Philip Anthony Rodriguez stars as Dr. David Evans in Tyler Perry’s upcoming film “Madea’s Big Happy Family”. Movie Mikes had a chance recently to speak with Philip about the film and some of his other projects.
Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your upcoming film “Madea’s Big Happy Family”?
Philip Anthony Rodriguez: I play Dr. David Evans and my character is in there to give some plot turning information. I also have connections to a lot of the comedic characters in the film as well. I don’t want to give away too much information other than my character is the family physician and he finds out someone he cares for is sick. This information kind of sets things in motion and has the characters thinking of what they should do now.
AL: Can you tell us how your role in the film came about?
PAR: A few years ago I worked on Tyler Perry’s television show “Meet the Browns”. I really enjoyed the role and during my time working on the show I got to know the casting director for Tyler’s projects. She had remembered me and recommended me to Tyler. Shortly after that I received the offer to do the film.
AL: How was it working with Tyler Perry?
PAR: He is a lot of fun! Tyler runs a tight ship but it’s very laid back. We had a lot of fun on set. Tyler is a real pleasure and a class act. He has definitely been one of my favorite people to work with.
AL: Does Tyler allow you to adlib your lines or does he like to follow the script?
PAR: Tyler has a frame work for what he wants but a lot of times he will just tell you to cut loose. Tyler’s all about wanting to get a good laugh from the audience. He doesn’t go totally off script but there usually is a lot of goofiness and good times going on during shooting.
AL: Are you a fan of adlibbing or do you like to stay more to the script?
PAR: I like to try and stay as close to the script as possible. I don’t like to go too far off script as I don’t want to be disrespectful to the writer. I think sometimes though if a writer feels the actors have really good instincts they will give them the option to add their own take on the dialogue and use the original lines as guides. However I am more of a follow the script type of actor but if the writers offer me extra insight or direction I am more than willing to take it.
AL: Can you tell us when the film will be released?
PAR: The film is going to be released in April and it looks as though we are going to have a premier about a week or two before the official release in Los Angeles. This film is one of Tyler’s more popular stories so even though his studio is in Atlanta, Georgia the premier is going to be in L.A.
AL: You have also done a lot of voice over work for video games. How do you get involved with that?
PAR: I have been doing voice over work since I was a kid. I guess I sort of just fell into it. I actually was one 
of the first actors to be brought in when video games first started using voice over. At first I wasn’t too sure of the concept but as a kid I was a video game fan and thought the experience was really cool. It really is a lot of fun. It great to be able to just roll out of bed, go to work and not worry about what you look like. (Laughs)
AL: Out of the projects you have worked on so far do you have a favorite?
PAR: I had a really good time doing the television series “Jake 2.0”. That show was kind of coined as “Spy-Fi” and was seen as a new take on “The 6 Million Dollar Man”. I played an NSA agent that takes the main character under his wing and trains him. It was really a lot of fun. I really love that genre.
AL: Do you have any other upcoming projects you can tell us about?
PAR: I just started shooting season 4 of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”. The whole cast is really excited to be back for a fourth season and it looks like the episodes are going to start airing on ABC Family in March.