From Laughter to Inspiration: An Exclusive Interview With Charles Andrew Payne

In a world where laughter is the best medicine and inspiration fuels dreams, there exists a personality who seamlessly blends the art of comedy and acting, the power of the written word and the transformative force of motivational speaking. Meet Charles Andrew Payne, a multifaceted individual whose alluring charisma, razor-sharp wit, and resolute optimism have captivated audiences worldwide.

There is a saying ‘Amateurs practice till they get it right; professionals practice till they can’t get it wrong.’ I’m a firm believer in this so whether I’m prepping for a role on stage, in a film, doing a comedy show or doing a motivational presentation I rehearse and rehearse till I have it cold

African Pride Magazine had the opportunity of an exclusive interview with the multi-talented actor, comedian, writer and motivational speaker. With a unique perspective from the third world, Mr. Payne offers insightful commentary on first-world living. He prides himself as a skilled storyteller with an extensive track record, performing at clubs, festivals, schools and corporate events.

Mr Payne has featured in several series and feature films, including ‘Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist, where he played the role of Pastor Barnes. He also featured in ‘Miracle in East Texas’ where he played Reverend Reece. As a person whose performance is a masterclass in timing, Mr. Payne had a recurring role on the television series ‘Wyona Earp’ as Jock.

His most enjoyed role is that of Breexe on MacGyver with Richard Dean Anderson, with whom he also worked on Stargate. As opportunities go, Payne was excited to work with Johnny Depp on 21 Jump Street in one of his earlier Television roles. He also worked with Kevin Sorbo, Pam Grier and Snoop Dog, amongst others.

Interestingly, Payne is often mistaken as Samuel L. Jackson, a fact he often includes in his comedy routine.

Payne’s success in the entertainment industry caught our attention and we asked what inspired him to which he said “My entertainment career started when I was 12 years old and “discovered” at the modelling agency that represented my sister. I accompanied my mother to pick her up from a photo shoot and the manager of the agency convinced my mother that I should be modelling for them as well. Modelling led to, commercials which led to opportunities to audition for roles in film and television.”

Giving more insights into his career, Payne shared his most memorable moment from the early days of his career. He said “As I said I started as a model and one evening when doing a fashion show there was a lady in the audience who kept staring at me whenever I was on the runway. After the show, she approached me and introduced herself as a casting director for film and television. She was working on a new project for television and was actively looking for a young African American actor for one of the roles.”

“I was reluctant at first as I thought that perhaps she was not legit and was a scammer. Fortunately, one of my modelling colleagues knew who she was and convinced me to meet up with her and do the pre-screen that she had offered. I met with her the next day and we did what is known as a pre-screen (the casting people get you to do a read of a scene for them before putting you in front of the producer and director). She liked what I did in the pre-screen and asked me to come back in a couple of hours to audition for the director and producer”

He continued “At the audition, I was very nervous as there were several young black actors in the waiting area waiting to audition. Some of them I recognized from television. When it was my turn to audition, they had me do the scene several different ways, thanked me for coming in and I left the room. I left thinking that there was no way I was getting the role as I was up against actors with way more experience. Feeling disheartened I made my way to the exit and headed to my car. I was barely across the parking lot when the casting assistant came running out after me and asked me to come back inside as the producer and director wanted to see me again. I went back into the audition room and they had me read the scene one more time.”

“After that, the director asked me what I was doing for the following three weeks. I said I had no plans, to which he responded “Well plan on being on set with me cause you’re hired. That was one of the few times I was hired in the room after an audition. The role was as Ray in the pilot of the TV series 21 Jump Street. It was a large guest star role and the role that made me start taking acting seriously as an option for my life path.”

It doesn’t matter what the medium is for me; it is all storytelling and taking words off the page and bringing them to life.

When asked how he prepares for a stand-up routine or a role in a film? He answered “There is a saying ‘Amateurs practice till they get it right; professionals practice till they can’t get it wrong.’ I’m a firm believer in this so whether I’m prepping for a role on stage, in a film, doing a comedy show or doing a motivational presentation I rehearse and rehearse till I have it cold. Once I have the lines down then I start to play with cadence, emotions and character understanding. It doesn’t matter what the medium is for me it is all storytelling and taking words off the page and bringing them to life. I believe in relentless preparation to the point where I can throw it away and just be in the moment and respond to what is happening around me.”

Just like in every profession, entertainment comes with its challenges, hence we asked how he handles unexpected situations on stage. He said “Early in my career, I was advised to take a course on improvisation and that has helped me immensely with the ability to adapt on the fly and roll with whatever may happen on stage while remaining in character. This is especially useful in theatre and when performing comedy.”

Recently, Payne was featured in the film ‘”Miracle in East Texas”, and shared the experience with African Pride. To him, when he read the script, he immediately understood what Reverend Reese (his character) sounded like, and how he moved. He described the experience as a moment of pride in himself, thus he had a “tremendous amount of fun bringing him to life.”

This is a period piece and the Reverend is a fire and brimstone evangelical preacher from the south. The challenge was to play him as a real person and not a caricature.

According to him, it is a blessing to be part of the infrastructure and machinery that creates and tells our stories. He finds joy in his ability to tell stories that help connect people and represent diversity on stage and screen.

As for how he makes a balance between the demands of his career with his personal life, Payne deems himself fortunate to have his wife who is very supportive of what he does. “She is my sounding board, my manager, my promoter, my reader for taping auditions and the person I trust the most to keep me grounded. We make all the decisions together. Before I accept a role or a booking we discuss and make sure it will have a minimal impact on our family life”, he said of his wife.

Presently, Payne’s film Left Behind; Rise of the Anti-Christ is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He also wrote a screenplay for a 20-minute short film called Choice which is currently in post-production. It will be released to film festivals later this year. He continues to do comedy shows and inspirational presentations to middle and high school kids fairly regularly all around Alberta.

As a seasoned entertainer, Payne echoes the best advice he was given to aspiring individuals in the industry, saying they should have a life outside the industry and surround themselves with people who inspire them.

There is a high level of rejection that comes with this business and it can be hard on your mental health if you don’t have a support system and things that you do that have meaning for you and bring you joy. The up times can be very high and the down times can be very low, prepare for both.

Enlightening on his family’s reaction to watching him on stage, Payne again sang praises of his wife. She comes to my presentations, and comedy shows and has seen me on screen”, he said. “I can always count on her for honest feedback. One of the best moments for me though was the time my whole family came to a film premiere with me.”

“It was the first time my teenage son got to see me on the big screen and when my name came up on screen in the opening credits he turned to me and whispered ‘Dad this is so cool!’ for me that was a moment that made all my hard work meaningful as he is not just my son, he also following in my footsteps and is a performer himself.”

As for the best advice he ever received, he reminisced on when a mentor of his told him “Always bring yourself into the room and your performance.”  In life, the unexpected happens and if Payne was to choose between life and death in an apocalypse, he would choose life. He believes that even in an apocalyptic situation, things can and will always change.