- I love Alfred.
Like, I always say it was like,
Alfred's just petty as hell.
And, so am I, and I love that.
I didn't really wanna model him after anybody.
I just wanted him to be somebody
that anyone could relate to,
be like, oh yeah, I know Alfred.
Or, oh yeah, we met with him. That's our cousin, Rodney.
You know what I mean?
Like, I just want him wanna be that dude
that people could relate to.
And, yeah, I hope I did that.
- [Narrator] This multifaceted North Carolina actor
has made himself comfortable across film, stage,
and television.
He's multi nominated for his now iconic role
on the hit series, Atlanta,
appeared on Broadway,
voiced the dad of a legendary comic book superhero,
and then went on to act alongside Brad Pitt.
Without further ado, praise goes to Brian Tyree Henry.
(uplifting beats)
Brian Tyree Henry was born in 1982 in North Carolina,
but spent his formative years in Washington, DC.
His family helped shape Ryan's creativity.
My mother was an educator and she was incredibly creative.
She and my father are the ones
that got me into my love of music.
We were always playing music.
Music was incredibly influential in my house.
It still is.
I learned everything I know about music
from my parents and my sisters,
he told interview magazine.
His family planted the seed
that will become a successful acting career.
As the youngest child in a family of adults,
Brian would spend a lot of time alone.
He'd create imaginary places throughout the house
to keep himself entertained
and imitate older family members for fun.
It wasn't until his sophomore year of college at Morehouse
that he decided to major in theater.
Even though Henry loved acting and learning lines,
he almost didn't fully commit.
After graduation, he thought about working in the government
like his sisters.
However, one of his mentors disagreed with this path
and suggested he audition for Yale.
In 2007, Brian left Yale early to play Tybalt
in the legendary Shakespeare in the Parks production
of Romeo and Juliet.
And, four years later, in 2011,
he went on to a major role in the stage play Book of Mormon.
When speaking to Entertainment Weekly,
I originated the Book of Mormon on Broadway.
Not only was the content incredibly new,
it was one of the most heart touching musicals
I've ever seen.
And, my character was the first to have F in his name.
So, I got to say F on Broadway every day.
It was like this to me is progress.
Brian's acting abilities
led him to television roles on shows
including Law and Order, Boardwalk Empire,
and the Good Wife.
Brian's mainstream breakout role wouldn't happen until 2016,
when his manager asked him to read the script
for FXs Atlanta.
Brian used his father as inspiration for the character,
Alfred AKA Paperboy.
Henry would act alongside Donald Glover, Zazie Beats,
and Lakeith Stanfield.
And, as a result, he received critical acclaim
including a 2018 Primetime Emmy Award nomination
for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series,
and a 2019 Critics Choice Award nomination
for best supporting actor in a comedy series.
Brian start continued to rise.
In 2017, Brian went on to appear in This is Us,
with his friend Sterling K Brown,
earning him a Primetime Emmy nod
for outstanding guest actor in a drama series for the role.
2018 proved to be another meteoric year in Brian's career.
Brian's theater roots led him back to the stage
for his Tony nominated role
in the Broadway revival of Lobby Hero.
Then, to the big screen,
alongside legendary Viola Davis in the film Widows,
and a role in Barry Jenkins' critically acclaimed,
If Bill Street Could Talk.
Brian's contribution went on to earn him
an NAACP Image Award Nomination
for outstanding supporting actor in a motion picture.
In the same year, Brian lent his voice
to his first animated role,
Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse,
as Miles Morales' dad, Jefferson Davis.
I think that by them making this movie,
and making it completely a representation
of the world we live in,
and the families that are right next door to us,
it is so important, because, for some kids,
this is going to be their first vision of Spiderman.
They're opening up the imaginations of people
to let them know that anything is possible,
he told Variety.
In 2019, Brian struck box office gold
with appearances and hit after hit
with the Child's Play reboot,
Joker with Joaquin Phoenix
and his Atlantic co-star Zazie Beats,
Godzilla versus Kong,
and his Marvel debut in Eternals with Angelina Jolie,
Selma Hayek, Gemma Chan, and Kulmal Nagiani.
When it came to being a superhero,
Brian worried about the physical changes
he would have to make
only to learn from the director,
his concerns were needless.
Chloe was like, what are you talking about?
We want you exactly as you are.
Henry continued adding how much that moment meant to him,
to be a Black man,
to have someone look at you and say,
we want you exactly the way you are,
is unlike anything that I've ever felt,
he told Insider.
When considering roles,
Brian Tyree Henry made sure that the characters
maintain their humanity.
When chatting to the Hollywood reporter, he said,
it's about picking who these men are to me
and what they mean.
I want to do what really speaks to my heart.
Navigating these men, these Black men,
I want there to be a way for people
who don't have access to men like this,
to realize that they're still human beings,
to realize that their stories are still important,
to realize that if you are this man,
there's a representation of you somewhere.
Talented, multifaceted, and passionate,
from becoming a superhero to embodying a rising rapper,
Brian Tyree Henry gives us an endless list of reasons
to keep watching his Ascension.
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