Messiah Harris, T.I.'s son, talks about first film 'Sons 2 the Grave'

To date, 15-year-old Messiah Harris is best known as rapper T.I.'s son. But that's set to change when his debut film, Sons 2 the Grave, is released. The role marking his first acting credit was written into the film specifically for him by producers Lynne Stoltz, Sasha Stoltz and Mykelti Williamson, of Have Faith Productions.

Harris, the oldest of T.I.'s six kids, is no stranger to the camera, as the family has been involved in two reality shows, most recently T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle, about the life of T.I. and his wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle. But in Sons 2 the Grave, Harris starts his own potential entertainment career by portraying Jermaine, the character who "hangs on to innocence and honesty in a world where it's not easy to do so," according to a description from producers.

The film, shot in the downtown area of Harris's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, is about the murder of an 18-year-old basketball phenom Marcus Jennings one night as he crosses a bridge between two very different areas of town (one upper class, one lower). The film explores how the fact that Jenning's friends didn't speak up, because of fear their environment instills in them, gave power to the killer. As the producers noted of the theme, "whatever neighborhood we live in, we are our brothers' keeper and have a responsibility to that and the choices we make have consequences... the writer wanted people to understand what happens in bad neighborhoods even if it's not easy to watch."

Producer Lynne Stoltz said that Harris "quietly slipped into the role" of the innocent one of the bunch. Stoltz said he was impressed by Harris's "honesty and good-natured temperature," and he and the others at Have Faith Productions plan on creating more roles for him in the future.

When TheCelebrityCafe had the opportunity to speak with Harris, he touched on what might be in store for his future. But he primarily spoke of the past and present: about Sons 2 the Grave and it being his debut, what life has been like for him in the real-life role of being the son of a famous rapper, and who he is as an individual.

TheCelebrityCafe: So this is your acting debut. How did it come about?

Messiah Harris: It all came together through email. I fit the profile of the character they wanted me to play. I showed up, I said a couple of lines. They decided to bring another character into the picture, one that they wrote out originally but decided to write back in for me because they thought I was perfect for that individual character and we made that work through that.

TCC: What made you want to act?

MH: Movies, I’ve been entertained by movies all my life. The thought of making money from doing something I enjoy watching, looks fun to me, was too good to be true. So I took some acting classes and put my name out there I took any options, I’m taking any options, any chances. Movies have just been a huge part of my life essentially, long story short.

TCC: Tell me a bit about the movie.

MH: I would say the message of Sons 2 the Grave is to watch who you accompany. Things can go from good to bad real quick, based on that company you have. That's what I got from it.

TCC: So it's about kids growing up in a rough neighborhood?

MH: Correct.

TCC: Tell me about your character.

MH: I play Jermaine. He’s the little brother of the big brother who isn’t handling his business with the bad guy in the story. Jermaine, he’s very quiet. He’s serious and he keeps to himself. It reminds me a lot of me. He seems very responsible for his brother even though he’s younger. I can see myself doing the same thing with mine — my siblings, my family.

TCC: How are you different from him?

MH: He’s a little too quiet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a very quiet reserved person but he seems very — there’s not a scene in the movie where he smiles once and I’m not that gloomy. He’s a little too serious for me.

TCC: For people who maybe can’t relate to the experience of the characters, what can they get out of the film?

MH: People that can’t really relate to the situation — because the movie takes place on one side of town. There’s ultimately two sides of towns, one side is the wealthier, the higher class part of town and the majority of the movie is shot in the lower class part of town. So I guess for people that can’t relate to it, and they don’t want to relate to it, they should know that there are ultimately people out there with much deeper, crazier, nerve-wracking problems than them. There’s a lot more going on in the world around them than they think.

TCC: When’s the movie due out?

MH: It’s not exactly out right now. There’s still very small adjustments being made. The editing team is still dealing with that stuff. I’m not exactly sure myself when it will be out.

TCC: Some of your cast members have a lot of acting experience. Did they give you any tips?

MH: They were all very helpful. Individually, they gave me tips but from them all together I learned that being on set doesn’t have to be serious. It doesn’t have to be not fun. Everybody was very jovial, they were all relaxed and cool, they made me want to relax and loosen up some. It was really fun, like being at lunch at school with a whole bunch of friends. It was a great experience.

TCC: How do you feel about this movie as your acting debut?

MH: I feel this was a great start. Jermaine, he’s, like I said, he’s a lot like me. I didn’t have to bend and flex my personality too much to fit his, his motives, his appearance and whatnot. So I felt this was a great start.

TCC: What else are you interested in or do you have going on?

MH: There’s a few things that I’m currently trying to work on getting into but as far as anything guaranteed, not right now. I’m still waiting for those calls.

TCC: Are you interested in music or fashion?

MH: I’m interested in a lot of things. I am interested in fashion — well, not really. I like going out in public, just show up and show out sometimes. I know I know what I’m doing, and everybody else will know what I’m doing too, so that’s always a good thing for me — as far as dressing well, make them look twice a couple times.

TCC: With your father being the musician he is have you felt pressure to get into music?

MH: No I wouldn’t say so. They ask me — some people ask me, but no real, nothing too serious. Right now I have people asking me other things — actually I don’t have a lot of people asking me anything, not really pressured into doing it.

TCC: How have you coped with the ups and downs of having such a public figure for a parent. Did people treat you differently growing up?

MH: Yeah you know, there’s always people that treat you different but I don’t pay too much mind of it. I know the type of attention I’d bring if I didn’t have such a popular role model in my life. I know what I’m worth and I know the kind of attention I will bring. They treat me differently but I don’t pay much attention to it.

TCC: Both your parents also do reality shows. How do you feel about that? Was it weird having your life chronicled on T.I. and Tiny?

MH: It wasn’t weird. It was actually very fun. We all did a lot of things we wouldn't normally do together, like we were going camping, going to Puerto Rico — we would have gone to Puerto Rico — but going camping, going to a NASCAR race and driving one of the cars. It’s one of the things we really enjoyed doing on the show — that we wouldn’t have done [otherwise].

TCC: How is life in a big family? Is it crowded?

MH: It can be when we all get together. It is rather crowded, but they’re a real joy to be around. You’re never alone, you always have someone to mess around with, somebody to play with, just chill with, so it’s not that bad at all.

TCC: What's your favorite music genre?

MH: I really enjoy a lot of music from a lot of different genres, but my favorite is hip hop.

TCC: Who's your favorite artist?

MH: Tupac Shakur.

TCC: Now I read you had a girlfriend at your 14th birthday party. Are you still dating?

MH: I did, I did. We aren’t currently, that’s not going on right now. I’m not trying to get in to any kind of relationships at the moment. I’d much rather get comfortable with life and my future first, then we can worry about the women. So no, not anymore.

TCC: Do you have any particular goals for the future, in terms of your acting career or other professional pursuits?

MH: I just want to make enough money to support my friends and family for years to come. That’s my big goal.

Image courtesy of Sasha Stoltz Publicity.