Actor And Comedian Wayne Brady Spreads The Gospel Of Improv To The World

Jet, August 27, 2001 by Nicole Walker

Wayne Brady has the best job on the planet. Each week he break-dances, plays superheroes with idiosyncratic traits and spoofs Black entertainers like Michael Jackson and James Brown while millions of fans watch and laugh--and he gets paid to do it!

Brady has a hard time believing it too.

"In a million years I would have never thought that improv would have had the effect that it's had on my life and career," admits the 29-year-old actor-comedian who stars on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", an improv show in which he and cast mates Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie create crazy skits on the spot from suggestions the audience shouts out.

While the shows other improvisers are talented, Brady is arguably the single reason "Whose Line" has remained one of ABC's most popular shows since its 1998 premiere. His charisma, quick wit and knack for dead-ringer celebrity impersonations, and his signature musical numbers, make him a crowd favorite and even have earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program.

And the blessings keep coming for the Orlando, FL, native. Brady, who now lives in the Valley with his actress wife Mandie, just had another one-in-a-million wish come true--the debut of his own series on ABC, "The Wayne Brady ShoW' (Wednesday, 8:30 p.m., ET). Brady hosts and stars in the comedy-variety show with Brooke Dillman, Jonathan Mangum, J.P. Manoux and Missi Pyle.

As a Black man in an arena historically dominated by Whites, Brady can't help but be proud of his success--and awed by it. Yet he knows that with success comes a greater responsibility.

"I've already passed that feeling of sheer joy that limited me from moving or breathing," says Brady, who also executive-produces and writes for his new show. "Yeah, you can have your name on the show, but what are you going to do to earn that--consistently?" For Brady, that entails giving 110 percent on stage, even if it means being so good that people swear his improvised material is staged.

"I guess it's a compliment, the fact that people think that some of the stuff we do has got to be rigged," he relents. "But we're up there really bustin' our butts. It's great that folks may think it's a put-on because it's a compliment. So I'll take it as that as opposed to getting irritated about it."

Yet Brady is pleased that the success of "Whose Line" has sparked widespread interest in improv, especially among Blacks. He says his mail bags are filled with letters from young Brothers and Sisters who have joined improv troupes or are taking improv classes because of his work.

"I'm happy to see these guys are watching the show and thinking to themselves, `I want to do that' or `I can do that,'" he says. "That's incredible."

Brady himself fell into acting by accident. In fact, he had planned to join the military after high school, since he felt he couldn't do anything else.

"I was really self-conscious and had a horrible self-image. I felt that if I opened my mouth, folks would laugh at me," says Brady, who also stuttered badly. But a role in a school play changed Brady's life and his opinion of himself. A buddy in the play asked Brady to fill in for him. Since it was just a one-line part, Brady agreed.

"As soon as I stepped onstage, my stutter went away, my self-confidence went up, and with that first bit of applause, you're hooked," he says. That's why I love what I do with an all-encompassing love, because it's given me so much. It really is a drug--and the only one I use, I might add."

Shortly after discovering his acting addiction, Brady took an improv course on the suggestion of a friend to help his characters appear more believable. He says improv taught him how to use his imagination--a valuable tool for an actor. Since then, Brady has spent more than a decade honing his talent, often in venues some might consider demeaning.

"As long as you're doing a good show, you're still working at your craft," he asserts. "Every theme park gig, every cruise ship gig, every dinner theater gig has gone toward making me the performer that I am."