Featured photo by MTSU News
Story by Shamani Salahuddin
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On Friday, eager attendees arrived at the James Union Building an hour before the event began. Friends chattered amongst themselves, waiting to snag the front-row seats in the Tennessee Ballroom.
Around 5:30 pm, Marcus Scribner walked through the front door like every other guest who came to hear him speak. No entourage. No security.
As this year’s Black History Month Keynote Speaker and star of two famous TV shows, people were shocked to see Scribner off the screen, 10 feet in front of them.
“He was walking around like he’s a regular dude,” a student said in the audience after the doors opened.
Scribner is known for his role as Andre Johnson, Jr. on popular TV shows “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish” and won an NAACP award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He executive produced his most recent film, “How I Learned To Fly,” now available on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
Despite all his successes, Scribner made a keynote speaker event feel like an intimate conversation. While the initial stage setup had student interviewers Jayden Blair and Jaliyah Webb seated distantly from him, he invited them to scoot closer.
“I’m on an island over here,” he said jokingly. “I mean for comfort, yeah, come closer.”
The young entertainer connected with the audience, sharing relatable anecdotes like “being that guy” who sleeps with his mouth open on his flight from New York and when he wanted to try out for the basketball team at 13. But he also gave valuable advice on working as a creative in the entertainment industry and the importance of representation on screens.
“Black-ish” premiered in 2014, and there weren’t many Black sitcoms on television, Scribner said. He acknowledged the “renaissance of the 90s” with shows like “Fresh Prince of Bel-air” and “Martin,” but after that era, a sitcom with a family of color was rare.
“I just thought it was really cool how we took that approach of the multigenerational family dynamic and what it means to be Black in America and brought it to TV at a time it was direly needed,” Scribner said.
He emphasized the impact of having characters who look like you, think like you and speak like you has on a viewer. People have stopped him on the street, saying Junior reminds them of their cousin, brother, or nephew, and an audience member said he saw himself in Junior, too.
“As a Black nerdy kid from the middle class, I am Junior,” the student said during the audience Q&A.
Working 15 hours a day, seven days a week, becomes a “slog” for Scribner, but those moments are valuable to him to speak with people who appreciate the television show and his character.
Along with his role on screen, Scribner has made it a goal to diversify positions behind the camera. Producing “How I Learned to Fly” allowed him to take ownership of his content and put voices in his project that speak to the people he represents and what he believes in. With this being his first time producing, Scribner didn’t feel confident.
“When the workload gets overwhelming, and you don’t know what to do, you start to question yourself, and you start to question: Am I really cut out for this? Do I really belong here? Do I deserve this?” Scribner said. “But I think what it’s really about is putting one foot in front of the other and getting the work done.”
He eases the serious topic with his Deontay Wilder impression when saying he still struggles with imposter syndrome to this day.
There is no clear path into acting or the entertainment industry, but for Scribner, the road to success is loving the work. His advice for aspiring actors in the audience was to get used to hearing “no” because “yes” comes few and far between, and committing to the craft whole heartedly.
“I think you just have to attack it and not really care about what the outcome is, but care about the process and care about making sure you’re doing the best job you can do on each and everything you do,” Scribner said. “As opposed to caring about the end result. I think that’s what everything in life is about; really caring about the journey–I know it’s corny–and not the destination.”
After the event, an exclusive group of students were able to meet Scribner and take pictures with him. He was friendly with everyone, engaged in conversation and even took amusing 0.5 photos with those who asked.
Thos not fortunate enough to access the meet and greet waited in the lobby, hoping Scribner would stroll out the way he came in.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell and Assistant Lifestyles Editor Shamani Salahuddin, email [email protected]. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Instagram at MTSUSidelines or on X at @MTSUSidelines.
