On this edition of SNAPSHOTS, we are starting our round of interviews in preparation for the upcoming Shore Leave 44 Convention, which is going to be in its newest location in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, July 26-28th at the Wyndham Lancaster Resort and Convention Center. Our guest today is part of the Lucifer pack!
Today, we have a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he made his debut as Martin Luther King, Jr. in The Conscientious Objector. But you may have seen him in many television productions and film over the years. For me as a kid in the ’90s, I got used to him singing the low notes as Melvin Franklin in The Temptations, one of my favorite miniseries of all time. But you will now see him as he returns as US Secret Service agent Eric Monks for the upcoming second season of Netflix’s The Night Agent. And for the rest of us, you have seen him as Amenadiel in Lucifer.
Let’s welcome to SNAPSHOTS, D.B. Woodside!
D.B., welcome to SNAPSHOTS.
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I do have to just correct one thing. Just so fans are not wildly disappointed. I won’t be appearing in season two of The Night Agent, but I love all those people. I love the cast and the crew. I love the executive producers, and hopefully fans of The Night Agent will get a chance to see me do some work with Sean Ryan in the upcoming future.
Hopefully we’ll see you in the upcoming future, especially since some of the fans have followed you in the first season of The Night Agent. The first question I want to ask you is, when did you realize that you wanted to become an actor?
Wow, that took a while, because as everyone knows that I talk about this quite often now. As a kid, I was extremely introverted and gravitated more towards reading books and writing. So, I first started as a writer. If you were to talk to anyone that I went to high school with, they were quite shocked years later to see that I had become an actor, given my personality. When I went to college, I decided to take an acting class, and there was a teacher who was really supportive. And this just goes to the fact that all it takes is one incredible teacher to inspire a student.
Teachers, you know, change little human lives all the time. And this teacher really reached out to me and told me that I really had something, especially if I was committed to work on it and take it seriously. And so, it was my freshman year in college that I really started to dive into the world of acting and technique & the craft, which I’m a big supporter of. I fell in love with it quickly and remain in love with it.
Well, I’m so glad to hear it. In fact, like you, growing up, I was introverted. I was a shy person and had a speech impairment. But it took three speech pathologists who encouraged me to watch news. All of a sudden, I went to Space Camp and became a writer. This one event changed the course of my life. Now I’m a full-fledged writer and an entertainment reporter for over 20 years now. So, it’s funny how these things work out.
Yeah, and that’s fantastic. I actually had to go to a speech pathologist when I was a kid. I had a really bad stutter. So, they really helped me with that. And it’s something that a lot of people don’t know about me, and it’s followed me throughout my career. One of the reasons why I loved The Night Agent so much was because I finally found the courage to tell Sean Ryan and these incredible writers that he surrounded himself with that I need to change some lines because I just can’t say them. And they were so incredible about that. I wish I had done that at the beginning of my career. It could have made things so much easier.
So, I relate to you completely. It’s amazing what we can all accomplish when there are people around us who really care and support us. It also let us know that whatever it is that we’re struggling with, we’re not alone, and that a lot of people struggle with this. I think it just takes away the anxiety and fear, and kind of helps us to rewire our brains to figure it all out in a different way.
Thank you for sharing that.
No problem, no problem.
As I mentioned earlier in our conversation, that I’m a kid that grew up in the 80s and 90s, and the first time I saw you was with The Temptations on NBC. It’s hard to believe that last year in November, 25 years has passed since it first aired. I actually saw the musical, Ain’t Too Proud, not too long ago. The funniest thing was, I was standing next to a gentleman at the Kennedy Center hoping to meet the cast of the show, only to find out – it was Otis Williams.
I was standing next to him and was flabbergasted that I was standing to the living legend after I just saw the musical. What were some of your fondest memories of playing Melvin Franklin and working on that project with such an amazing cast?
It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences. I talk about this all the time, and I say that series, the fact that we call them miniseries now, I guess some people call them a limited series. It’s something that I’m so proud of because to this day, it’s still something that I can watch with my daughter, right? And to have the privilege to play that man was incredible. He was an incredible human being. We all got to meet Otis as we were doing that, and it was great. The cast and I are still friends to this day. We just had a great time. We really became close and became a family.
