Blacklist star Harry Lennix has revealed that studying to become a priest is what made him a better actor.
Lennix who studied for five years to join the Dominican Order, was about halfway through the process of becoming ordained when he turned to acting.
In an interview with Page Six, the 56-year-old actor said the theological training was not in vain as it has helped him become a better actor.
He said;
“You have to be able to answer people’s questions. Those questions are sometimes quite profound and require a great deal of thought and preparation to answer.”
The Chicago-born actor with a long list of credits also acknowledged that there has been “increased scrutiny” on the Catholic Church in recent years, adding that it is “deservedly so, you know the priests have a special burden, a certain obligation to be incredibly scrupulous,”
Lennix also stated that it’s not just Catholic priests who have come under fire in recent years for alleged abuses.
Commenting on the recognition he gets from fans, he said;
“For older people, it’s ‘The Five Heartbeats”. For younger people, it’s movies like ‘Stomp the Yard’ and ‘Batman v Superman.’”
Lennix also compared superhero films to religious experiences. He said;
“People used to go and see passion movies, religious kind of movies and I think that these superheroes have kind of taken the place of that. People endowed with superpowers who have a wisdom or ancient kind of tradition that is superhuman.”
He further revealed that things have improved for actors of color in the last few years. Lennix added;
“In terms of quantity, there’s a great more of it, the number of platforms, from streaming to cable to traditional forms.
“I think that the quality, however, still leaves a lot to be desired. You know more of something that is mediocre is not necessarily an improvement.”