(Leon. Photo courtesy of Jenifer Gulley at Full Scale Media)
Interview courtesy of Allison Kugel and Full Scale Media.
Actor Leon has played some of the big and small screen’s most memorable roles, from his breakout appearance opposite Madonna in her culturally provocative “Like A Prayer” video during MTV’s golden era, embattled former basketball great in “Above the Rim,” David Ruffin in “The Temptations,” and his critically acclaimed portrayal of Little Richard in the 2000 biopic. Other notable film roles include “The Five Heartbeats,” “Cool Runnings,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “Ali,” “Get Rich or Die Tryn’ and his upcoming film “A Day to Die” opposite Bruce Willis.
Television shows include HBO’s Oz, Showtime’s, City on a Hill, and supporting his twenty-two year old daughter, Noelle Robinson, and her mother, Cynthia Bailey, on Bravo’s hit series, The Real Housewives of Atlanta. His recent BET projects include A Luv Tale and Games People Play.
The following are excerpts from the latest episode of Allison Interviews, the new podcast hosted by entertainment profiler, Allison Kugel. The full episode of the podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
On starring in the infamous 1989 Like A Prayer music video with Madonna:
I knew at that time that this was Madonna’s comeback and this was a number one song. I knew it would be the lead off story of every entertainment section. What I didn’t know is that it would be the lead off story of everything; not just the entertainment sections, but the front of the newspapers and the first story on the news.
[In 1989], I don’t think that the interracial kiss between Madonna and me was that big of a deal. It was who she was kissing, and that I was Black. For one thing, most people believed that she was kissing Jesus, and Jesus is being portrayed as a Black man. That was where there was, and is, a much bigger controversy. She’s not just kissing a Black man. She’s kissing a Black Jesus. Even though in the video he was just a Saint that came to life, people thought of him as Jesus, so that’s where the controversy really happened. There were so many metaphors [in that video], but probably none bigger than that.”
“Madonna was a lot of fun to be around and we joked around a lot and did a few things together. She was cool. I think she was very much trusting of her team and the ultimate plan of what this video was supposed to be, and its visuals. I thought she looked great in the video, like an Italian movie star.
The thing is, the video is such a positive video if you are a religious person. What happens is, a woman (played by Madonna) sees a crime. She sees the wrong man accused, she went to church for guidance and the guidance she got from church, and that experience from church, got her to do the right thing.
On playing Tupac Shakur’s brother in 1994’s Above the Rim:
Tupac had just shot at two off-duty police officers in Atlanta, and then he had some other court case going on, but I don’t know what that was. It could have been the rape charge, but I’m not sure. But the production got interrupted several times because of it.
For me, I just never wanted to see a young talented brother hurt himself or not succeed. And that’s what I was seeing in Tupac. I liked him. I thought he was talented and had charisma, and everyone could see that, but his mind was on other things that were going to bring him down, and it was obvious. It hurt me to see that, because I wish he was here with us today. But everyone has their path. Everyone has to live their life the way they want to live it. That’s what I was seeing, just talent being wasted, is what I thought.
[Tupac] was one hundred with me, and he told me from the beginning at the script reading, he said, ‘Listen, you’re not going to have a problem with me, because you’re in The Five Heartbeats.’ That movie was so revered by everybody. You usually get your props right off the jump (laughs).
On co-parenting with Real Housewives of Atlanta star, Cynthia Bailey:
Although Leon has appeared on a number of episodes of The Real Housewives of Atlanta with his and Cynthia Bailey’s -daughter, Noelle Robinson, Leon shared, “I’ve never watched it.” In terms of co-parenting daughter Noelle with Bailey, he adds, “I like to consider myself a common sense negro, okay (laugh)? I do things that make sense to me. So, for me, the child comes first. We have a child together and that is something that will never change, and no matter how many
Women I may have had in my life, only one of them has given me a child. So, for me, she has the highest respect of anyone. We are a family through this child. We are always supposed to do what is best for one another and respect one another, but most of all, do what is best for the child, and the child needs to see two loving parents. Even if we are not together as a couple, we can still love and respect one another. That is what our daughter [Noelle] needs to see in order to grow up.
Put your childish ego aside. It’s very simple. If you are no longer with someone in a romantic way, then you guys know each other so well, you’re friends. You have a child together. Let’s just keep it moving. Other stuff takes up way too much energy and it’s wrong. Using the kid against one another, it’s just terrible. What do you get out of it, and what is your upside? I always look at things like that. What is the upside of this, right here? How does this make things better for me, my child, and for her? It doesn’t. So why do it?
To hear the complete interview, check out Allison Interviews Podcast on Apple or Spotify.
Interview published courtesy of Allison Kugel and Full Scale Media.
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