Brunch With the Brothers: 2025

The annual Bronzelens Film Festival discussion with the Brothers (Black Male) in the film industry took place this March. “Brunch with The Brothers” is an event that combines the atmosphere of a town hall meeting with a coffee shop and a fine dining establishment. The mood of this event differs from that of its sister event, the “Women’s Superstar Awards.” This year’s panel discussion focused on the popular BET television show “The Family Business.” The show, which is currently in its sixth season, was created by Carl Weber.

Director Trey Haley talked about how much he enjoyed the show’s journey when relating its direction. He explained that the casting for the production aims to be generational. “We make sure to return and cast actors who haven’t appeared on our screen for many years. These individuals set the path for our community, and we combine their skills with the next generation of talented individuals.” David Banner, an actor and musician, said he was happy with the amount of freedom he was given in the exploration of this role: “I had the latitude to be able to play a tough guy but not a thug.” I had the opportunity to experiment and bring more edges to the character. Numerous lessons that are representative of the real world were brought to the role to build the character. A successful man needs a lot of time for himself, so when a woman says she wants a successful man, then time cannot be her love language. Banner articulated the character’s journey, his path to strength, and the emotional support that the role embodies.

The series continued filming during the pandemic and had to establish a social bubble to comply with regulatory requirements. The actors were assigned to a few houses, with restrictions on their movements; they were in lock down. They would work on the scripts and produced the entire third season of the show from this segregated bubble. According to Benjamin Stephen, during the scripting process for season three, there were questions about Curtis’ character in the show. I had been away from the industry for nineteen years, and being at home for so long got me out of shape. In my early days in production, we sold movies off the back of a truck, but today we’re in a bubble, developing shows for digital streaming services; it’s a different world. At some point, I was offered the position of “Chris Duncan”; to me, this was a significant role; having worked in the writer’s room, I understood the strength of this role. For this role, I had to leave the writer’s room and return to the front-of-camera. “I began an exercise plan that included a workout routine, running and doing weights; I took on a workout routine to be ready for the role.”

During the discussion, Brendon Jackson expressed that he has been doing things that have had an adverse emotional impact on individuals in real life. He explained, “At the time, I had no idea I was having an impact on them. I’ve learned to be better and do better, to be more sensitive, and this has helped me in the delivery of my scenes as Marquis Duncan on the show.” The conversation took a deep dive into the characters in the program; as performers, they explored the cast’s ability to bring out the depth that each scene required. They discussed the value in working closely together and being able to bring out the emotions and, at times, the fierceness that the character required.

Lashley

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