Larenz Tate- Stylish & Street Smart |
|
While actor Larenz Tate has not shied away from stereotypical gangsta roles, he has brought a level of credence and uniqueness to all of the characters, i.e., Shooter Cooper, Lucky, O'Dog, Anthony Curtis, he has realistically portrayed.
"When you began to peel the layers back of who these guys are...you begin to discover that they are more than just thieves ....taking the easy route out, that these guys really have consciences and they have morals and they have something else to talk about other than just their crime thing. Basically, you find that these guys are just human," stated Tate of playing one of his many characters who operate on the other side of he law.
In his latest film, WAIST DEEP, directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, Tate plays Lucky, the cousin of ex-convict O2 whose car gets jacked with his son in it immediately following his release from prison. Lucky's role is that of mediator, yet his focus is torn between his ties with his family and those with thugs.
Set in Los Angeles, WAIST DEEP takes audience-goes on a suspenseful, time-senstive ride through Los Angeles. Further contributing to the theme of slick, urban action crime story is the film's tagline: "Bonnie & Clyde on the Flip Side."
Last seen on the big screen in the Academy Award® winning CRASH, Tate made an indelible impact as Peter, the car-jacking, small-time thief character whose best friend \ partner-in-crime, Anthony, is played by the hip-hop \ rap artist Chris "Ludacris" Bridges.
Of his and Bridges character, on the blackfilm.com website Tate commented, "These two young criminal-minded ... guys are very intellectual. They're very smart, they're very sharp people. My character Peter, who has a bit of a conscience about what we do, has morals,..values, and could go a totally different way but he chooses to roll with his partner in crime, and (they maintain their status as) criminal-minded guys."
Of this type of street-mentality, the thirty-one-year-old Tate is no stranger. Born on the Westside of Chicago, that is where Tate lived until he was nine-years-old when his family, inclusive of his two brothers Larron and Lahmard, up and moved to California.
At LA's Inner City Cultural Center, Tate's parents enrolled him and his two older brothers in their drama program. Training with the likes of Malcolm-Jamal Warner of "The Cosby Show", the brothers got a bird's eye view of actors getting their first breaks in the biz. And, eventually, within such television shows as: the Twilight Zone, Hunter and 21 Jump Street, the Tate Brothers got their first gigs, as well.
Although 
CRASH Ensemble Cast and their SAG AWARDS |
|
the youngest of the three brothers, 'lil Larenz-with the charming good looks and mega-watt smile-managed to have the greatest success in breaking through the Hollywood barrier.
Landing gig upon gig, Larenz built-up a portfolio of television guest appearances, i.e., Matlock, Family Matters and the Prince of Bel Air, before moving into the feature film arena: landing such pivotal roles as: Kevin O'Dog in MENACE II SOCIETY (1993), Anthony Curtis, a Viet Nam Vet who discovers a life of crime in the Hughes Brothers' DEAD PRESIDENTS (1995), and the romantic poet Darius Lovehall in LOVE JONES (1997).
Then there were the guilty pleasure action pics including: BIKER BOYZ (2003) with Laurence Fishburn and A MAN APART (2003) with Vin Diesel in which Tate plays Demetrius Hicks a police officer.
Of the "cop" role, Tate had this to say, "I'm from the west side of Chicago. I'm happy to play somebody from the streets and somebody that's responsible, somebody that's smart, and somebody with something to live up to. I have a badge to live up to."
It was from there that Tate landed the iconic roles of Frankie Lymon, who gets fought over for his millions by three striking women: Halle Berry, Vivica A. Fox, and Lela Rochon in WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE and Quincy Jones, the legendary music impresario, in RAY.
"There was such a rich concept and story to it, and all the characters felt right and everything felt right so I said "I gotta be a part of this....I want to play Q, Quincy Jones," and he (Jones) was happy to spend time with me on the part," stated Tate on ChicagoFilm.com website.
And interested in creating projects himself, Larenz along his brothers Larron and Lahmard (also an actor) formed their own music | film production company, entitled Tate Men Entertainment.
"I have aspirations to do other things as far as directing and producing. In fact, my brothers and I created a small little production company....Right now we're just focused on doing something independent," stated Tate.
And five years ago, back in Chicago, the Tate Bros. Foundation was formed to help raise money and host fundraisers for LaRibida Chidren's Hospital – a center dedicated to children living with sickle cell anemia.
Having been called a heart throb, charismatic and emotionally expressive, the littlest Tate brother seems to be in the position to pick and choose projects as he sees fit. It is not his ego, but perhaps his humanity, talent, and style that make him a "big man" in the eyes of Hollywood.
Larenz Tate on MatchFlick
 email this column to a friend
Comment on this Column:
Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to columns.
Join or Login. |
 Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS
|
| Take One Look |
Every other Friday
A capsulized profile on an emerging talent, i.e., actor/director in the film world and a snippet as to why he or she is destined to soon become a household name.
|
| Nancy Simon |
A Chicago-based freelance writer and film enthusiast, Nancy has an insatiable curiousity and knack for picking out talented, promising individuals.
|
| Contact |
If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, you can send a message to Nancy Simon by clicking here.
|
|
