
Andra Fuller Was 28 With Three Degrees Before Deciding To Start Over And Follow His Hollywood Dreams

Despite the temperature hitting the 80s in downtown L.A., the inside of The MacArther is a stark contrast to what's going on beyond the double doors. A massive Christmas tree stands in the center of the lobby flanked with Christmas decorations and cameramen and crew members move back and forth throughout the movie set.
I'm led up the grand staircase and dropped off at the make-up station where Andra Fuller, all smiles, is being made camera-ready. “Sorry about that, they told me I was supposed to go on at 3:30, but they needed me on set at 2:30," he says, hinting at the spontaneity that comes with being an actor.
I follow him across the room and behind a curtained area that serves as his dressing room, where he slides into a suit jacket, transforming from Andra to Edmund, his character in the upcoming TV One film, You Can't Fight Christmas. “I've always been a character," he tells me. And for some reason, I believe him.
Courtesy of Andra Fuller
Growing up in Houston, Texas as the youngest of three to a single-mom, Andra naturally gravitated towards being the center of attention. Friday nights turned into family gatherings where adults played rounds of pitty pat, while the kids became a source of entertainment. Andra, in particular, had a knack for impersonating Michael Jackson and some of his favorite comedians of the 90s.
“Do you remember this?" He says turning towards me and contorting his lips to expose his teeth. “Heeeeyyyyyy. For real though? I'll rock your world."
“Ah, Jamie Foxx," I chuckle, thinking about the actor and comedian and not the character.
“My name is Wanda, not Jamie," Andra corrects me, still in the tone of one of In Living Color's most memorable characters, and then returns to being Andra. “That was my go-to."
Though he would one day grace the stage of the Apollo, it was sports that kept him off the streets of his Acres Home community. In school, he was the class clown—he was smart but chose to focus more on the game than the classroom. But near perfect SAT scores and impressive stats on the field as an All-American athlete had Ivy League colleges calling. Following a coach from Notre Dame, he chose to stay in his home state and go to Baylor University, where he'd spend the next four years as a starter and business management major.
“Andra? Waiting for your downstairs," a voice calls from the other side of the curtain. I follow Andra into the middle of the room as he adjusts his tie in front of a full-length mirror and back down the grand staircases where he was shooting his next scene.
Andra Fuller as Fish in "Black Jesus."Courtesy Black Jesus
“He just walked in and didn't even say hey," jokes co-star Brely Evans. We're lounging on the steps with Richard Gantt (The Game) as Andra walks towards us after wrapping up his walk-by scene. He trades jokes with his cast members, assuring them that he spoke and that they were too busy ignoring him before we head back upstairs where he changes for his next scene.
“I've never done a Christmas movie," he says when I ask him what drew him to the script. “Hopefully if it's good enough, which it definitely has the potential, hopefully it will be one of those Christmas classics."
He pops a chocolate-covered raisin in his mouth and tells me about Edmund, a multi-dimensional character that he plays two ways—one where he's a buttoned up professional reviving his grandfather's hotel business and dodging marriage proposals from his assistant—played by Persia White—who he describes as “compatible on paper but no chemistry off the page." The other side of Edmund is down-to-earth and jovial, but only when he's with the hotel's Christmas decorator played by Evans.
“Most of the roles I go out for and book are leading man roles," he says. “Now the term leading man doesn't always mean you're the [main] guy, leading man most often refers to a look. I want those roles that aren't necessarily leading man."
In other words, he doesn't just want to be eye candy nor soul food, he wants to be respected for his talent. We got a little taste of that in L.A. Complex, where he played a famous rapper struggling with his sexuality. And again in his role as Fish in Black Jesus, an ex-con and one of the followers of Black Jesus in the controversial comedic series.
Andra seemingly gravitates towards complex characters that are often battling with some part of their identity, but by no means is he struggling with his own. He credits getting his start late in the game to giving him time to find himself without getting caught up by the distractions that often come with the Hollywood lifestyle.
“I didn't get into acting until I was 28, so I was already a grown ass man with real life responsibilities, and I was comfortable in my skin. I knew exactly who I was. I had already went to school and gotten three degrees, I was a schoolteacher—I had already lived."
Courtesy of Andra Fuller
After graduating college, Andra was teaching kids during the week and on weekends he would drive back home to Houston to take the stage as a stand-up comedian. “The goal was always to have that springboard me into acting because when I lFGooked at all of my peers, the ones that I looked up to at the time, Martin Lawrence and Bernie Mac and almost every actor that I looked up to besides Denzel Washington and Will Smith, pretty much all of them had a stand-up comedy background. So if it was a good way for them to blow up into acting, then I'm going to take these same damn steps."
