Kevin Navayne is an actor who loves his craft and works hard a perfecting it.  He has appeared on such television shows as Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Army Wives and CSI:NY.  Kevin will be portraying Civil Rights Leader Marcus Garvey in the upcoming film.

I recently spoke with Kevin for The Nerdy Girl Express and found him to be thoughtful in his view and feelings for what he does. He is not only an actor but a director and producer who strives to learn more on these facets of the entertainment realm. It was a pleasure speaking with Kevin and I hope you will enjoy reading what he has to say.

What set you on the path of pursuing acting as a career?

“I always wanted to be an actor growing up.  I grew up in Connecticut, I was born in Jamaica.  I was always into movies, always into television. I would watch while doing my homework.

Then I got a lead in the very first play that I did in sixth grade which was Peter Pan and that’s when the acting bug bit me, and I realized I wanted to pursue this craft.”

What has been your most challenging role to date?

“Honestly it’s going to be the role that I’m taking on in a few months, the Marcus Garvey role.  It’s going to be challenging on many levels in terms of  reliving and retelling the story in its true form, who he was as a person, who he was as a husband and as a father but also as a Civil Rights leader and what he stood for.  Trying to get into the mind as much as possible of who he really was.  I’m learning as much as possible about  Garvey, I’m trying to figure out why he did some of the things that he did, making some of the decisions that he made and really trying to understand that.

I’ve been doing a lot of research and talking to family members who knew Marcus Garvey in an effort to try to embody him so that I can portray him accurately on the big screen.”

Did you find it was more difficult taking on the role of someone who was a real person than it would have been playing a fictional character?

“Absolutely.  With a fictional character you can kind of make it your own, it’s in the eye of the beholder if you will, you can make it the best you think to portray on screen.  Whereas with a real person, you just want to be as accurate in the details.  So if they themselves were watching, using the example if Marcus Garvey was still with us he’d be able to say ‘Wow Kevin, you really represented me perfectly, that’s exactly what I was trying to accomplish in my life.’

I thought I knew who Marcus Garvey was from learning about him in school and African American history classes in college but actually finding out who he was, what he really did, what he stood for and some of the things that transpired throughout his life while researching him for this role, it’s a whole new outlook. I’m very surprised with all I’ve learned, it’s been really inspiring.”

How do you think you’ve improved as an actor since you’ve started your career?

“Like any great skill, it comes with learning.  The more you act, the more scenes you do, what role you get, the better you are. The same with anything whether you’re a basketball or baseball player, you want to get better so you practice.

So, I try to take on roles that will challenge me, which I can be proud of and can sink my teeth into. And of course at the same time, I want to be able to work as much as possible, but I don’t just look for a role for ‘this will be great for my career’ it has to be something that will challenge me.  So if it’s an off-off Broadway play that’s playing in the middle of Iowa, and it’s something that I can say ‘It challenged me, I’m really proud of it and it made me a better actor’, then mission accomplished.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

“It’s been my parents. I don’t want to make that sound like a cliche. We are from Jamaica, it’s a cool island in the Caribbean but at the same time, it’s a third world country.  When they came to the states, they essentially had nothing.  They worked their way up, pulled themselves up by their boot straps to not only make a great living for themselves but also to provide for myself and my brothers.  In doing so, every sacrifice that they made for themselves was to ensure that we had a great education, that we had all the possibilities and options.  I think that in itself has been my greatest inspiration.

 I always fought with them growing up but now every chance that I get, I thank them.  I tell them ‘Thank you for doing all that you did for me and my brothers.’ Because it’s something that I can never repay, and I know now that obviously they did it because they love us and wanted better for us.  They’ll always be my greatest inspiration.”

You have directed and produced, how has your background as an actor helped you to be a better director and producer?

“It has helped tremendously because now I’m able to see both sides.  As an actor, I’m trying to accomplish what the director wants.  On the other side when directing, if you’ve been an actor, you know what the actor is doing, you know what the actor is going through.  And as a producer, you understand the actor and the director in terms of what their mission and goals are in what they need to accomplish.  So as a producer, your job is to ensure that they are able to accomplish what they need to.  And being an actor, you understand where everyone is coming from.  So, I think that just helps to bridge the gap and make it that much easier.”

Is directing and producing something you want to continue with in the future?

“Definitely, definitely.  Directing and Producing are things I want to do more of, and I’m really passionate about becoming better at doing them.   It’s good to wait for an opportunity, but you should also know when to knock that opportunity backdoor down as well.”

What can you share with us about any current projects?

“I’m wrapping up a film called the ‘Onyx of Wall Street’, it’s based on an African American male who came up from the tough streets of South Bronx and made a fortune on Wall Street.  He was one of the few African American males to do so in a very whitewashed Wall Street world.  That’s going to be an independent film that will hit the film festivals, Sundance next year.”

After Garvey wraps up, I have another project called ‘American Warlord’ based on a gentleman, well not exactly a gentleman (laughs) and man named Charles ‘Chucky’ Taylor, who was the first American who was convicted on war crimes for what he and his father did in Africa.  The US government was actually able to successfully prosecute him.  He was a very terrible man, and I will be playing that character taking a closer look at his life to bring awareness to the world of how bad of a man he actually was.

It was one of those things that was a big deal in Africa but when it came here, they kind of swept it under the rug, nothing was really mentioned about it.  But when you look at what he did, and the terror that he caused people, I think it’s important even today that it’s a story that needs to be told.”

What would you like people to know that they may not know about you, your feelings towards acting, you career, that they may not know about you Kevin?

In general, I’m a homebody; I’m down to Earth and easy going. But at the same time, I’m very passionate about my work and craft.  I’m excited about what I do.  I get up in the morning ready to take on the day.  I’m just a regular, everyday guy that loves sports, loves his family and loves his work.”