MTV’s stepping up their scripted slate with the original movie, “Turn the Beat Around,” premiering Feb 26th at 10 PM which is the story of Zoe, (Romina D’Ugo) a struggling dancer who is looking to make it big in the competitive City of Angels. This dance drenched original feature also stars newcomer Jason Derulo (of “Whatcha Say,” fame) as well as Brooklyn Sudano who most recently starred in ABC’s “My Wife and Kids,” and portrays the manipulative choreographer Malika in “Turn the Beat Around.” Did I mention the soundtrack also boasts tracks from Cobra Starship and Sing It Loud?
I had a chance to chat with the uber-intelligent (The girl was a valedictorian!) Brooklyn Sudano about how she stays grounded in Hollywood, our mutual love of Kid Cudi, and her advice to anyone out there with a dream.
Brooklyn, great to have you with us. BTW, I loved “My Wife and Kids.” It was one of my favorite sitcoms in recent years. Do you think that working on a sitcom at a young age really helped hone your comedic acting chops?
Definitely. It was a fun show to be a part of. You know, “My Wife and Kids,” was my big break and I was just thrown into it. The Wayans family and Tisha Campbell-Martin were comedians who live and breathe comedy. It was a great learning experience and you had to be on your A game on set. Tisha is such a professional and she really was a great example. She always came prepared to work and is amazing at what she does. Working with Damon, Tisha, and everyone…I learned a lot.
Very cool. So, what was it like growing up as the daughter of an icon like Donna Summers? You don’t seem so affected by Hollywood’s bad side.
I mean, obviously growing up in a family with parents in the spotlight, people will focus on the negative aspects. They think we should all be on drugs, write tell all books. I was really lucky because my parents were really great and were supportive of me and my sisters. I think they really imparted to myself and my sisters that it is to really important to learn your craft and be an artist. Not just singing, acting, writing, painting, exploring all those sides of creativity. They gave us the environment to experiment with those things which was cool for being a creative person…they supported you. Not a 9 to 5. They completely understood that I wanted to go to this field and I actually grew up on a farm in Thousand Oaks so I had a fairly normal upbringing. We did fun stuff with traveling, glamorous stuff with my mom, but I know what celebrity/fame means. I act because I love it.
Love how grounded you are. And the choreographed sequences in “Turn the Beat Around,” are fun to watch. How long have you been dancing for?
I danced on and off my whole life. I’m an actor who dances and moves well. I had an amazing support system with Trey Armstrong, the choreographer on the film. A lot of the other dancers have been on “So You think You Can Dance Canada,” so I was dealing with pros and had some catch-up to do. The best part was probably that I got to play the choreographer so I got to boss people around which was definitely fun.
Haha. You also got to work with Jason DeRulo on the film and its his first professional acting gig. What was that like? Were you giving him pointers and letting him know if he did something wrong? BTW, that “Whatcha Say,” song is still in my head.
I had that song in my head for a month. We were on set when the song was really just breaking, I mean, really just about to super duper launch. He was really deserves all the success. I mean he’s talented, writing, dancing for a really long time. He’s only 19, but a super professional and fun! As for me giving him pointers, no, from actor to actor, you respect each other’s space and just be available. I leave all directions to the producers and pay attention to what I need to be doing. It was Jason’s film/acting debut, but he was really good. He was a pro.
Let’s talk about your character Malika who is an overly ambitious choreographer. How did you prepare for the role?
Malika was definitely playing a different side of myself. The villain…how fun is that! Ultimate mean girl. Malika is a real person. A lot of times when people are mean, condescending, arrogant, they’re just masking insecurity. A little bit misunderstood. I tried to make a reason for why she was that way. Sometimes when you’re at the top, you’re lonely. Its lonely at the stop and sometimes you don’t know how to connect with people anymore. I tried to approach it from an personal level and make her real.
So, what’s next for you? Any current/future projects that you’re working on?
Yeah, its pilot season right now so that’s always crazy. I finished a couple indie films including “Five Star Day,” which is actually starring Julianna Guill who was in the other MTV original movie, “My Super Psycho Sweet 16.” It also stars Cam Gigandet, Jena Malone and hopefully that hits theatres soon. Also “Five hours South,” a dance movie that’s set in Italy which combines all different styles of dance and sort of brings the world together through dance. We’re wrapping filming now.
Nice. So Brooklyn, what are the top 5 songs in your ipod right now?
- Lady Gaga “Bad romance”
- Kid Cudi
- Kanye West (808 Heartbreak)
- Adele (Hometown Glory)
- Johnny Swim I’ve been listening to their EP. “Away I Go,” is my favorite track.
Guilty pleasure food?
French fries..every single day! In an ideal setting, I’d get French fries from Mcdonald’s with sweet and sour sauce. If I don’t have the sauce..it ruins my experience.
Beauty Secret?
You can’t go wrong with eyelash curlers/mascara and just Kiehls lip balm.
Dream actors/directors that you’d like to work with?
Love Cate Blanchett! She plays cool, interesting characters, strong women and makes them real. Even when doing the Malika character, I wanted her to be multi-layered, not just a strong mean girl. For different reasons, I’d love to work with the JJ Abrams of the world, who do crazy fun star trek movies, TV series. I would love to be on Mad men…writing is amazing. I think it’s just really well done, writing, character, set, clothing. I’d like to guest star on that show!
Maybe one of the producers will read this article. So, we’re an online women’s magazine… any words of inspiration of empowerment you’d like to give to any of those who are reading this interview?
I think ultimately, you have to find what brings you joy. I’m lucky that I get to do what I love for work and that pays my bills. Sometimes the process is hard, lots of disappointment, rejection in the process. I like to paint and have to paint a little bit each day. Its about finding the joy and you have to feed your soul. Women, we’re nurturers and multi-taskers. My 2 best friends are young moms, they work, they need two incomes. Women really give a lot but at the same time, in order to give well, you have to feed your soul. Give yourself joy. I’d just say that. Pray, draw, find the things that feed your soul, even if you do it for 10-15 minutes, it’ll give you that extra oomph to get through the day!!
Brooklyn, thank you for your time. Can’t wait to see what you do next!
Check out Brooklyn in “Turn the Beat Around,” on Friday Feb 26th at 10 PM on MTV.
she rocked as Malika!