Tell us more about who you are and what you do?
I’m an actor, writer, producer and businessman. I’ve guest starred on many network shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Sistas, The Equalizer and others. I also have an awarding winning pilot F.A.M. that I wrote, produced and starred in. Most recently I’m known for my role as Officer Dickson in Tyler Perry’s Netflix thriller STRAW that’s currently #1.
What inspired your acting career?
Growing up in a quiet Ohio suburb my reward for good behavior was picking movies to watch from the TV guide. My mom would go down to our basement and put in the code for HBO and the cable channels and I would sit cross-legged and watch. I wanted to jump in the TV and live the many lives I saw. I never got over the feeling of wanting to be a part of entertainment. After getting my MBA and working in sales for GE I decided I couldn’t let another day go by so in my early 30’s I started acting.
Tell us more about your recent role in Straw and how that came about?
Yes, Officer Dickson is the right-hand man to the Chief of police played by Rockmond Dunbar. I help move the story along and as the drama unravels, I provide context and execute all the needs of the Chief.
On the day I found out that I booked the role I was booked on a horror film SCREAMBOAT in New York. It turned out the days overlapped so I had a conflict. The casting director Rhavynn Drummer reached out to me directly and said I should check with my team in NYC because this was going to be BIG. I’m beyond grateful for that call because I did meet with my team and we decided to request a time change for the current film and cut it short for me to do STRAW.
The timeline ended up so short that due to weather I had to leave NYC Sunday afternoon and drive through the night 14 hours to be on set at 8am in Atlanta. I was exhausted when I arrived but then I saw Teyana Taylor and Mr. Perry and suddenly it was all worth it.
Dreams come at a price and I’m willing to pay whatever that may be.
What did you enjoy most about being on the set of Straw?
Working with Tyler is like getting a PHD in acting. He shoots so fast and is willing to throw the script away and improv in the moment if something doesn’t work. I made sure never to leave his side because you never know when your scene will be up. I am literally in 3 additional scenes just because I was next to him and he would say DICKSON GET IN THERE. ME: You don’t have to tell me twice Mr. Perry!
What would you like viewers to take away from watching the movie?
Social economic issues sometimes by far exceed the other differences we have in America. One of the lines in the film are ‘PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS TO BE POOR.’ This is what people should take away. It’s a cycle that once you are in it, it’s difficult to get out of.
It’s like getting a boot on your car for unpaid parking tickets. Well how can someone pay for the boot if they didn’t have the money for the ticket. We should be kind to everyone because we never know what the hell they are going through.
Outside of acting, who is Anthony as a father?
Wow that’s a tough question. I would say that I struggle every day to be the best father I can be and the truth is I fail all the time; Say the wrong thing, give the wrong advice but I’m there. I make sure I answer every call possible and my daughter has all the tools needed to be successful. I had her when I was 21 so in a way we have dreamed together and she has been there for the entire journey. She recently graduated from NC A&T and she is now the same age as when I had her. That has given her a new perspective and provided me grace. When she was born her dad was a recent grad of 3 months out of UNC Charlotte and now I’m an MBA with a role on the biggest film on Netflix. A lot of that happened because of her. I’m the dad that shows up for graduation and the next week to help you move into your first apartment. The dad that changes jobs to ensure he has the means to ensure the lifestyle she deserves. The dad the doesn’t just tell her she can do anything but he shows it through actions and his own life.
How has your role as a father inspired your acting dreams even more?
If you want to start acting in your 30’s your family and parents are the last people to tell lol. However, tell your 11-year-old daughter and the response is ‘OK DAD THAT SOUNDS FUN. MAYBE YOU WILL GET TO MEET WILL SMITH. YOU CAN DO IT..YOU’RE SUPER DAD.’ See that’s a childlike dream and I have taken a childlike approach to acting. Why can’t it happen if other people are doing it? Why not me?
So being a dad has kept me young and I get to go play ‘make believe; on the biggest ‘sandlots’ in the world in LA/NYC/Atlanta.
How do you balance the role as a dad while also acting?
Balance isn’t the word I would say as much as priority. Even with my corporate career I ensure I answer every phone call even if I’m in the middle of a meeting. I need her to know I’m always there if she needs me. As it pertains to acting I let her know where I am and what’s going on so if I’m missing for the day she knows, Dad’s with Tyler Perry, and he’ll call me back when he gets to ‘holding.’
I dedicated my TV Pilot to her and it goes into our relationship and all I’ve learned from being a dad. F.A.M., my pilot, is about my family and has been a major launching point in my career. I made F.A.M. when I couldn’t ‘book a plane ticket’ as I like to say. It’s the first show I was on and it has been great to grow from there.
How do your kids respond to seeing you on tv?
It used to be a huge deal and we would have a countdown and everything. Now after NBC, BET, CBS it’s becoming more about, ok what’s the role dad? why did you say it like this? and so on. She did go to the local AMC to see my film SCREAMBOAT and take her friends while in college and that warmed my heart.
Define what legacy means to you?
Legacy is when everyone is sitting in the church and they hand out the program: what is it going to say? Hard working man, father, husband and friend? Sure. However, that’s 99% of the obituaries you see. My legacy will be that a black man deep into his corporate career at age 32 decided to go after his dream and he didn’t stop until the world was entertained by him. I want to be seen as an alchemist.
I want my grandkids’, grandkids to pull up their great great grandfather on Nickelodeon’s ‘YOUNG DYLAN’ and say to themselves, he was the first in the family to be an entertainer but he won’t be the last. I want my daughter to pull up F.A.M. long after I’m gone and watch it as my love letter to her so she never has to wonder what she means to me.
You see this often with actors or athletes. One parent makes it to the league and suddenly the family sees it is possible and they dream bigger. I want all the generations that come after me to know you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to. Just like Doc Brown said in my favorite movie ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE.’
Tell people what’s next for you, how they can follow you, etc?
As far as following me I’m @anthonye.williams on Instagram and Anthony E. Williams on IMDb.
I never truly know what’s next but I can tell you I want to keep entertaining the masses in an authentic way. STRAW currently has 25.3m views worldwide so you should be seeing more of Anthony E. Williams soon. As always, I’m one phone call away from the next big project. Just know when that phone rings I’ll be ready to answer. As my father always says, THERE IS NO LUCK, LUCK IS WHEN PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY.’ I’m doing all I can to stay prepared.