And what a lot of people don’t know is that for the first two months, before we even started rolling, we were in Los Angeles learning all those dance routines. I’d say 80 to 90% of the music that you hear in that series, we’re doing the singing, especially the two leads. They had incredible voices. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever worked on and one of the most enriching. It really touches me that people grew up watching that. And if I’m out somewhere with my daughter and someone brings that show up, it always puts a smile on my face. That’s something that I will forever be proud of.
I’m so glad to hear it, because I was watching it with my grandparents, and they told me all the times that they listened to their music. And here I am listening to the music. The Temptations is one of those timeless groups that no matter what era you’re from, once you hear those beautiful, melodic tones, it takes you to places you never thought possible. And they were one of a few groups that survived the 60s all the way to the 80s, and they’re still going strong today. I’m so glad that you got to be part of that wonderful series.
It was a dream, it really was. And I agree with you that music is timeless. It can bring you back. I think the best thing about music is it can you know when you hear a certain song, it can bring you back to a specific time in in your life. And their music is so incredible and so vast and spans over so many decades. They truly are, in my opinion, the greatest R&B band ever. They were just incredible, and their music still resonates with people today.
I could not agree with you more. I mean, when it comes to Motown sound, they’re at the top of the Motown sound. Now for the sci-fi fans that are going to meet you with the upcoming Shore Leave 44 convention, you’re known as Amenadiel from Lucifer, and you made some great strides.
And one of the things that I’ve actually watched the show many throughout the six seasons, that one things that I enjoyed about your role, is that you got to reunite with your costar from 24 Dennis Haysbert, who played God. And you know what? Let’s face it, he’s the voice of God. I remember interviewing him five years ago for our 10th anniversary, and he wished us a Happy 10th anniversary in his unforgettable voice. I’m like, “Okay, we’re done. We don’t need anyone else for the 10th anniversary. He’s our 10th anniversary voice.” What was it like to work with him on both the projects of 24 and then come again on Lucifer?
Dennis is great. I was so blown away because I had known his body of work before I started working on 24. It was such a privilege to be able to work with him on screen. So of course, I am a fan, and I’m getting a chance to work with this amazing actor that I’ve been watching on my TV and seeing him on movie screens. He has such a presence. He’s such an amazing man. I know a few people know this, but through the seasons of Lucifer, there had always been talk of, “hey, one day, maybe we’re going to meet God.” And I’ve been pushing for Dennis for so long. I didn’t know that there were two other writers that from their side, were also pushing for Dennis.
So, I had saw Dennis out one night at some Emmy party. Hadn’t seen him in a few years, and I walked over to him, and I brought this up to him. I saw him thinking about it, and he said, “you know what, I would, definitely consider that.” So, once I got the okay from Dennis, I just went to town with Ildi and Joe, as did to two of the other writers. We were kind of ganging up on either side. Look, they didn’t need to be convinced. But I think it was nice for them to hear from three different people who weren’t speaking to each other, like we didn’t plan it out, right? Yeah, that it was just kept coming up. So, I was so happy that Dennis said “yes”. And the proof is on everyone’s TV now, he has an incredible sense of humor, which I’m glad people also got a chance to see.
Just to see you two together on the screen, it was a matchmade in heaven. I’m so glad that he was able to play God and you were able to work with him again. It was one of those pipe dreams that I’m so glad it came true on the screen, and it really showed.
Yeah, really did absolutely.
And in fact, you made your directorial debut in the final season of Lucifer – Save the Devil, Save the World, which was the eighth episode of that season. Talk about stepping into the center seat, and what is one lesson that you took away from that experience that you will apply to future directing opportunities?
Directing is hard. It is hard, it’s challenging, and I love it. I would say that directing is that you are looking down at the piece, the episode from a much higher altitude than everyone else. I feel like I can say this, being that I’m an actor, I’m also a writer and I’m a director, so if actors and writers get offended by this, I’m sorry, but I’m one of you, and I do all three. So, I feel that I can share this, at least share what my experience was. And so, my experience was great. It’s extremely stressful. During the time that I was directing, I don’t really think I got very much sleep at all, which is the norm. Everything is on your shoulders. You’re having to speak to the actors, speak to the writers of that episode, speak to the producers, listen to the studio and network. It is a tough, tough job, and one that I plan on doing a lot more of, maybe that makes me a little crazy.
