Entertainment Spotlight: Brandon Kyle Goodman
Brandon Kyle Goodman can currently be seen playing Deco in Netflix’s Feel the Beat, which follows a failed actress returning to her small hometown, who is roped into training a misfit group of young dancers for a big competition. Other acting credits include eager father-to-be Andy in Amazon’s Modern Love, as well as roles in People Just Do Nothing, Alive in Denver, Plus One, and Papi Chulo. Aside from acting, Brandon has found success as a writer for Netflix’s animated comedy series Big Mouth, which is set to return to Netflix in 2020 after an unprecedented three-season renewal. As a proud gay Black person, Brandon has recently emerged as a staunch advocate for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, actively speaking out against the injustices plaguing the African American community. He encourages his followers to donate to The Innocence Project, The Bail Project, NAACP, and Black Lives Matter.
What drew you to the role of brave, outspokenly queer Deco in Feel the Beat?
What drew me to the role was Deco’s fearlessness, as well as the movie’s choice to not center Deco’s story around his identity. He was allowed to be unapologetically queer without taking on an oppression-based narrative.
You are in the writing team for Netflix’s hugely successful Big Mouth. Can you tell us about how you got there and what it’s like writing for an animated series?
I was fortunate that the creators of Big Mouth considered reading a script of mine. We met a couple of times and discussed my experiences to determine if the writers’ room was the right fit. Thankfully it was and continues to be. Writing on an animated series like Big Mouth is truly a dream. It forces me to expand my imagination in a way live action doesn’t, while also strengthening my ability to tell impactful stories in new and exciting ways.
What inspired you to enter into the creative industries, and which came first for you—acting or writing?
I grew up with a minster for a grandmother and an actress for a mother, so creativity was ever-present in our household. More specifically, I watched two very talented women write for themselves. They blessed me with that tool. Even though I professionally started as an actor, as a middle schooler, my first love was writing. Acting soon followed. I’ve been fortunate to have many moments where they get to be linked together, and honestly, there’s nothing better.
You use your platforms to speak up and share your experiences as a Black person in America. Can you tell us a bit about how the response has been?
The response has been overwhelming and bittersweet. On the one hand, as a human being, there’s nothing better than feeling heard and seen. On the other hand, as a Black human being, it’s painful that it’s taken this long to be heard and seen, and quite honestly, there are a lot of people pretending they hear and see us. I choose to keep my focus and attention on the ones that really do—the people really doing the work and striving to do better, be better, and fix this abhorrent mess of a system.
In what ways does your activism influence your creative work?
My sheer presence on stage or on camera is activism. I’m Black and openly queer in an industry that doesn’t value Blackness or queerness, and especially not Black queerness. I pick my roles based not just on what I want to do but also on whether the role will be a portrayal that will amplify, elevate, and expand representation, or whether it’s a caricature. More times than not, it’s the latter, and those roles I turn down. Whenever I write, I write for myself and people like me. I write Black characters, POC characters, and, more specifically, Black queer characters, and I do it as fully as possible. I want to be seen as a full person, not just an accessory to the white lead. My activism is my creative work.
Which activists currently inspire you, and why?
There are so many, and they all inspire me for the same reason. They’re bold, they’re vulnerable, they’re smart, and they are committed to the amplification, elevation, protection, and equity of Black people: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, Sonya Renee Taylor, Tamika D. Mallory, Ashlee Marie Preston, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Mila Jam, Tiffany Dena Loftin, Yves, and Kendrick Sampson, to name a few.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get involved with advocacy but doesn’t know where to start?
Start in your community. Start at your place of work, your apartment building, your local businesses. Take it day by day. This is a lifelong commitment to life long change. It’s not going to get done in a day, a month, a summer, or a year. So, if you feel like you have to do everything, you’ll find yourself stuck and not making any change. But start with the three things you can commit to working on this month. If you’re feeling ambitious, maybe it’s this week. Remember, in addition to the protests, donations, petitions, phone calls, there are internal things you need to do. What are you reading? What are you watching? What POVs are you exposing yourself to? It all counts.
On the subject of advice, do you have any for young queer Black folx who want to get into acting/writing in America today?
My first bit of advice is to get into it! We need you. We need your voice, we need your experience, we need you to take up space in these creative spaces. My second bit of advice is to be yourself. Work towards showing up fully wherever you go. Obviously, depending on where you are, there are things you have to do to maintain your safety. Your safety is important. But how do you show up in your mind? Are you free in your mind, in your soul? Are you fully yourself in your spirit? Get to know yourself every day, it will make you a stronger actor and writer. It will bring an unmatched authenticity to your work.
What would you change about the industry if you could?
I would change the white supremacist system of doing things. I would change the value we place in whiteness as the ideal. I would change the lack of inclusion on screen and behind the scenes. I would change the all-white executive suites that think they’re diverse because they have a singular person of color on their team. I would eradicate the violent grip on the keys to “the gate”. I would create systems that mentored and shepherded new talent, especially Black, POC, and queer talent—especially from places outside of LA and NY. I would find ways to empower more artists having the ability to create and share their work in a global way. I would ensure that Blackness was valued and treated with the respect, reverence, and honor that it deserves.
Describe each of the following in one word: Who you are, what you value the most, and what you’d be if you were a food item.
Brandon.
Spirit.
Mac & cheese.
Thanks for taking the time, Brandon! Feel the Beat is now streaming on Netflix.
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