his only concern is that they aren't always right. "I see images of us on both ends of the spectrum, and everywhere in between. Although there is an increase, I think, in the images that put us in a more positive light. This surge is long overdue, and permeating society in many ways, not just in entertainment."
The hunky Durrett who has been acting for a really long time now, says that he was a movie buff for as long as he can remember. "First, I love what I do. It feeds my spirit. Hence, my stick-to-itiveness. I LOVED movies when I was much younger. Still, do. Back in the day, I would watch the same sci-fi, action, thriller, and mystery movies over and over again."
One fateful day, he made it to a casting audition and since then has never looked back. "I'd continually tell my family that I wanted to be in movies like that, I just didn’t know how. One day, my mother heard a radio advertisement for a casting call for a made-for-television-movie entitled 'There Are No Children Here', starring Oprah Winfrey. I took the train to the casting agency downtown (Chicago), and I booked an extra role. That was my first time being on any set of any kind, and that’s all it took. I was hooked, and have been ever since."
As much as Durrett is known for his acting nuances, he is also known for his fantastic looks. His secret is the striking the right balance between body and mind, he says. "Get moving, in the literal sense. Exercise is key. As is one’s diet. So, I’m mindful of what I put in and on my body. But my fitness regimen goes beyond the physical. I watch the company I keep. Good energy and spirit are paramount in my atmosphere. I think and speak as positively as possible, especially to/about myself, because every cell in my body listens to everything I say and responds to everything I do."
As for the future, there's a lot happening. He wants to write, produce and direct. He's writing a sci-fi novel for an animated feature. Like the rest of us, he dreams of making an appearance in a superhero film. But for now, he wants to play a badass. "I'd like to play someone gritty, intimidating, rough around the edges, a badass, but likable. Again, I love movies. But zombie stuff is my addiction. I'd love to be a part of a series or feature that has a nuanced take on the zombie apocalypse. I have no idea why I have such a fascination with that type of stuff, I just do. Blame the nerdy kid in me." We really don't!