Volume 1, Issue 3 |
| IRONE SINGLETON |
The Blind Side’s, IronE Singleton, showed us all that he is worthy of the title “Great Actor.” His on-
screen performance with Sandra Bullock, helped ‘The Blind Side’ become one of the Top 10 films at
the Box Office in 2009. IronE’s performance helped the movie gross roughly $235Million
Domestically placing it in elite company next to films such as Avatar, Star Trek, Transformers
Revenge of the Fallen, and The Hangover.
I Am Entertainment Magazine sat down with IronE and learned his inspirational story; one that even
caused Sandra Bullock to applaud his ability to focus and overcome.
IAE: Can you please tell us where you’re from and what it was like growing up there?
IronE: Well, I’m from Atlanta. I spent the first 18 years of my life in two of Atlanta’s worst housing projects. My
mother succumbed to HIV/AIDS when I was a senior in high school, and I’ve only seen my father twice in my
entire life. Funny thing is, he actually contacted me 3 years ago when he saw me on television [laughs]. I grew
up in a home where there were drug dealers, pimps, and the list goes on. I ran the streets, sold drugs, and
carried a pistol, so I was truly a product of my environment. I believe God speaks to us through our
“conscience” so that we don’t make certain decisions, and it’s up to us to listen. Many times I listened, and
sometimes I didn’t, but I wouldn’t be the man I am today had I not experienced those things. It was only by the
grace of God that I didn’t end up a statistic like some of my friends and family members, who are either dead or
in prison. When I was 8, I would visit my father’s parents and they lived in the suburbs. Unlike the projects, the
trash was picked up daily, the grass was cut, and the air was clean. Totally different from where I lived. We
stayed across the street from the city dump, so all I smelled was trash. It was at that time that I realized, life
wasn’t supposed to be like that. All of the negative things in my surroundings growing up taught me what not to
do as an adult. I’m the first of my family to go to college.
IAE: What college(s) did you attend and what was your major?
IronE: I initially attended Kentucky State University because the coach there sold me some dreams and had
me thinking I had a sports scholarship, but I really didn’t. So I ended up getting an academic scholarship
instead because I maintained a 3.7 GPA while at KSU. I worked extremely hard and studied because college
was my “out,” it was my way of ensuring that I didn’t have to ever live in the projects again. Ultimately, I
transferred out of Kentucky State University to the University of Georgia, where I played four years of college
football. I found out while talking to the coaches at UGA that there was a Theatre program, which was
something I was interested in. So while at UGA I ended up being the President of the Black Theatrical
Ensemble and performing in a number of shows. In my last year at UGA, I picked up another major in Speech
Communications; so I graduated with a dual degree.
IAE: So how did you get your start in acting?
IronE: After graduating college, I went on the road for 16 weeks with a stage play called “Sugar Daddy,” that
had a number of recognizable faces and names in it. We had been invited by Prince to come to one of his
parties, we had press conferences, and all kinds of things like that, so I thought things were really going to
take off for me. But after the road show ended in 2000 nothing was going on, so I visited LA in 2001 to “get my
feet wet” so-to-speak. I had a few friends out there, who I met on the set of ‘Remember the Titans,’ so I stayed
with them. I had one audition in the 3 months I was in LA. The audition I’m speaking of was a “cattle call”
audition where I stood in line for 7 hours on a Friday. So I got to the front of the line and they said, “Okay, we’
re shutting it down for the day, you’ll have to come back on Monday” [laughs]. I showed up the following
Monday and stood in line another 3 hours, and ended up getting a callback because of my audition. I was told
that people don’t normally get callbacks from cattle call auditions, but nonetheless, here I was on the lot of
ABC studios reading for a part on the show ‘Spin City.’ That didn’t pan out, but I had to remain persistent
because I wasn’t going to allow my family to experience what I went through growing up.
IAE: How instrumental has your agent been in your overall success in the business?
IronE: They’ve been awesome! I spent 10 years trying to get an agent. I finally got an agent in December
2008, and by February 2009 I got the audition for ‘The Blind Side,’ and it’s just been all downhill from there.
Houghton Talent Agency has truly been a blessing in my career.
IAE: You played the character “Alton” in ‘The Blind Side.’ What was it like working on that project
and how has that film led to more opportunities for you?
