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Brandon McCall: back home and finding his role(s)

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Photo courtesy of Brandon McCall.

Photo courtesy of Brandon McCall.

Photo courtesy of Brandon McCall.

It wasn’t until Brandon McCall was told he shouldn’t be an actor that he decided to become exactly that.

It’s a story that he tells often, McCall said. As a Center Point High School senior, he decided to major in biology on the path to becoming a pediatrician. When a teacher stopped him in the hallway to ask about what his plans for college were, McCall told her. The teacher’s relief-filled reply was that she was glad he hadn’t chosen acting, because it probably wouldn’t work out for him. 

“I thought, ‘Now I’m going to prove you wrong,’” McCall said. “That day, that moment, I changed my mind and decided to major in theater at Alabama State University.” 

Ten years later, the 27-year-old Birmingham native has stuck to his word. After completing his Bachelor of Arts, then moving to Sacramento, California, as a B Street Theatre cast member, McCall has returned home. 

He will star as Sebastian in Red Mountain Theatre’s upcoming production of “The Little Mermaid” running July 8-31. This will be McCall’s fourth role in a Red Mountain Theatre production since he moved back to Birmingham in 2011. His previous roles include the starring role of high-school-football-player-turned-band-nerd Jake in “Band Geeks,” the royal gatekeeper in “The Wiz” and detective Eddie Souther in “Sister Act.”

Though he said he has enjoyed all his roles at Red Mountain Theatre, McCall said he is especially excited to perform as Sebastian because he will have the opportunity to sing, dance and act.  

“I think Sebastian is different because now he gets to expose everyone to all my talents,” he said. “I think Sebastian brings it all together. I wouldn’t say I am, but I would say that Sebastian is going to be one talented guy.” 

McCall originally auditioned for the role of King Triton, but was turned down because he didn’t look old enough. He was later called back to read for Sebastian. 

“It was a role that I really didn’t think about playing, but once, in that audition, they gave me [a] piece to sing, I kind of fell in love with it,” he said. 

In fact, McCall said the role suits him much better than he could have anticipated, describing himself as silly, playful, loyal to his friends and a protector to his family. As comic relief, Sebastian mirrors many of those traits as being loyal to King Triton and a protector to Ariel. 

Since rehearsals started June 14, McCall has been in full-on Sebastian mode six days a week, with five-hour rehearsals on weekdays and eight-hour days over the weekends. 

To help prepare for the role, McCall said he plans to watch “The Little Mermaid” movie a number of times to get a feel for how Sebastian sings, moves and interacts. He said his wife, who is a big fan of the movie, will be involved in his preparation. And as he hones Sebastian’s accent over the next couple of months, he’s hoping for some patience from his wife. 

“After a while, she gives me that side eye like ‘Please, shut up,’” he said. “But she really enjoyed ‘The Little Mermaid’ as a kid, so hopefully she’ll just sing with me, and we’ll have karaoke.”

His wife and high school sweetheart, Denika, is one of the biggest supporters of his acting and the reason McCall started acting in Birmingham, he said. After growing up in Ensley, he moved to Center Point during high school. After attending Alabama State University, McCall said he was ready for a change when he moved to Sacramento to intern with the B Street Theatre. There was only one thing holding him back. 

“I was actually engaged when I moved to California,” he said. “So of course I had to come back and get married.” 

After getting married and taking a year off from acting, McCall traveled to Atlanta to perform as Theophilus in Lolita Snipes’ production of “Good God A’Mighty” and as Angel-o in Robin Givens’ production of “Joy in the Morning.” Eventually he found his way back to Birmingham. 

“It came to me that I was trying to figure our where I could share my talents outside of Birmingham, but I was like ‘Why not share it with your own people and your own city?’” he said. 

Though McCall has been acting primarily in stage productions since his mother first took him to an audition when he was 12, his interest in entertainment doesn’t stop with theater. He also is interested in all aspects of film, television, music and modeling.  McCall recently landed the role of a featured sideline player in “Woodlawn,” and said he hopes to one day perform R&B, soul or life music. One of his long-term goals is to win an Oscar, Tony and Grammy.

However, McCall said his biggest goal is to be successful in his own way and help others through his talent.   

“I always tell people that when I do a show, if I make one person happy, that’s good enough for me,” he said. “As long as that one person received something great or inspiring, I think I did my job.”

The Little Mermaid presented by Red Mountain Theatre

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