5 Questions for Clifton Powell

Actor Clifton Powell stopped by theGrio for our latest series, “5 Questions with…”, where we chat one-on-one with the largest trendsetters. The Washington, D.C., native discussed his upcoming film “Final Hour,” how he prepares for different roles, who he enjoys working with most, and more. For example, how does an actor prepare for different roles? Powell says, “To be a respected actor, you really have to train.”

With roles because the infamous Pinky in Next Friday and The Friday After Next, Cutty in Dead Presidents and Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Lord, Selma, Powell has taken on a variety of roles in these and plenty of other movies, including detectives, FBI agents, a former drug addict and now a jail warden within the upcoming film The Last Hour.

The film follows the ultimate hour of a death row inmate who has an unexpected connection to the priest administering last rites. Powell takes his craft seriously. “I put in as much time as Robert De Niro and Al Pacino… I’m a trained actor, I have voice, diction, and I build characters, and that’s all part of my training.”

“Final Hour” will premiere on the film festival this fall. For more information, go to the film website. Watch the total interview with Powell above, and visit theGrio.com for more “5 Questions With…”