*Bryshere Gray has a starring role in BET’s highly anticipated miniseries about one of the most successful R&B groups of all time, New Edition. And he told JET on the set of the upcoming miniseries that the role is “such a blessed situation.”
“I don’t want to mess it up at all,” he said of the project. In it, Gray plays Mike Bivins, founding New Edition member and the man responsible for introducing Boys II Men to the mainstream.
“I appreciate all of the blessings. I haven’t really had the time, because I haven’t been off in three years since I started Empire, to just sit back and take it in. But I appreciate every moment. I just want every moment to count, and I just want to work hard,” he said.
READ RELATED STORY: Bryshere Gray Remembers the Best Advice Will Smith Gave Him
Gray’s career has been nurtured by a pair of powerhouse mentors, including veteran actor Will Smith.
“This is my first movie, and Empire was my first acting role. So, [Will Smith and Jamie Foxx] told me that to embody characters you want to play, you have to take that initiative to really get to know them. For Muhammad Ali, it took Will a year to get it down pat. For this, it only took me three months because that’s all I had.”
Gray also credits his manager Charlie Mack, for giving him advice that will certainly carry him throughout his career.
“Charlie Mack walked Will Smith onto The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and [helped] Jamie Foxx with his show, and he got me on Empire,” Gray explained. “Will walked with me every step of the way from the beginning. I went to his house in New York before the first episode and he’s just been holding me down every step of the way.”
