Dewayne Perkins on ‘The Studio’, creating his own opportunities, and the lack of roles for Black queer men in Hollywood
Early in his burgeoning career, multi-hyphenate comedian Dewayne Perkins surveyed the Hollywood landscape and came to one irrefutable conclusion. “I was like, ‘Oh, if I’m going to star in a movie, I’m probably going to have to write it,'” he told Far Out Magazine. “And that’s exactly what happened.”
Indeed, everything that is currently happening for Perkins in his career can be traced back to that moment of inspiration – even if the inspiration came because he was forced to acknowledge Hollywood wasn’t exactly kicking down his door to give lead roles to Black queer men. “I originally just went to acting school,” Perkins revealed. “I was like, ‘I’m an actor’. But taking a look at the industry and seeing what I wanted to do and what I wanted to achieve, it didn’t feel like that was possible unless I was also at the hand of creating those opportunities.”
Luckily for Perkins, he was already familiar with creating his own opportunities and trying his hand at different disciplines. After taking musical theatre and improv comedy classes in high school, the Chicago native found his way to the legendary Second City improv troupe during his time at The Theatre School at DePaul University. In 2017, Perkins left Second City and moved into stand-up comedy before things really kicked up a gear in 2018 when his improv group 3Peat’s sketch The Blackening was shown by Comedy Central online. Against all the odds, it was announced in 2020 that the sketch would be adapted into a feature film written by Perkins and Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip).
“When I wrote the sketch, there was not this idea that, like, ‘Oh, this sketch is going to be a movie,” Perkins chuckled. “I simply wrote a sketch because I was in a sketch show that needed a sketch.” Once the ball got rolling on the film, directed by Tim Story and starring Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, and Jay Pharoah, it was one beautiful surprise after another for Perkins.
He smiled, “We wrote it. It went to TIFF and Tribeca, which was this whole journey. But every step of it was a surprise. There was no anticipation. It was nice because I didn’t have any expectations of what I could get from it. So, everything felt like a gift.”
The Blackening, a horror comedy that lampooned the common tropes associated with Black characters in horror movies, was a hit at the box office, making nearly four times its budget. Since its release, Perkins has appeared in Lawrence Lamont’s One of Them Days as a hilariously insightful hairdresser who supports the main characters, played by Keke Palmer and singer-songwriter SZA. While he’s happy to have landed that role, Perkins pointed out that it’s still been a struggle as a Black queer man to find parts that show he has range as an actor.
“I think people see what they see and then want you to do that same thing,” Perkins explained. “People want reassurance that you can do what they’re hiring you to do. So, they often will want you to do what you’ve proven to be able to do.” By way of an example, he revealed Hollywood’s one-to-one approach to opportunities led to him being offered another horror comedy after he made The Blackening, followed by another hairdresser role after One of Them Days.
“That is something that I am conscious of and work against not to be pigeon-holed,” Perkins mused. “I feel like there are parts of my identity that already lean into preconceived ideas of what Black queer looks like on-screen.”
Naturally, Perkins confirmed that he would love more opportunities and more roles to come his way “because everybody wants to work more, and I think that creates better storytelling, to have interesting points of view.” Thanks to his realistic view of the industry, though, he’s kept his nose to the grindstone by writing more scripts for himself. “I’m still writing things because I don’t necessarily feel those opportunities are as plentiful as some of my peers,” he admitted.
Perkins won’t let this unfortunate reality get him down, though, because he came into Hollywood with his eyes wide open – for better or worse. “That was something I knew coming into this industry, so I’m prepared and motivated to keep creating my things for myself,” he added defiantly. “That has proven to be a lane that is fruitful, so I’d rather lean into what is fruitful versus focusing on what is not.”
In truth, Perkins’ efforts to diversify his portfolio have already begun to pay off. He is part of the hugely star-studded cast of the AppleTV+ comedy The Studio, created by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It sees Rogen play Matt Remick, the hapless newly appointed head of the fictional Continental Studios, a floundering studio in a modern Hollywood landscape that is changing daily. Perkins joins Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Chase Sui Wonders, and Bryan Cranston in the supporting cast. At the same time, each episode boasts several celebrity cameos, including A-list icons like Martin Scorsese, Paul Dano, and Charlize Theron.
Perkins found his way to show thanks to his time in the writers’ room for Amazon Prime Video’s Sausage Party series. This is where he met Rogen and subsequently got the opportunity to audition to play Tyler, Continental Studios’ Head of Publicity. “I was very grateful,” Perkins said of becoming involved in the show, “And it was just a really cool opportunity to work with legends and people that I’ve looked up to for most of my career.”
As for playing Tyler, a hard-working employee who always seems to find himself swept up in the chaos of Remick’s day-to-day schemes, Perkins smiled, “He is just a person who is happy to have a job and wants to keep it. That’s something that I related to most. It’s just being a part of a system and knowing your place and trying to retain your place in a system where you feel like a cog in the machine.”
Beyond The Studio simply being a fun, hilariously intense ride – something akin to the Safdies making a much more modern version of Entourage – Perkins believes it will give audiences an insight into a behind-the-scenes version of Hollywood that isn’t as far away from reality as it may appear. “I love the show,” he said. “I think it’s very, very funny, and I’m very excited for people to see it because I do think, as a participant in this industry, it brings a human perspective to this thing that feels very inaccessible to the public.”
Now that he has amassed enough Hollywood experience to feel more like an insider in the business, Perkins is excited to “shed light and poke fun at the things that we love, but also the things that are difficult to rectify and to navigate. You are just an artist at heart while existing in a system that is commerce-based.” That push and pull between reality and fiction is “the fun of it” because, for those who aren’t in the business, “I do think Hollywood lives in that place of fantasy.”
Working with Rogen on The Studio inspired Perkins because he witnessed the perfect example of someone excelling as the diversified creative force he has always aspired to be. In recent years, after all, Rogen has spent more time as a writer, producer, and director than an actor, but has been able to thrive while wearing those multiple hats.
“That’s kind of the blueprint I’ve been following,” Perkins noted. “The ability to be flexible and to move through these different lanes with the autonomy that fits my fancy. I think his example of making stoner comedies, and then being able to make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and being able to produce The Boys – that freedom of creation is what I find the most inspiring.”
He added, “There are genres I want to participate in that aren’t necessarily comedy. It’s about being able to create a foundation where people trust you to occupy these different lanes, and he’s been a great inspiration for that.”
Looking to the future, Perkins wants to seize upon the momentum of The Studio by showing audiences and executives what he’s capable of as a performer. “I don’t think people have seen that side of me as much as they’ve seen my ability to write,” he admitted. “So, I’m hoping that helps show that side of myself to people more, and they start to see what I can do and that I have range.”
As for the vivacious Tyler, Perkins grinned widely and exclaimed, “I’m hoping that people see The Studio and then think, ‘You know, we should put him in more things! That Tyler! I can’t stop looking at him. He steals every scene!'”