With nothing to lose, he packed his bags and moved to East Harlem where he dabbled in theater and modeling while juggling a full-time job as a personal trainer making only $15,000 a year. Taking funds from his steady paycheck, he would ride down Broadway to Chinatown, purchase knock-off designer purses and throwback jerseys, and fly back to his hometown to sell them at market value. “New York taught me how to have thicker skin. It taught me how to grind, and it taught me ambition. It taught me that you had to have a job, a career, and a side hustle."
While he was making rounds doing comedy in New York, his acting career was at a standstill. Taking the advice of casting agents, he relocated to Los Angeles where he worked two full-time jobs as a manager at Equinox by day and a manager at CVS by night, all while picking up co-star roles on shows such as Prison Break, iCarly and Secret Life of the American Teenager.
“There weren't ever any moments of doubt per se, but definitely frustrating moments because acting is a cycle. When you move to L.A., they send you on these auditions, but you can't book shit because you won't have any credits. So they'll be like, 'Oh you're good, but you don't have any credits.' But you can't get any credits because you won't give me a job, so then you start your way from the bottom."
Courtesy of Andra Fuller
His big break came when he booked his first major role with L.A. Complex as Kaldrick King, which earned him a nomination for the Canadian Screen Awards and put him on the radar as he went up for leading roles against more seasoned actors like Larenz Tate and Omari Hardwick. He eventually landed the role of Jayson on Black&SexyTV's online series Roomieloverfriends, which is currently being developed into a film by co-creators Numa Perrier and Dennis Dortch.
“The Jayson character needed to be an every day guy's guy, but up for the challenge of dealing with someone who was as high strung as the character of his roomieloverfriend, Tamiko," says Perrier. “It was very hard casting this role. No one was coming in with all of those qualities plus that unknowable 'x' factor thing until Andra showed up. He actually crashed the audition. He was next door at a casting for another project and stuck his head in our door and said, 'Hey, can I read for this too?' Then he came in and nailed it. It was one of those great moments that we couldn't have planned, and that very assertiveness was just perfect for the character as well. We knew we had our guy."
Not bad considering that he had no prior training as an actor.
“My philosophy on acting for me is that it has to feel organic. I don't take classes and all of that stuff. I tried it before. I did three months and I was like I can't do this. It wasn't beneficial for my acting style because for me to act organically, I have to become that character."
Instead, he pulls from life experiences to help develop his characters. In real life, he's been the star athlete playing on television with over 100,000 fans screaming his name. But he's also been the child raised in a house with no electricity, surviving off of ramen noodles, relying on groceries from the church, or stashing away school lunch meals to save for a rainy day.
“What I don't necessarily gain from acting classes, I have 30 plus years in life experiences. I've been in some shitty, shitty dark situations. I've been on some super mountaintop highs, so when I'm acting and I'm in a role, I draw from anywhere in that apex, that mountain high to that deep ocean dirty low. So there aren't many roles that I can't connect with because acting is all about finding a way to connect to a role."
“What I don't necessarily gain from acting classes I have 30 plus years in life experiences."
While his journey has taken longer than some, Andra has no regrets. Not being a child actor has saved him from falling victim to the mental and emotional struggle that sometimes accompany those who've gotten their start earlier in the game.
“If you look at the amount of formal education that I had people would be like what the hell are you doing acting? That's a waste of your degrees.
If I had stayed on the career path that I was on and I was still living in Texas, I would have a 6,000 square foot home, big back yard, front yard, in a gated community. Some might view it as a mistake, but it's a good mistake because ever since I've been doing this, I've not had a day where I hated work.
This isn't even work, man. I get paid to pretend to be other people. How cool is that?"
Perhaps getting his start later in the game has also brought about a sense of humility. Though he's now able to afford the lifestyle of the rich and famous, he prides himself on staying grounded and not being lured by life's luxuries. He still lives in the same Hollywood apartment that he started in years prior. He still does pick-up games at 24-Hour Fitness instead of Equinox, and he still grinds to make a name for himself in the industry.
Success for him doesn't look like driving a Maserati in Beverly Hills, it looks like telling the untold stories, like the Black Wall Street script he's currently shopping around, having a large enough platform to be able to speak on issues without recourse, and leaving behind a legacy of being a genuine person in an industry of shifting values. For that, he's willing to make the necessary sacrifices and do things a little unconventionally, because without risk, there's no reward.
You can keep up with Andra and his latest projects by following him on Twitter or Instagram.
All Images Courtesy of Andra Fuller
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Once upon a time, I knew a married couple who told me that they wouldn’t even discuss with each other who they found to be attractive on television because, in their minds, that was a form of cheating. They’re divorced now, and although there are a series of reasons why, it was always strange to me that things were so restrictive within their relationship that they couldn’t even share a fleeting thought about how someone looked.
