Pop-Culturalist.com

Leland B. Martin is one of the breakout stars of BET’s romantic dramedy Boomerang. Based on the 1992 film, Boomerang picks up twenty-six years later and follows the lives of Simone Graham and Bryson Broyer as they step out of their parents’ shadow and create their own legacy. Leland’s character Ari is a charming web-series director who remains true to himself even through his struggles. It’s Leland’s performance as Ari which has quickly made him a fan favorite.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Leland to chat about Boomerang Season 2 and getting his big break.

Career

PC: You’re an actor, producer, and writer. How did you discover your passion for the arts? Is there one that you naturally gravitate towards?
Leland: Well, discovering my passion was something that I stumbled upon. I was working a nine-to-five at Merrill Lynch and studying to be a financial advisor. I was looking to build a career in finance. I got my degree in business, and I never thought about acting or the arts. I grew up playing sports; though, I did write poetry. It was soothing to me.

Once I got my job at Merrill Lynch, I realized that finance wasn’t for me. The nine-to-five wasn’t working for me. One day during lunch, I saw a sign next door that said casting. I went inside and there was a lady who told me she could give me acting classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights. I was like, “Let’s try it and see what this hobby could be.” I fell in love with it. Five months later, I booked my first independent feature called alaskaLand. They sent me to Alaska. They put me in a hotel and they paid me to play pretend. I was like, “Man. This is amazing.” I’ve been hooked every since.

PC: How challenging was that decision to make that pivot and what did you learn about yourself during that process?
Leland: It was very challenging because I wasn’t formally trained. This was something completely new to me. I never even thought about doing this before. It was a complete career shift. But, also, I was out of college; I was out of my parents’ home; I had to make my own money and pay my own bills. I couldn’t jump into it full-time because I had no experience. I kept my day job. I remember for alaskaLand, I had to use all of my three-week vacation time for the entire year.

Soon after I transferred over to the Manhattan branch of Bank of America because Bank of America bought Merrill Lynch. I worked overnight and I would travel from South Jersey to Manhattan each day. I worked from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am every day. During the day, I would stay in New York and audition and take classes. It was tough, but alaskaLand really opened up my eyes and made me want to be an actor. At that point, I started to take it seriously. That’s when I started to get into writing and producing. I would create little shorts and web series. I had to put myself through the wringer, train myself, and understand what the actual business was. Acting will always be my number one but producing and writing are definitely a close second.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Leland: I would say Lena Waithe and Dime Davis. Being on Boomerang has changed my life. It’s given me a platform to be seen by people who haven’t seen me. Having Lena’s name on my résumé opens up doors. I give her all the credit in the world for discovering me. I’ve done a lot of smaller TV roles, but this is my first as a series regular. Dime Davis is a genius. She’s an actor’s director in the way that she approaches the work and the way that she thinks about the craft. These two women, for me, are so dynamic.

PC: With this being your first series regular role, has anything surprised you about the experience? What’s been the biggest takeaway?
Leland: Nothing about the work has surprised me. Acting is acting. At the end of the day, you have your scripts and lines, and you go for it. What more so surprised me was who I am and who I’ve become on a personal level since being on television more. I realized that I’m the same person and I love that. I love that I haven’t changed. I want to maintain a humble mindset and I want to be a light and service to the people around me. I was really hoping that I wouldn’t morph into some selfish, narcissistic person, and so far I haven’t. [laughs] I pray that doesn’t change because I feel like I’ll be able to do a lot more good without a big head. A big head weighs you down, man. [laugh]

Boomerang

PC: Season 2 is airing now. What can fans expect?
Leland: Fans can expect to see a deeper look at each and every character. We just got to see more into Tia and David’s journeys as individual characters. This week, you’ll see more into my character. Last season, it centered around Bryson and Simone’s love story, which was great. It was a great season, but this season you’ll see more of all the characters and all of our storylines. You’ll see that Ari may not be who you thought he was. You’ll see some of the cracks in Ari’s armor and who he is and what he’s dealing with on a personal level.

In Season 1 you saw a lot of people were behind Ari. A lot of people were in agreement with a lot of what Ari stood for. This season, you’ll see a bit of struggle in Ari. You’ll see he isn’t as progressive as we thought in Season 1. Tonight’s episode will deal with toxic masculinity and how people in society feel about other people’s sexuality and how they carry themselves. We’ll see how Ari deals with that on a private and public level. A lot of people will be shocked to see how Ari deals with certain things.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Leland: Paradise PD on Netflix. I’ve been binge-watching it and it’s ridiculous.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Leland: Orgazmo

PC: Favorite book?
Leland: I love The Four Agreements, The Alchemist, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I cried at the end of The Autobiography of Malcolm X from seeing his progression and his change. He has so much hate in his heart at the beginning of his life. But at the end of his life, he was really turning a corner and seeing things differently. I love the honesty of that particular book.

I feel like I’m living The Alchemist. I saw the vision in the very beginning when I started acting and I’ve seen the vision come to pass. The Four Agreements is how I live my life. I try to do my best at everything that I can and I try not to take things personally. I feel like it’s a great guideline for common sense living.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Leland: A Raisin in the Sun

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Leland: I don’t think people would be surprised by my music choices. I’m an R&B and hip-hop guy.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Leland: I hope it’s me because I want all the roles, especially with everything being shut down the way it is. I’ll play me, I’ll play you, I’ll play your mom. I don’t care. Like, get me on the set right now.

To keep up with Leland, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Catch new episodes of Boomerang every Wednesday at 10:30/9:30c on BET.