The Tyler Perry Series “Bruh” Shows Black Men in a Positive Light
What do actors Barry Brewer, Mahdi Cocci, Monti Washington, and Phillip Mullins, Jr. have in common? If you don’t know who they are, soon you will. These are the handsome gentlemen who are all starring in the new Tyler Perry series entitled “Bruh.” The new show debuted May 7, 2020 on BET+ which is the streaming site owned by BET. Check out there trailer.
The show centers around 4 friends who are very successful in their own right. John, owns a sandwich shop, Mike is a lawyer, Tom is a doctor and Bill is an architect. Each of them has their own lives and have to deal with their own problems with family friends and even in their love lives like anyone else. This is a quality which makes them instantly likable and leaves the audience feeling as if this is your long time friend or neighbor.
The series is a comedy/drama, but what makes it special is that it’s all about 4 positive black men and although it is 2020, this is something that is still rare to see at times on screen. Tyler Perry seems to be aware of this fact and he attempts to remedy this with the debut of “Bruh.”
Sitting down and talking to each of the cast members was a blast and each gave an in-depth description of what this show means to them. All four of the main actors became a part of the show in very interesting and different ways.
Barry Brewer of all of the actors, may be the one who is the most recognizable. He has been seen on another BET series “Games People Play.” He is also quickly on the rise as one of Hollywood’s most multifaceted stars. As an accomplished comedian, actor and musician.
Barry plays John, who is the entrepreneur of the group. While speaking to him, Barry aka John stated that “My mother loves Tyler Perry’s work and constantly comments on the relationship between fictional character, John and his mother saying that she would never treat him like “Alice” does. This shows that even with his success Barry shares a special relationship with his mother.
Mahdi Cocci who plays Tom, the doctor on “Bruh” was born in Minneapolis, MN, and was raised by his mother, Stephanie. Education was always emphasized growing up, and Mahdi earned a full Navy ROTC scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh. He put his burgeoning modeling career on hold to serve as an officer in the Navy upon graduation. Mahdi evens admits that “Although, I have been the artist among my friends, I would say that I have some of the same traits as Tom.”
Phillip Mullings, Jr. is an actor-filmmaker from Orlando, FL. He was born to Carla and Phillip Mullings Sr, October 6, 1993 in El Paso, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration degree from the University of Central Florida’s College of Business (2015), and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Production from Full Sail University (2017). He plays Mike, the attorney. Phillip admits “I moved to Atlanta in 2017 with the goal of one day working with Tyler. Me and my mother even went by the studio as it was being built.” Talk about speaking things into existence, visiting the studio and moving to Atlanta really paid off.
Monti Washington is an actor, writer, model and motivational speaker. He plays architect, Bill on the show. Monti admits, “I made a point of watching and studying how to play an architect because I wanted to get the character right.” Also because of his upbringing as a foster child, Monti was determined to break the stigma and stereotype of what children in foster care are depicted as and decided to follow his dream as an actor and motivational speaker. This goal has definitely paid off and young children will get to watch him on “Bruh” weekly.
The fours characters of “Bruh”, Mike, Bill, John, and Tom are really regular guys that some of us know, but there may be a few people who won’t so thaq show will quickly change that because these 4 men are our coworkers, brothers, neighbors and our friends.
Each week, there is the opportunity to learn something new about them each and maybe even learn something about yourselves. After speaking with each actor, it was clear that the common goal was to showcase positive examples of what it truly is to be a great black man.
Check out “Bruh” on BET+ and follow the show on social media via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