Thinking about them kinda-sorta inspired this piece because they caused me to reflect on the times when some of my clients have come to me, semi-freaking out, and it was because their thoughts about someone had gone beyond “Hey, she’s pretty” or “Hey, he looks good.” Instead, they were starting to fantasize about certain folks, and they weren’t sure what to do about it, especially when some of those fantasies were transpiring while they were engaging in sex with someone else.
You know, it’s been reported that somewhere around 50 percent of people do indeed have fantasies about other people while having sex with another person. And that is definitely a high enough number to tackle some things about the topic here.
If you’re someone who fantasizes about other individuals, especially sexually, here’s some intel into why that could be the case, along with when it gets to the point and place where you might want to consider actually doing something about it.
What’s a Fantasy and What Exactly Causes Them?
Whenever you think of the word “fantasy,” what immediately comes to your mind?
Personally, what I find to be interesting is the fact that the dictionary says that there are actually a lot of things that can be considered a fantasy: your imagination, hallucinations, visions, ingenious inventions, illusions — I mean, there is even a genre of fiction that falls into the fantasy category. However, when it comes to what we’re going to discuss today, a psychological term for fantasy is “an imagined or conjured up sequence fulfilling a psychological need; daydream.”
And yes, before we get to the end of all of this, that definition is going to answer quite a few questions as it pertains to the topic of this particular piece. But first, more about the origin story of fantasies.
Apparently famed neurologist, Sigmund Freud spent some time analyzing fantasies and came to the conclusion that, more than anything else, a fantasy represents something that is either a suppressed urge or desire and when you stop to think about what you imagine, what your visions are, what you may long to invent — that certainly tracks. However, something that you should also keep in mind about fantasies is that, oftentimes, they are rooted in few boundaries and can even go well beyond what is considered to be reality (which is something that is based on facts and truth).
Oh, something else that needs to be kept in mind about fantasies is that they are typically relied on as a mental form of escape from something or someone (bookmark that).
And now that fantasies are more clearly defined, if your immediate question is, “Is it wrong to fantasize?” — no, I certainly don’t think that. What I do believe, based on what a fantasy is, though, is if you are fantasizing a lot about a particular person, place, thing or idea, it would be a good idea to ponder why that is the case — why is that a suppressed desire for you, why are you using that as a mental escape and perhaps, the most important question of all, does your fantasy come with any limits?
Now let’s build on top of this…
Now What Causes Folks to Fantasize About Other People?
As I was doing more research on the topic of fantasies, I came across an article entitled, “What Happens In Our Brains When We Fantasize About Someone.” The author of it started the piece out by talking about a cool connection that she made with someone on a plane, only for her to find herself fantasizing about him once they parted ways. As she went deeper into her story, she mentioned a word that definitely needs to be shared here: heuristics.
If you’re not familiar with it, heuristics is simply a mental shortcut. For instance, if you find yourself needing to make a quick decision (check out “Before You Make A Life-Altering Decision, Read This.”), you may rely on heuristics to do it (even if it’s subconsciously). The challenge with that is oftentimes heuristics will only provide you with a limited amount of data and information, and relying only on that could cause you to not make the best choice, if you’re not careful. And boy, when heuristics jump into your fantasy space — well, something that immediately comes to my mind is celebrity culture.
Ain’t it wild how people will be on social media, speaking so confidently, about someone—or someone’s relationship—as if they personally know them (when they absolutely don’t)? I mean, just because someone is attractive or you’ve seen them carry themselves well in an interview or two, that doesn’t automatically mean that they are the ideal person or that they are someone to set your own dating standards by. If you’re not careful, though, heuristics and fantasies may encourage you to think otherwise.
That’s because the combo will try and get your brain to jump to all sorts of conclusions and, if you don’t keep that in check, it could result in you making premature, counterproductive, or even straight-up reckless decisions — because remember, a fantasy tends to be about suppressing an urge or desire.
Honestly, whether you are in a relationship or not, if you are fantasizing about a particular individual, understanding why you are doing that should definitely be explored.
However, if you are with someone and you’re fantasizing about someone else, you really shouldn’t ignore what is transpiring because, although by definition, there’s a good chance that whatever and whomever you are fantasizing about will never come to pass, the fact that it’s taking up some of your mental and emotional space, that needs to be acknowledged. Because if there is something that you want or need, and you seem to believe that your fantasies are better at supplying that for you than the reality of your relationship, why is that?
Let’s keep going…
What Does (or Could) It Mean If You Fantasize About Someone Else During Sex?
It’s pretty common that a random song will come to mind whenever I’m writing an article. Today? It was Guy’s “My Fantasy.” Then a sitcom did — King of Queens, and the episode when Doug and Carrie were talking about his sexual fantasies. The song is about images that the fellas randomly have about beautiful women. The episode was about Carrie wanting to dictate to Doug what and whom he could fantasize about because some of his sexual fantasies made her feel uncomfortable or intimidated.