IronE: Yes, playing ‘Alton’ was great. I was able to tap into my past, and pull some things that helped me
become that character. The cast and crew were great though. I networked while I was on the set of ‘The Blind
Side,’ which led to me getting some key people to notice me. But, I’m not one who gets star struck so I wasn’t
really targeting people like “Oh, he looks like someone who’s big in the industry, let me go talk to him.” So I
said, “Let me establish a connection with some of the people here,” because in some way we’re all connected
through our different life experiences and I was going to be working with them anyway. Within an hour of being
on the set, I had already met the entire cast and some of the crew. Just-so-happened that I ended up talking to
Broderick Johnson, who is one of the producers of the film and also the founder of Alcon Entertainment, and
he told me they were doing ‘Book of Eli’ with Denzel Washington as well as a film called ‘Lottery Ticket’ with Ice
Cube. He said they had me in mind for a role in ‘Lottery Ticket,’ and so I was excited at that point, because all
the stuff I had gone through in life led me to this moment. The casting directors, Fincannon & Associates, also
have cast me in a number of films and TV shows. I am now shooting the film, ‘The Hungry Rabbit Jumps,’ as
the character ‘Scar,’ next to Nicolas Cage, Guy Pearce, and January Jones. This is truly an exciting time for me.
IAE: If you could change anything about this business, what would it be and why?
IronE: Peoples’ motives; their reasons for doing this. We’re all artists, but sometimes people get so caught up
in the bright lights of the business that, somewhere along the way they lose focus of what their real reason for
getting into the business was. I believe that God created us all in His image and likeness so we all have a
specific purpose. So as actors we need to understand that we’re placed in a unique position to make a positive
contribution to society. We have to understand that it’s not just about making money, it’s about entertaining
people but in the process moving them toward positive change. The money will come, and it’ll really come.
Take ‘The Blind Side’ for example. John Lee Hancock, the director [written by Michael Lewis] wanted to tell a
story that was about family, love, and helping your fellow man or woman; just helping someone from a different
neighborhood who you don’t even know. People identified with that because I think we all long to have a
positive connection with other people. In turn, people gravitated toward that, and that’s why the movie has
made $235Million so far. So when you do things for the right reasons and you put something positive out
there, and you’re not just doing it for the money, then the money will automatically come to you. In the movie
‘Crash’ Don Cheadle said something to the effect that we’re all longing to be close to somebody, but we end
up just crashing into each other because of all the negative influences around us. So if we can make more
movies like ‘The Blind Side,’ and stop pumping out so much negativity, it might bring about that positive
change that’s needed in the business.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON IRONE SINGLETON PLEASE VISIT: www.IronESingleton.com
screen performance with Sandra Bullock, helped ‘The Blind Side’ become one of the Top 10 films at
the Box Office in 2009. IronE’s performance helped the movie gross roughly $235Million
Domestically placing it in elite company next to films such as Avatar, Star Trek, Transformers
Revenge of the Fallen, and The Hangover.
I Am Entertainment Magazine sat down with IronE and learned his inspirational story; one that even
caused Sandra Bullock to applaud his ability to focus and overcome.
IAE: Can you please tell us where you’re from and what it was like growing up there?
IronE: Well, I’m from Atlanta. I spent the first 18 years of my life in two of Atlanta’s worst housing projects. My
mother succumbed to HIV/AIDS when I was a senior in high school, and I’ve only seen my father twice in my
entire life. Funny thing is, he actually contacted me 3 years ago when he saw me on television [laughs]. I grew
up in a home where there were drug dealers, pimps, and the list goes on. I ran the streets, sold drugs, and
carried a pistol, so I was truly a product of my environment. I believe God speaks to us through our
“conscience” so that we don’t make certain decisions, and it’s up to us to listen. Many times I listened, and
sometimes I didn’t, but I wouldn’t be the man I am today had I not experienced those things. It was only by the
grace of God that I didn’t end up a statistic like some of my friends and family members, who are either dead or
in prison. When I was 8, I would visit my father’s parents and they lived in the suburbs. Unlike the projects, the
trash was picked up daily, the grass was cut, and the air was clean. Totally different from where I lived. We
stayed across the street from the city dump, so all I smelled was trash. It was at that time that I realized, life
wasn’t supposed to be like that. All of the negative things in my surroundings growing up taught me what not to
do as an adult. I’m the first of my family to go to college.
IAE: What college(s) did you attend and what was your major?
IronE: I initially attended Kentucky State University because the coach there sold me some dreams and had
me thinking I had a sports scholarship, but I really didn’t. So I ended up getting an academic scholarship
instead because I maintained a 3.7 GPA while at KSU. I worked extremely hard and studied because college
was my “out,” it was my way of ensuring that I didn’t have to ever live in the projects again. Ultimately, I
transferred out of Kentucky State University to the University of Georgia, where I played four years of college
football. I found out while talking to the coaches at UGA that there was a Theatre program, which was
something I was interested in. So while at UGA I ended up being the President of the Black Theatrical
Ensemble and performing in a number of shows. In my last year at UGA, I picked up another major in Speech
Communications; so I graduated with a dual degree.
