If you think you recognize that brother up there on the screen with Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson and Jill Scott, you probably do, especially if you’re from the North Side.

LAMMAN RUCKER

Lamman Rucker has moved from being the bad guy on “All My Children” to the silver screen and it ain’t no fluke. He’ll also be seen in the upcoming “Ball Don’t Lie” and another Tyler Perry joint due out next spring, “Meet the Browns— The Movie.”  

“Brotha Ash” hooked up this exclusive Q&A for the Courier.

Q: How did you get into acting?

Rucker: I got into acting as a result of both of my parents being artists, scholars and activists. The first role I remember, though, was doing a Black history program in fourth or fifth grade at Manchester Elementary School where I played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Q: Since you are a Pittsburgh native, what do you have to say to someone who wants to become an actor?

Rucker: My first piece of advice for anyone interested in being an actor is to get training. And that takes time. Don’t try to “get famous.” Many people think that all it takes is talent or good looks or connections. Not true! You must be trained so that you have some technique, some acting skill, business acumen so that you understand the discipline and process involved in doing this for a living. You can’t just wake up one morning and think you can just show up. It takes work.

Q: You’ve been in quite a few roles over the years—“Law & Order,” “All of Us” and “All My Children.” Do you plan to have your own TV show at some point?

Rucker: I definitely have plans to have my own TV show. It may not be called “The Lamman Rucker Show” but I will have a couple of different things, eventually, that will have me at the forefront of the show or in a position of power over what the show is. I have three ideas in development right now. I plan to cover every genre of television: sitcom, one-hour drama, made-for-TV movies, a talk show, a reality show, a new soap opera, educational programming, spiritual enrichment, etc. I’m trying to do what Dr. Bill Cosby, Tyler Perry, Kelsey Grammer and Yvette Lee Bowser have been doing.

Q: What influence has the Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble had on your career?

Rucker: The Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble was a phenomenal place to grown up within. Its impact on me (and quite a number of other families and young leaders of my generation) was more incredible than I could ever actually articulate. The exposure to dance, music, theater and other creative forms was an awesome way to grow up.

I was around that every single day. Hell, I was still in my mother’s belly and dancing! My mom danced the entire time she was pregnant with me. Then before and after each of my other siblings, I remember my mom teaching pre-natal and post-natal dance classes to other women (before Lamaze was a trend). My dad is a musician and I was always around him and African drumming and jazz music. The PBTDE dance company also was like a huge family. Many of the people in Pittsburgh that I still consider family were a part of PBTDE. Most of us kids who were all running around together as babies are all still close friends. The Legacy Project is actually awarding my mother as a trailblazer in the arts Oct. 13 at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater.

Q: “Why Did I Get Married?” is in theaters Oct. 12. What was it like working with Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson?

Rucker: Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson are cool as hell. Janet is very sweet, soft-spoken and very courteous. She’s the consummate baby sister, absolute adorable in so many ways; a class act and deserving of her iconic status as an international pop star and sex symbol, not to mention her being the “Black princess” of one of our royal American families. Tyler, of course, is also very easy to get along with and is a pure gentleman. He exudes so much strength and distinction. He’s my “boss,” but he’s also “my boy,” too. I thoroughly enjoyed working with both of them.

Q: What do you want people to know about Lamman Rucker that we don’t already know?

Rucker: I’d like people to know that I am not perfect. I hope people see me as a positive role model and an accessible example of what a good man is, but I am also a work in progress. I’m confident and believe that I’m destined for great things, but I wanna make sure people know that we all make mistakes, have fears, get our feelings hurt, experience insecurity, have flaws and have experienced loss, abandonment and disrespect. I have to make a conscious choice to “choose joy” everyday —love of myself, love of God and love for others and walk in that love very deliberately. Life gets me down, at times, too. But I work to persevere and pick my spirit up so I can keep moving forward.

Q: Any last words from you?

Rucker: Thank you, Pittsburgh! Thanks for the love, support and encouragement you have always given me. I work hard to make you proud of me so that you, too, can take some ownership of my accomplishments. I also hope that people will see a strong, powerful, educated, positive, self-respecting young Black man who is proof that God is good.