“Expect the unexpected,” Skyh Alvester Black says of the new BET+ series All the Queen’s Men in our Zoom interview. Produced by Tyler Perry Studios, the series stars Eva Marcille (Born Again Virgin,The Real Housewives of Atlanta) as Marilyn “Madam” Deville, a businesswoman at the top of her game who owns and manages a nightclub that features male exotic dancers. Black plays AMP “Addiction Anthony,” Madam’s nephew who is newly released from prison and striving for redemption. “What drew me to AMP was that he has a will to win by any means necessary.”
Indeed, Black’s own life journey of being down on his luck at times could be seen as an emotional parallel to AMP’s. From dancing for Beyoncé and working with Debbie Allen to scraping by on earnings as a valet driver for The West Hollywood EDITION and, at one point, being unhoused, Black has had his fair share of ups and downs. Perhaps it’s because he knows the struggle and the grind or perhaps it’s a testament to his ability to tap into his wealth of emotion as an actor—perhaps it’s both!—but there’s a notable sensitivity to Black’s performance. He may be one of the quieter characters, but there’s a magnetism to Black’s presence that is undeniable in every scene he’s in.
In our interview below, Black is open and thoughtful as he discusses the last year of his life. “We shot [All the Queen’s Men] in November 2020. I had just come out of poverty.” With Sistas, All the Queen’s Men, and, soon, Lace, the stars are clearly aligning for Black. He’s living proof that anything can happen with a little bit perseverance, gratitude, and faith. Keep an eye out for him!
For our readers who haven’t seen the series yet, how would you describe All the Queen’s Men and who your character is?
Expect the unexpected. I hear the narrative out there that it’s a stripper show [but] it’s really a crime drama with heart. My character is AMP Anthony, the nephew of Madam, who is the leading lady on the show [played by] Eva Marcille. AMP is a kid whose life, because of one mistake, took a drastic turn and caused him to go to prison. He’s coming back into the world trying to adapt and understand this new life [after] all the previous circumstances that have gone on in his life for the last nine years. He’s a good kid, he just wants to get his life back and get his life on track. He’s out for redemption.
There seems to be a parallel, to me, between you and AMP in that you’ve both seen some hard times but now you’ve sort of found yourself with so many new opportunities to progress and express yourself. There’s a sensitivity to your performance as well that I wholly appreciate because, given the nightclub setting, a lot of the characters understandably have a sort of hardened exterior. What were your initial impressions of AMP when you first received the script, and what was it that ultimately drew you to saying yes to playing the character?
I’m glad you saw that. Thank you so much for saying that. We all make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes can change the trajectory of your life. What drew me to AMP was that he has a will to win by any means necessary, but there’s [also] a moral compass to him. He wants to do the right thing and he takes accountability. He is very adamant about progressing forward. I resonated with that because of my own journey through homelessness. I was raised by my two grandparents, and I never told them that I was homeless because I had the will and the want to make it—and make it as my own man.
What’s incredible about the series is how there are a lot of moving pieces that seem separate at first but gradually connect as the season progresses. What was it like to jump into this world that mixes exotic dancing and romance with a little bit of action and family drama? I can imagine there was never a dull moment on set.
It was never a dull moment. Originally, what a lot of people don’t know is that All the Queen’s Men was eight half-hour episodes. We shot in November of 2020. I had just come out of poverty. Seriously. I was parking cars earlier that year [in March 2020] for $13 an hour at The West Hollywood EDITION in LA. Shortly after, I shot Sistas, and then All the Queen’s Men. We got a call [from the network] after we shot it the first time, saying they wanted to bring us all back to reshoot [to make it] ten hour-long episodes. There were parts from the first day of shooting that were integrated into whole new storylines, so “never a dull moment” is an understatement.
What was beautiful about it was that our scripts were changing every day. So, whatever scripts I had that were sent to me prior to shooting—they were adding and reforming it, and it was this really beautiful and creative moment where you get to a set and you think you know this character but you’re relearning the essence of who he is again. It really pushed me, as a creative, to get up every morning. It was the best experience as far as training and [learning to adapt]. I loved that part about it.
I understand that you’re a trained ballet dancer and that you’ve actually danced with Beyoncé. What was it like to move from those worlds of dance to exotic dancing? Did it help to have that background?
It definitely helped. Ballet is the foundation. I personally believe that—with any art form—if you really apply the classic part of the foundation, you can pretty much branch off into a lot of other art forms more easily.
The thing with male exotic dancing—and, really, hats off to my castmates that really made their living in this art form—is that I think it’s actually a bit harder because you’re in such close proximity to your audience. You have to entertain in such an intimate way. When you’re onstage, you got a good several hundred feet between you and the audience. But when you’re in that arena [of exotic dancing], you have to hold the attention and create this fantasy.
Will there be a season 2 of All the Queen’s Men? If so, without spoiling anything, where would you like to see AMP go?
We hope that there’s a season two! That’s up to the people, so keep streaming, keep watching. It’s interesting because I would love to tell you where I would like to see AMP go, but if I tell you, I’ll spoil the ending. I guess I’ll say this: I’m actually interested to see if he will keep his innocence. Will he feel like, “every time I try, I fail? So, what happens now? Do I succumb to everybody else, or do I keep trying to be this great guy?” I’ll leave it there.
When will season two come out