A cup of tea with Brian Tyree Henry

Taken from the summer 25 print issue of THE FACE. Get your copy here.

Brian Tyree Henry has had a career most actors would dream of. Across television (Atlanta), film (If Beale Street Could Talk), theatre (the original Broadway cast of The Book of Mormon) and animation (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), his performances have consistently offered something deeper: raw, magnetic, emotionally lived-in. From his Emmy-nominated turn as Alfred ​“Paper Boi” Miles in Donald Glover’s beloved FX series, to the burdened parolee in Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel, to literally voicing Spider-Man’s dad, Henry brings vulnerability and presence in equal measure.

In Dope Thief, his latest TV project, the North Carolina native, who recently turned 43 (happy birthday), steps into one of his most intense roles yet. He plays Ray, a down-and-out addict in Philadelphia who, with his friend, poses as a Drug Enforcement Administration agent to rob dealers of their stashes. It’s the kind of character that could easily fall into stereotype. But with Henry, he becomes more human. Flawed, but real.

Henry – who recently lost almost 40kg in weight – is currently in the UK filming Panic Carefully, a thriller with a starry ensemble that also includes Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Olsen and Eddie Redmayne. Between takes, and as the first series of Dope Thief drew to a close on Apple TV+ – his experience on the show bookended by the loss of his father just before production began – he carved out time for a conversation at the Regency Cafe, an old-school, no-frills London institution with checkered floors, laminated tables and killer fry-ups.

Hello Brian! Have you ever had a Full English before?

Yeah. I’m not a beans-in-the-morning kind of guy. I don’t like hot tomatoes, either, but everything else I fuck with. Give me the sausage, give me the scramble – scrambled hard, though. Sometimes [the eggs are] a little softer than I care for. I don’t like the black pudding, either. I guess I don’t really fuck with an English breakfast. I will do a cuppa, though.

Has your health journey changed the way you approach entering a character’s physicality?

I started the journey around the third or fourth season of Atlanta. I remember talking to Donald about how that would affect Alfred, as he doesn’t drink that much or smoke cigarettes or anything like that. I just felt like it was a natural progression. I was dealing with fame and being a public figure and, with such gratitude, Donald put it in the show.

Then I go from that to [this] show about a guy doing meth and dealing with all sorts of addiction problems. But I felt like I could relate and didn’t have to pass judgement on his struggle, because I’d been there and understood it. It does affect you, though. If you’ve spent your whole life doing things that are quite hazardous to your body and you start living a healthier life, you feel it, and it changes you.

Was there anything in particular that sparked you to get healthier?

Grief, and being conscious [of his increasing profile]. One day, I’m a regular person having a fry up and the next day, everybody knows where I’m having a fry up. You have to be aware and know that people are watching you. It’s all love, everyone that has approached me has been full of love, but you can’t help but be changed by that.

At the same time, I’m getting older and it’s a different stage of my life. My birthday is on Monday, I’m another year older and I’m still here, and I’ve lost a lot of people along the way. You need to be able to show your grief, too. There are not a lot of places that allow Black and Brown people to show themselves dealing with agony or grief – we’ve either gotta be funny or hard. I wanted to make sure I was bringing authenticity to what I’ve been through.

Ray in Dope Thief is flawed and unlikeable, but in the end you really feel for him.

That’s the goal. He’s a product of a system that told him he wouldn’t be anything and he’s just trying to survive. He sucks at what he’s doing and that’s what’s so humbling and childlike. He’s really terrible, but he’s doing everything he can to take care of everyone around him. I believe he believes he’s doing the right thing. But we all know a Ray. We all have somebody like that who we care about and love.

Ray and his dad [played by Ving Rhames] have a brutal relationship, and you lost your own dad right before filming. How did that affect you?

I had no clue that my father was gonna die. I had no clue that the emotions and feelings would [take] root the way they did, but that’s a part of the job. There’s nowhere to hide, there’s a camera on you capturing every single thing. [Filming] doesn’t really take time for grief. You have to use it and let it move through you the way that it does – that’s just how grief is. You never know what’s gonna set it off – a smell, a touch, a lack thereof…

Then there’s the fact that Dope Thief is an intense show that must have been intense to make…

My job is to tell the truth and be honest about what this character is. But because we created such a good support system with each other, from crew to cast, everyone had my back. Everyone made sure that I wasn’t pushing myself too far. In this show I’m being shot at, I’m fighting for my life, I’m losing people left and right. The body doesn’t know that it’s fake, so the adrenaline and emotional drive is there. But I have to think about what my life is like now without my parents.

