Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Mark McKinnon About BET Her Presents: The Waiting Room

Mark McKinnon is captivating audiences as one of the leads of BET Her’s The Waiting Room. A partnership between BET Networks and MegaMind Media, BET Her features four female-centric original short films.

Directed by Sheryl Lee Ralph, The Waiting Room follows the lives of two women waiting to hear if they have breast cancer and the journeys they take after receiving the life-changing diagnosis.

It’s a project that is near and dear to Mark McKinnon not only because he’s lost loved ones to the disease but because of the impact he hopes the film will have on the Black community.

Pop Culturalist caught up with Mark to chat about his career, The Waiting Room, and what’s ahead.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Mark: My passion started way back in high school. It started with me supporting a friend by going to an audition with her as social support. The director ended up coming down to the waiting room and saw me there. She was like, “Oh man, you got to audition. We need more males in our production.” I laughed like, “Nah. I don’t want to do it.” She was like, “No. You should do it.”

I ended up going ahead and auditioning. I ended up booking the lead role in that play. It was my first play ever and my first time ever auditioning. What made me really get passionate about it was there were so many roles and opportunities for Black people. A lot of them weren’t taking advantage of it. We didn’t have too many African Americans in our productions.

A year after I did that first play, so many African Americans came out and they were a part of the production. When I saw that change, that’s what made me really passionate about the power of acting, the power of storytelling, and the power of taking risks and doing something different.

When I saw that, that’s what made me say, “You know what? I want to go to college and I want to study this.” That’s when I really, really fell in love with acting on another level.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Mark: I’d have to say Michael B. Jordan and John Boyega. Their careers have really opened my eyes to a lot. They both took on opportunities that originally weren’t set to be for somebody of color. When you look at Michael B. Jordan, he was in Fantastic Four. He was the first African American in the history of the Fantastic Four series to ever have that role. It was groundbreaking to see John Boyega get that lead role in Star Wars. So seeing their careers and seeing how they literally built from the ground up really inspired me to make things happen on a higher level. I just have to keep going.

PC: You have an athletic background. What has the transition been like going from the field to the screen? How challenging was it to pick between your two passions?
Mark: It was very, very, very tough. My original plan was to do both. When I first went to Howard University, I had to audition for the theater arts program. I already had it in my mind that I was going to play football as well. However, when I got to the audition for the theater arts program, they knew I played football and they said, “Hey, if you’re going to be a part of this program, you can’t continue to be on the football team.”

I said, “No. I’m going to do both.” They said, “No, the schedules don’t work out. Trust me. We don’t have athletes as a part of our program.” I said, “Well, I really want to be the first to make it happen. I’m going to figure it out.” They said, “Well, you can’t audition today if you do not decide to turn down football.” So I lied to them and said, “You know what? All right, I’m going to give up football.” In the back of my mind, I’m like, “I’m going to do both.” I ended up still auditioning and making it into the program, which I’m grateful for.

A few weeks later, I had a football practice at five in the morning. That practice didn’t go well at all. The coach made us come back that evening. Guess what I had scheduled that night? The rehearsal for one of the shows I was in with the theater arts program. That was the first time I had to make a very, very tough decision. I realized that my life is about purpose. I realized I had a bigger purpose through my acting career than I probably would have with football. Football is fun. I miss it. I tell people all the time that a dream role would be a sports movie or show like Friday Night Lights or Remember the Titans, where I can still have the best of both worlds.

The Waiting Room

PC: Tell us about The Waiting Room, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Mark: The Waiting Room is a part of an initiative that BET and BET Her are doing to bring awareness to breast cancer and how it’s affecting Black women and Black families. What originally drew me to that script was that it was a good strong love story. I’m a fan of love stories and movies. That was the original thing that made me say: “I want to be a part of this.”

But then as I read the script, I realized how much I was like my character Derik. The way he loves his fiancé because he doesn’t let anything get in the way, no matter how bad it looks between him and his fiancé—I was the same way with my wife. We had a health scare after the first two years of our marriage. I stayed strong with her, and that’s what the characters went through.

That’s what really made me want to say I want to be a part of something that’s going to have a major impact in the Black community. I was really excited to take on the role. I got to work under Sheryl Lee Ralph, our director, and she was very fun to work with. I learned so much from her. I’m so grateful that I was able to play a role that let me go on an emotional journey and show what I can do as an actor.

PC: This project in particular hits close to home for you. Did that bring a different weight heading into filming?
Mark: It did. This role wasn’t about pure entertainment. It’s about the message. It was about the impact that it was going to make. So I realized I had a bigger task on my hands to achieve in digging into this role and being a part of this film—so much so that I wanted to go further than the movie itself to show my passion behind the subject of breast cancer. I teamed up with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine to get the message across of how you can reduce the risk of breast cancer.

PC: Later this year, you have another project coming out. Is there anything you can tease about The Available Wife?
Mark: The Available Wife is a movie directed by Jamal Hill, a phenomenal, phenomenal visionary and director. This movie is going to give you a lot of flash, but it’s also going to be fun.

It stars KJ Smith and Terayle Hill. Both of them are phenomenal actors who I learned a lot from while I was on set. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s a movie that’s really going to keep you on your toes, especially when the big secret comes out.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Mark: Power. I was behind on the season, but I watched the whole thing in two days. I can get through that show like there’s nothing.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Mark: The Great Gatsby. I love The Great Gatsby. I ended up watching it again recently and I realized how much I liked that movie, the acting, and the story line.

PC: Favorite book?
Mark: I love the Hunger Games series.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Mark: Hamilton. I got a chance to see that and I had orchestra seats. I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I first went to see it, I was wondering why it was so big? I hadn’t heard the soundtrack yet. Everyone knew all the songs in the show. I was like, “Why am I the only one in the theater right now who doesn’t know any of the songs?” But now I’m hooked.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Mark: Snarky Puppy. I got to see them live a couple of years ago because one of my friends had to fill in for the drummer. It blew my mind what they can do. Cory Henry is on the keys. I now have their playlist. I work out to their playlist when I’m traveling.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Mark: I would say Omari Hardwick if he was playing me when I turned thirty. I like his work and I like what he brings because he has the vulnerability but also has an edge to him that I like to own as well.

To keep up with Mark, follow him on Instagram. Watch The Waiting Room today.