Interview with the Cast of “Saints and Sinners”
Article by Lisa Collins-Hayes, Parlé Magazine.
Members of the Cast of Bounce TV’s Saints & Sinners Introduce Readers to the new Breakout Series.
Jasmine Burke and Vanessa Bell Calloway in a scene from the show.
Saints & Sinners is an all new original series on Bounce TV, The show premiered on Sunday, March 6th. The promos look juicy and after talking with several of the cast members, this show has so many twists and turns, it’s going to knock your socks off. The show centers on the Greater Hope Baptist Church, the heartbeat of Cypress, GA, a southern town outside Atlanta. When a violent murder rocks the community, the church that holds the secrets of the entire town is at risk of imploding. The cast is star-studded with names like Vanessa Bell-Calloway, Christian Keyes, Clifton Powell,Jasmine Burke, Gloria Rueben, Keith Robinson, JD Williams, Afemo Omilami and Richard Lawson.
Vanessa (Lady Ella Johnson), Clifton (Rex Fisher), Jasmine (Christie Johnson) and Keith (Miles Calloway) took some time to give me a run down of what readers can expect from Saints & Sinners. Here’s what they had to say:
Parlé Mag: New series, what’s the draw in? Why should people tune in to see Saints & Sinners?
Vanessa: It’s great entertainment. The plot is about a church that my father led for many years and now my husband (played by Richard Lawson) has taken the helm and is murdered in the first episode. Like many before him, he had a street life before becoming the leader at the church. So right from the start, it’s not your typical church show.
Parlé Mag: What were your initial thoughts when you first read the script for Saints & Sinners?
Clifton: I thought it was juicy and delectable. I loved that I was getting to play a gritty guy without having to water him down.
Vanessa: I was drawn to the power the women had. They were all written to be powerful, ambitious, and have dreams of their own.
Jasmine: I liked the writing in general. There were a lot of twists, turns, cliffhangers and things that make you want to watch to find out what’s going to happen next.
Keith: The framework was there. Great talent and great cast.
Parlé Mag: Talk to me about the fashion and music elements that will be brought to the show?
Keith: We’re bringing the music for sure. The Gospel soundtrack is schedule to be released March 27th. I’m on it, Erica Campbell and Kelly Price—it’s really an extended character of the show. As for fashion, yes I’m sure our characters will look good and we’ll allow the views to decide what’s trending.
Parlé Mag: With a title like this, we want to know, in real life—who’s a saint and who’s a sinner?
Vanessa: (After she gasps and laughs) None of ya’lls business. No, let me retract that, with, none of ya’lls damn business! Well, I’ll say this—I’m not as bad as my character on the show.
Jasmine: I was sinner, but I prayed about it and now I’m a saint! Isn’t that the goodness of Jesus?
Keith: Yeah (laughing) none of your business.
Clifton: Oh I’m not going to lie. I’m a sinner. But I’m going with Jasmine on this one; I’m trying to get closer to God. He’s not done with me yet!
Parlé Mag: A lot of people are comparing this show to Fox’s successful drama, Empire. Are there any parallels or are people way off base?
Jasmine: I think we’re getting that because of the music; great songs and lots of scandals. We are offering a different option for TV.
Keith: To piggyback off of Jasmine, yes it’s an hour-long drama, but it’s a different kind of drama.
Vanessa: Exactly, it’s just different subject matter.
Clifton: The part I play, I couldn’t play this type of character on network TV. My character is gritty, the last time I saw a dark-skinned man playing a part even close to mine and wasn’t watered down; was Avery Brooks on A Man Called Hawk and it only lasted one season. And you’ve never seen Vanessa like this before. This is why we’re different from Empire.
Parlé Mag: Any last words you want to share with my readers?
Vanessa: We’d appreciate your support. Word of mouth is going to spread and we want you all to become fans of the show.
Jasmine: Saints & Sinners is going to catch people by surprise. I encourage you to get on the train before it takes off. People are always complaining that there’s a lack of content on other networks and a lack of shows like ours—but it’s here now, so you have to support it.
Clifton: Readers should understand that Bounce TV is taking a chance on an urban drama. This is historical and offering a different slice of African American life.
Keith: This is ground-breaking, daring and gives the viewers identifiable characters that everyone can relate to. The writing is open-ended, it’s a step in the right direction and it won’t leave you disappointed.
Bounce TV is the only emerging broadcast network, also known as a “multicast” network, producing original scripted series. The network’s three originally-produced sitcoms Mann & Wife (First Season), In The Cut (First Season) andFamily Time (Third Season) all set network records for viewership in 2015. Additionally, Bounce TV is the fastest-growing African-American (AA) network on television and airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage. The network features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and more.
Saints & Sinners will air Sundays at 9/8c.