Clifton Powell has had roles in blockbuster films and cult classics like Dead Presidents, Menace II Society, and Next Friday.
But the veteran actor says he was once dumped by a top Hollywood agent for accepting parts in Black films.
Powell, 69, recently sat down for an interview with “The Art of Dialogue” YouTube channel about his career and he got very real about Hollywood.
Related: Lena Waithe Questions Why Black Movie Stars Don’t Finance Black Films
Even after appearing in blockbusters like Rush Hour and Norbit, Powell said he has no problem accepting roles in low-budget Black movies.
“I just do what I like, and if I like it, I’ll do it,” he explained. “When you’re struggling and you finally make it, you gotta go in and get $10,000 for two days, or I’ll get $10,000 a day. That’s good money.”
That’s really good money, but far from top dollar in Hollywood.
As an example, a 2013 article in The Hollywood Reporter said Bruce Willis was offered $3 million for four days of work on Expendables 3. He ultimately moved on after producers refused to pay him more money.
Powell said the difference is he’s a working actor, not a movie star.
“I’m not Denzel Washington, I made it to the middle,” he explained. “I’m a character actor. I’m not a movie star. Movie stars open movies. I don’t open movies.”
Powell said he has an agent and a manager. They let him know about new opportunities. He also pays a “street dude” named Keith, who looks out for Black projects and acts as a middle man with creatives and casting directors.
“I never want to get to a place where my people can’t reach me, so I keep Keith in the middle,” he explained.
Powell joked that he follows advice he once received from his Oscar-winning Ray co-star, Jamie Foxx.
“He said, ‘Clif Powell, keep one foot in ni—.’ That means keep one foot with your people and I’m always going to be with the people, because African Americans and young white kids, young Asians, Latinos, and women have made me a household name. I am a working actor.”
Powell said that’s why his “street dude” Keith is so important, because sometimes agents and managers dismiss projects they think are beneath their clients.
That’s apparently what happened around the time he did Ray.
A then up-and-coming Black producer named Will Packer offered Powell a part in a movie musical called The Gospel (2005).
“I got $30,000. My agent at the time, and I’ll say his name. His name was Jeff Witjas at APA. He called me and said, ‘You’re doing another one of those little Black movies?’ I said, ‘You’re damn right. I got a family to feed and hung up the telephone on his ass and they let me go,” Powell stated.
He added, “What people don’t understand, when you’re with APA, Innovative, ICM, William Morris, you’ve got to bring in $500 [thousand] to $1 million a year just to stay there. It’s all money and they can’t make money if you don’t cross over,” he said. “I’ve crossed over just a bit.”
APA or Agency for the Performing Arts is a major player in Hollywood and Witjas is a legend. For years, he represented Betty White and Jason Momoa. Urban Hollywood 411 contacted Witjas for comment, however, we were told he is currently out of the country.
Will Packer is now a big deal too, with credits including Girls Trip, Little, The Photograph, and the award-winning 2024 limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.
“Will Packer just hired me in Fight Night, the number one movie in Peacock history!” Powell said.
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