IAE: So how did you get your start in acting?
IronE: After graduating college, I went on the road for 16 weeks with a stage play called “Sugar Daddy,” that
had a number of recognizable faces and names in it. We had been invited by Prince to come to one of his
parties, we had press conferences, and all kinds of things like that, so I thought things were really going to
take off for me. But after the road show ended in 2000 nothing was going on, so I visited LA in 2001 to “get my
feet wet” so-to-speak. I had a few friends out there, who I met on the set of ‘Remember the Titans,’ so I stayed
with them. I had one audition in the 3 months I was in LA. The audition I’m speaking of was a “cattle call”
audition where I stood in line for 7 hours on a Friday. So I got to the front of the line and they said, “Okay, we’
re shutting it down for the day, you’ll have to come back on Monday” [laughs]. I showed up the following
Monday and stood in line another 3 hours, and ended up getting a callback because of my audition. I was told
that people don’t normally get callbacks from cattle call auditions, but nonetheless, here I was on the lot of
ABC studios reading for a part on the show ‘Spin City.’ That didn’t pan out, but I had to remain persistent
because I wasn’t going to allow my family to experience what I went through growing up.
IAE: How instrumental has your agent been in your overall success in the business?
IronE: They’ve been awesome! I spent 10 years trying to get an agent. I finally got an agent in December
2008, and by February 2009 I got the audition for ‘The Blind Side,’ and it’s just been all downhill from there.
Houghton Talent Agency has truly been a blessing in my career.
IAE: You played the character “Alton” in ‘The Blind Side.’ What was it like working on that project
and how has that film led to more opportunities for you?
IronE: Yes, playing ‘Alton’ was great. I was able to tap into my past, and pull some things that helped me
become that character. The cast and crew were great though. I networked while I was on the set of ‘The Blind
Side,’ which led to me getting some key people to notice me. But, I’m not one who gets star struck so I wasn’t
really targeting people like “Oh, he looks like someone who’s big in the industry, let me go talk to him.” So I
said, “Let me establish a connection with some of the people here,” because in some way we’re all connected
through our different life experiences and I was going to be working with them anyway. Within an hour of being
on the set, I had already met the entire cast and some of the crew. Just-so-happened that I ended up talking to
Broderick Johnson, who is one of the producers of the film and also the founder of Alcon Entertainment, and
he told me they were doing ‘Book of Eli’ with Denzel Washington as well as a film called ‘Lottery Ticket’ with Ice
Cube. He said they had me in mind for a role in ‘Lottery Ticket,’ and so I was excited at that point, because all
the stuff I had gone through in life led me to this moment. The casting directors, Fincannon & Associates, also
have cast me in a number of films and TV shows. I am now shooting the film, ‘The Hungry Rabbit Jumps,’ as
the character ‘Scar,’ next to Nicolas Cage, Guy Pearce, and January Jones. This is truly an exciting time for me.
IAE: If you could change anything about this business, what would it be and why?
IronE: Peoples’ motives; their reasons for doing this. We’re all artists, but sometimes people get so caught up
in the bright lights of the business that, somewhere along the way they lose focus of what their real reason for
getting into the business was. I believe that God created us all in His image and likeness so we all have a
specific purpose. So as actors we need to understand that we’re placed in a unique position to make a positive
contribution to society. We have to understand that it’s not just about making money, it’s about entertaining
people but in the process moving them toward positive change. The money will come, and it’ll really come.
Take ‘The Blind Side’ for example. John Lee Hancock, the director [written by Michael Lewis] wanted to tell a
story that was about family, love, and helping your fellow man or woman; just helping someone from a different
neighborhood who you don’t even know. People identified with that because I think we all long to have a
positive connection with other people. In turn, people gravitated toward that, and that’s why the movie has
made $235Million so far. So when you do things for the right reasons and you put something positive out
there, and you’re not just doing it for the money, then the money will automatically come to you. In the movie
‘Crash’ Don Cheadle said something to the effect that we’re all longing to be close to somebody, but we end
up just crashing into each other because of all the negative influences around us. So if we can make more
movies like ‘The Blind Side,’ and stop pumping out so much negativity, it might bring about that positive
change that’s needed in the business.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON IRONE SINGLETON PLEASE VISIT: www.IronESingleton.com
| The Blind Side's, IronE Singleton, Is Making All The Right Moves |
Copyright © 2009-2011 I Am Entertainment Magazine, a publication of NFluential Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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