Brandee Evans
As this year continues to be exciting for movie releases, theatrical or otherwise, one in particular, has pop culture fanatics in a frenzy. Today, MTV unveiled its latest women-led comedy, Pretty Stoned, featuring the likes of Brandee Evans, Kandi Burruss-Tucker, and Pretty Vee. The film is centered around two colleagues, opposites in nature, who must work together after finding themselves in a world of trouble. Evans, most known for her role as Mercedes in the Starz series P-Valley, stars as Tick Tock, the resolute henchwoman to the film’s antagonist, Madame X. The opportunity to take her talents in a comedic direction is what excited Evans the most, along with getting to work with MTV.
“Tick Tock is a hot-headed and a fighter in a different way who’s going to do whatever she can to get the job done for Madame X. Not only is she smart, but she also doesn’t play any games and has a very short temper so that's what I do love about her, being different. She's feisty, tough, and intense. I also love that the film is a comedy because it's so different from my other roles, and I've always wanted to do comedy. I'm so excited to be a part of this, and I’ve always wanted to do something on MTV.”
Throughout her career, the Memphis native has been transparent about how she relates to previous characters she’s portrayed, which is no different with Tick Tock.
“I'm a sweetheart, but I won’t bite my tongue, and I'm going to tell you when something is wrong and when it's right. That’s how I think of Tick Tock. She's improving at speaking her mind while not being too hurtful. I think she's working on her anger management, and in the film, we see her trying to get better at that. When I was younger, I didn't have that filter back in the day. So now, I think I've gotten to a place where I can get my point across without being too harsh.”
Brandee Evans
Just as the entertainer has been truthful about her experiences as a multihyphenate in Hollywood, she readily admits the challenges that come with it. One, in particular, was a hospital scare involving her mother amid filming.
“I'd gotten calls from the caregiver that my mom had gone into the hospital and had gotten cellulitis while I was filming. After completing my scene, I rushed to the airport with the clothes I had on my back and stayed at the hospital the whole weekend. I made it back in time to finish filming, and my mom didn't even get out of the hospital until we wrapped the movie. So, those are things people don't see happening while I'm filming. Even when we were shooting scenes, doctors were on hold, and I would have to run back to the phone and then shoot a scene, and then run back to the phone again. It was insane.”
While the barriers along the journey to stardom may be daunting, Evans feels that it’s crucial for aspiring actors to be aware of the ups and downs.
“I think that people need to know what happens behind the scenes. They see the light at the end, the interviews, the press, and the red carpet, but they don't think about what all it took for us to get there,” Evans said. “They don't see all the different things you're trying to do and keep pushing because they want the easy way. It’s not going to come easy, and if it did, everyone could do it.“
The University of Memphis alum insists that her willingness to prepare for the highs and lows of her journey to stardom is what has sustained her.
“At the beginning of my career, I lost a few jobs by not knowing and doing my research. I had to decide if I wanted to continue getting sabotaged or if I wanted to grow. I had to take a moment and pour into myself and say, ‘Hey, Girl, it can't just be everyone else. It's got to be you.’ If the common denominator is something going wrong with you, it's you, and you're the problem. You must figure out what you need to do to improve and choose your battles. There are a lot of things that you learn in this industry that TikTok does not teach you.”