Here I am as an orphan in my forties trying to figure out how to be a better man. I had to confront it and be honest with myself [because] I’m a terrible fucking liar. If you commit a crime, don’t call me on the stand for you, I will fuck it up. I didn’t want to lie through the character of Ray.

What do you draw from when you’re acting?

To be an actor, you have to go through shit. How can I talk to you about heartbreak if I haven’t experienced love? How can I talk to you about joy if I haven’t shared my deepest pains? It’s all about putting your feet on the ground and being present. There are some people who get joy out of opening up a vein and sharing that with people. I’m not one of those people. When cut is called, I cut. I’m playing music, joking, sharing candy… I don’t take any joy out of living in the pain of a character.

Even right now, I’m talking to you and my entire body is in pain because I’ve been fighting for my life. That’s been my M.O. lately. I don’t relish bringing my personal pain to set. No one person is bigger than the show, I’ve gotta be present. Having your pain as a source is cool, but laying it on the table is not how I operate.

What’s the soundtrack when you’re on set?

This morning, on the way over here, I was listening to some Duckwrth. Then I turned around and listened to some Kendrick. Then I turned around and listened to some Clairo. Then I turned around and listened to some Faye Webster. And then I turned around and listened to some Alex Isley. It’s spring now, I’m driving here with the sun and the blossom is out. No matter how much I’m aching, music will reset me.

In this movie I’m shooting now, I play a federal agent trying to save the world. So, yeah, I’m gonna play Knuck If You Buck [by Crime Mob], I’m gonna play some Cardi B. That’s the great thing about music: it affects people. I want people to hear me on set before they see me. I’m setting a vibe.

Do you still like the stage?

Absolutely. That’s one of the great things about London, man. It’s my dream to do a play in London. Wake up in the afternoon and walk to the theatre and rehearse. Theatre fills a space in you that is unlike anything else, because it’s so alive. When that curtain comes up, there are 400 to 1,000 people watching you. They’ve agreed to come in communion. We come in and sit down, we’re next to strangers…It’s the same at the movies, but live theatre, it’s a different thing. Viscerally, it’s like a drug, it fills you. I think that theatre breeds better actors and people. I love it, man.

Are you gonna catch The Book of Mormon while you’re in London?

No. I’ve done it, I’ve been there, I did it, I originated it. I’m so grateful to the kids who are still doing it. I’m grateful to the brother that stepped into my part and is owning it. I hope he’s doing me proud, but I ain’t gotta relive it. I try not to look back. Once it’s done, it’s done.

I don’t watch any of my old films, either. I was there every day. I know what y’all didn’t see. I know what isn’t in the edit. I know what it’s like to get up early in the morning and put on a wig and be British and fight on a train [in 2022’s Bullet Train]. If I’m too busy focusing on what I’ve already done, I’m not focusing on what’s coming ahead. I’m just proud that they exist.

You went from studying business at uni in Atlanta to being a drama student at Yale. When did you realise that drama was your calling?

I never wanted to be a business major, that was [just] what was available… I may not know what I’m supposed to do, but I know what I’m not supposed to do. I read this astrology book a long time ago, I think it’s called The Book of Birthdays [it’s The Secret Language of Birthdays], and for my specific day the motto was ​“quitting isn’t always the worst thing”. If it doesn’t serve me, I have no problem quitting.

I would be sitting in this [college] class reading books, not paying any attention, and then I got invited to audition for a play. I looked at the professor and was like: ​“I’m out.” If there’s anything I’ve learned in my 43 years, it’s that life is really short. You hear it all the time, but that shit is really, really real. I owe it to myself, I owe it to my past self. I owe it to my 14-year-old self. I owe it to all these versions of me to keep going. By existing, I hope I’m recalibrating how people see characters, how they see different personalities, how they see storytelling. I still can’t believe I’m a superhero [in Marvel’s Eternals].

What do you hope viewers learn or discover from Dope Thief?

I don’t think you have to learn or discover anything. It’s just a show that exists to make you laugh and put you on the edge of your seat. It’s high-octane, it’s action, it’s loud. It’s an hour for you to sit down and watch this thriller of people making all the wrong choices, so you can look back at your life and realise you’re not doing so bad. I also want you to care about these guys. I don’t think there’s a deeper message.

And next?

Rest. It’s time to sit my ass down for a bit. I’m about to jump back into animation [in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, due for release in 2027] and I wanna rest and kick my feet up [before it starts]. Hopefully, [I get cast in] a fucking romance too, man. I want to be loved on screen.