Written by | Ray Cornelius
I had the pleasure of attending an exclusive BET screening of the season two finale of “Being Mary Jane” Monday night at Atlanta’s W Hotel-Midtown. The event took place in the sexy Whiskey Park and featured a variety of treats and of course, cocktails! Two of the show’s actors, Aaron D. Spears and Richard Lee Brooks stopped by to watch the finale with all of the invited guests and then stuck around for a few questions about the show.
During the Q&A session, Spears talked candidly about the positive response he has received so far about his gay character, Mark Bradley, who is Mary Jane Paul’s (Gabrielle Union) co-anchor and good friend. For Spears, “playing gay” has allowed him to see life through the eyes of one of his relatives who he claims was often suicidal because of their same sex desires and the pressure to be “normal.”
“It has allowed me to walk in the shoes of people I didn’t understand. It allowed me to grow deeper in a way that I never thought I would be or a place that I would be right now without judgement. I can’t play you, if I am judging you. I have to figure out why you tick…what makes you smile…why are you attracted to that particular individual or thing? You’re human, just like me and I feel like as long as I walk in the humanistic qualities of that particular person I can shed light on everybody’s story.”
Spears, who is actually married and with kids, went on to further say that what he enjoys the most about the show are the little nuances about “Black” life that are revealed in each episode. He also said “Being Mary Jane” is the first show that he’s been apart of that he actually watches as a fan.
The Season 2 Finale of “Being Mary Jane” airs tonight at 9 p.m. EST on BET.
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