No, it was an absolute joy, and I’m happy that I was able to do it on a show that I loved so much with this amazing cast. There’s one thing that I would take away from it is, when you’re directing, you really get a sense of time. You know how much time you have in a day to complete the shots, complete the scenes that have been scheduled. I don’t think actors are able to, not that, that it’s not able to, I just think that it needs to be explained to them better, but that they have a concrete idea of how time matters. And the more time that you have, then the more creative shots you can go for which you know just really is going to serve that that story better. So, the big thing that I learned is time. Time is so valuable, and you want to make sure that you are the most prepared person on set, because you will inevitably run out of time somewhere. And so, you have to have a plan B, Plan C and a Plan D, and you have to be able to pull those off without missing a beat. You have to know when to let go and just run towards Plan B. And that can be hard, because all of us, right, every human being has egos. And we want to try to get something that that we see that will make for an engaging, creative story visually.
But sometimes you have to let that go and just move on to Plan B, because you have to make your day. You just have to make your day. So, you have to, so you have to take your victories where you can, and you got to take your losses, because there will be quite a few, and you can’t let them bog you down. You have to keep the entire ball rolling. So that’s the biggest thing that I learned, is that time is so valuable.
I read that you love wine, and a good book which I’m a connoisseur of wine, and I’m a bibliophile. I love books. First, I have to ask, are you a bottle of red or a bottle of white?
Red, all the way. I don’t want to come down on people who drink white wine. I just don’t understand it. I love Pinot Noir.
I’m a Merlot man and a Pinot man myself.
There you go. There you go.
And what books have you read lately that has caught your eye? Is there a book you can put down right now?
I started reading this book that a friend of mine that’s a writer recommended, and it’s by Stephen King, and it’s on writing. I just went through that, and it was absolutely incredible. And so, it got me thinking that I as much of a Stephen King fan as I haven’t read a lot of his work. I just started Stephen King’s The Gunslinger. The Dark Tower One. I just started that. I’m also reading a book that my brother recommended, called Race Horse Men by Katherine Mooney, which is also incredible. And I’m also reading this book. I’m one of those that’s really into psychology, especially how it’s meeting now with neuroscience and attachment styles, fear, anxiety, panic, worry. It’s called Rewire Your Anxious Brain by a Dr. Catherine Pittman and Elizabeth Karle.
And speaking of education, last year, you were selected as the commencement speaker for the University of Albany, which was your alma mater. What advice would you give them to set them on their own path?
I’ve mentioned this a few times in the past, and when I was coming up, if you just focused on acting, that was great, and you could get places. Listen, acting has always been the profession that it’s basically like going to Vegas and rolling the dice, right? It’s an incredibly painful endeavor to undertake, and people should know that it doesn’t make any sense. You will see extremely talented people not work. You’ll see people whose talent is, “okay, and they’ll work all the time. It just doesn’t make sense.” What I would say to young actors is, a few years ago, there was, especially in the United States, there is this push away from technique and craft and this idea that you could just sail through every role, just on your personality, right? And in my personal opinion, is that was a big mistake.
How I would warn actors is you may have a charismatic personality that may take you, but that will only take you so far, and after a while, if you are just doing nothing but being the same in everything that you do, you will start to not work, because everybody will feel like they know you. I think there is something about creating characters that are infused with you but are not you. But the single most important thing that I would tell actors who are graduating and trying to, you know, jump into this crazy career is you must learn how to write. It is vitally important for so many reasons. And it doesn’t matter if, right now, you’re a terrible writer. It doesn’t matter. Writing is a craft, so you can learn, and you will learn. Get books, take classes if you can afford it, but continually write and have your friends read it and get better. Learn the structure of television episodes. Learn the structure of screenplays.
Write plays. Just keep writing, because right now, people are looking for agents. They want you to make their job easier. That might be hard to hard to hear but, but it would be good for people to accept that. If you’re able to act and write, then you can create the projects that you want to see yourself in and the more you work at being a decent writer to a good writer, to a great writer, to a phenomenal writer, the more you will work as an actor.
See D.B. at Shore Leave 44 at their brand-new location in Lancaster PA, the Wyndham Lancaster Resort and Convention Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, photo ops and more, go to https://www.shore-leave.com/
To follow D.B., go to his social media
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