And both of these are a pretty solid intro into whether there is something wrong with sexually fantasizing about someone, especially while having sex with someone else. Well, before getting into all of that, I think another article that I read on the topic brings up a pretty good point — that it’s important to think about where your fantasies are coming from: your imagination, things you see on social media, porn that you may have watched, people who you actually know…and if it’s the latter, is it someone from your past or someone from your present?
Yeah, knowing the source of your fantasies can definitely help you to understand how “deep” into your fantasies you might be.
What I mean by that is, seeing a beautiful man one time and randomly thinking about what it would be like to have sex with him on some beach vacation is quite different than constantly thinking about your ex, the sex you used to have with him and then fantasizing about it For one thing, the beautiful guy, you will probably never have access to. That ex, though? Well, at the very least, that is a bit more realistic, right?
Then there’s the fact that, again, a fantasy is a suppressed urge or desire. When it comes to the beautiful man, is it his looks that you long for, or is it something deeper? And that ex of yours? Lawd, now why, when you have your own man in your own bed, is your ex “scratching some sort of itch”? Because we all know what they say — “he’s your ex for a reason,” so why is he creeping up into your intimacy space now that the relationship is over? Is something unresolved?
Are there sexual needs that he met that your current partner isn’t (check out “You Love Him. You Prefer Sex With Your Ex. What Should You Do?”)? Is something currently transpiring in your current relationship that you are using fantasies about your ex to escape from?
You see, although when it comes to the topic of fantasizing about others when you’re having sex with someone else might seem like the a cut-and-dried, “Don’t do it, end of discussion” — as someone who works with couples for a living, I think the bigger concern isn’t if another guy comes into your mind during sex with your partner…it’s more about WHY is that happening to begin with. Because if you need to escape from where you are, if you can’t be present with your partner, something is definitely up.
When Should You Be Concerned About the Fantasies You Are Having?
During the last several months of breaking up (because we all know that sometimes breaking up is a process) with the last boyfriend whom I will have in this lifetime, I recall fantasizing about other people while having sex with him. It’s because I really wasn’t attracted to or interested in him, sexually, anymore — but I was a bit fearful of what it would mean to let the entire relationship go.
And boy, is that a huge red flag because I wasn’t fantasizing about some random famous person one time during sex — I was relying on images, my imagination, and previous experiences with other people to literally get me through the act. NOT. GOOD.
Y’all, one of the greatest and most profound forms of communication and connection between two people is sexual intimacy, and so, when it transpires, it really should only be about the two of them. That said, should you freak out over a thought about someone who creeps up into your mind every once in a while? Chile, more people have that happen than they will ever admit out loud.
On the other hand, should you worry if you’re like I was? I’ll put it this way — you should definitely be concerned because the last thing that you should be feeling during sex with someone is like you are suppressing what you need and/or that you want to escape from the moments that you are experiencing with them.
And yet, if that is indeed the case, though, what should you do?
Start with doing some sex journaling. Write down your fantasies, the sources of them, and why you are leaning on them in this season (check out “The Art Of Sex Journaling (And Why You Should Do It)”). If they are tied to unrealistic situations, be real with yourself about that. If they are rooted in potential possibilities, do some journaling about how much you are “feeding into” that reality and what you think would be the wisest way to move forward, both for your sake as well as your relationship.
Talk to your partner. Each relationship is different, and so, while I’m not going to recommend that everyone just blurt out that they’ve been thinking about having sex with their co-worker or college sweetheart while having sex with their partner, I do think that the suppressed urges and desires (in general) should be mentioned. Sometimes, fantasies are birthed out of boredom (check out “If You're Not Having Great Sex, This Is (Probably) Why” and “Common Sex Problems Couples Have (& How To Fix 'Em)”) and doing something like creating a sex bucket list (check out “This Is How To Create The Best Kind Of ‘Sex Bucket List’”) can breathe new life into your bedroom.
Plus, sharing some of your deepest thoughts, feelings, and needs (in a kind, thoughtful, and mature way) can cultivate more emotional intimacy with your partner, and that can definitely be a good thing.
Consider seeing a sex therapist. If, after doing both of these things, the fantasies seem to be getting stronger and louder, you might need to make an appointment with a reputable sex therapist (check out “Have You Ever Wondered If You Should See A Sex Therapist?”). They may be able to help you to “connect some dots” about what’s going on that you wouldn’t have considered without their help, because sex therapists are trained in helping individuals sort out the mental and emotional sides of intimacy, not just the physical ones.
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Are fantasies bad? They aren’t. However, when it comes to sexual ones, a quote by Benjamin Franklin absolutely comes to mind: “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”
And that, right there, should be a guiding message for how you should process the fantasies that you do have.
Amen? Sho’ you right.
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