TV One Presents “The Bobby DeBarge Story”

TV One announced the release of a new biopic "The Bobby DeBarge Story." The film takes on the tale of the late singer/songwriter and the triumphs he faced during his childhood and career. The cast of the biopic includes many familiar faces from on screen and in the music industry; like Roshon Fegan, Big Boi from "Outkast", Blue Kimble, Adrian Marcel, Lloyd, and Tyra Ferrell. I was given the opportunity to talk to a few of the cast members to get the inside scoop on what it took to portray the roles of the DeBarge family.

After talking to the cast, it is evident that the film does not shy away from the childhood trauma and continuous drug use from the "Switch" lead singer. The actor who played as Bobby DeBarge, Roshon Fegan spoke on his preparation for taking on such a role. "I watched every YouTube video I could find and really tried to embody Bobby as a whole. This role is different from anything else I've ever done because I've never portrayed an actual person before." He spoke. Big Boi, better known as 1/2 of the Hip-Hop Duo "Outkast" portrays the founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy. He noted that his biggest challenge was "creating the balance between the businessman and the gangster part of Berry Gordy." For singers, Adrian Marcel and Lloyd, this was their first film. Marcel spoke about how having to become James DeBarge required him to learn how to hold things in. "It's a certain level of emotions that you have to do soul searching to cope with." said the "2 AM" singer. Lloyd portrayed his first role as Gregory Williams."I learned how pain is such a big part of the process for progress. There's so much inspiration in being apart of a great story." He spoke. A TV One native actor, Blue Kimble who played as Tommy DeBarge described that in order to embody the DeBarge family, he had to accept the cast as his family first. Meanwhile, Tyra Ferrell's main take from acting as the mother, Etterlene DeBarge, was learning how not to judge her. "Until you walk in someone's shoes, you can't judge them. The music of time tells us who we are." spoke the longtime actress.

The film was shot in Atlanta, GA within a period of fourteen days. However, it is obvious that those two weeks created everlasting memories and bonds between the cast members. The film is set to premiere on TV One's network on June 29th, 2019. Until then, be sure to check out the movie trailer in the link attached below.