Just turn on BET, Hallmark, Lifetime or any other streaming service you may have, and you are very likely to see a made-for-television movie starring Tobias Truvillion. He will be the sexy, charismatic Black man who is stealing Sanaa Lathan’s character away from Taye Diggs’ character in the recent NBC Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters; or he is the super fine music producer Khalil, who becomes the love interest of Jill Scott in BET’s First Wives Club. He is also the leading rugged cop in Equal Standard, the crooked lawyer in Tyler Perry’s Sista’s on BET, and the to-die-for male lead Damon King in T.D. Jake’s Seven Deadly Sins: Lust on Lifetime. That’s the short list. Tobias has more than 70 film and TV credits to his name, including 17 guest star roles and 10 feature film lead roles. Acting since the age of 23, Tobias has played roles in TV’s Law and Order, Chicago P.D., New Amsterdam, FBI, and most recently, The Equalizer. It would truly be exhaustive to try and list every role the 6-foot-2 actor has played in, so we listed a few of our favorites in the “Binge-Watch Tobias” list so you can binge on him this summer.
A week before Tobias was leaving for the International Cannes Film Festival in France, he sat down with the team at Destination Newark to explain why he calls Newark home, and what makes him come back, no matter how far away acting takes him.
Born in Queens, New York, the 47-year-old actor moved to Newark about 10 years ago to settle down with his wife, Michele, who is a Newark native with her own share of film and TV credits including New Jersey Drive and Eddie Murphy’s animated series, The PJs.
With Newark a booming location for film production, living downtown Newark affords certain luxuries to the veteran actor. For instance, The Best Man: The Final Chapters was filmed in the city, and one of Tobias’ scenes was filmed at a farmer’s market in Military Park.
When asked ‘Is that the life, or what?’ Tobias decides to go deeper. “Let me break it down for you… I’m in the middle of a love triangle with Deborah Cox and Jill Scott (on the set of First Wives Club in New York). They are the goddesses… I leave that, and I come home (to Newark) to shoot The Best Man and the first day on set I’m in a scene with Regina Hall and Sanaa Lathan. And on top of it all, I rode my scooter to work, not even 10 minutes from my home. You couldn’t tell me nothing!” exclaims the actor with a hearty laugh.
Trained in theater, having begun his career as “Shango,” in the theatrical musical “Oya,” which earned him a prestigious AUDELCO Award for Best Male in a Musical, Tobias has no problem jumping in and out of character. After theater, Tobias became Vincent Jones, the love interest of Layla Williamson played by Tika Sumpter in ABC’s soap opera One Life to Live. Tobias earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Leading Male for his role.
“That’s like a paid acting class. You get your chops up in that. I learned a lot about the art,” says Tobias about his four years working on soap operas. “And watching Timothy Stickney (R.J., One Life to Live), Phil Carey (Asa Buchanan, One Life to Live) and Bob Woods (Bo Buchanan, One Life to Live) was incredible. “I learned camera techniques from these guys and how to control my performance. I was coming off the stage; I was big and broad and (over) using my voice. But being up against these juggernauts of the game really developed me,” reflects Tobias about how he sharpened his craft.
It’s no wonder Tobias effortlessly goes into character during the photo shoot for Destination Newark. He instinctively knows we want a sexy cover shot, so he invokes that for the camera. But all you have to do is have a vegan meal with him, or simply ask him for any bit of advice and he will give you such a warm, welcoming vibe that you will quickly take note that he is a spiritual being who is multidimensional.
“I’m many things; I’m a light-bearer, a brother, a husband,” Tobias begins. Then he continues, “I’m plant-based, I’m natural, a healer, an athlete and a low-key comedian,” he quips at the end.
It’s this diverse existence that makes Newark the perfect home for Tobias. Sure, Lionsgate is opening a $125 million film studio in Newark, and Newark has been the set for more than a dozen movies in the past five years, to include a Walking Dead spinoff, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Many Saints of Newark, and the Joker. But it’s the vast variety of things to do in Newark and the many people to help that intrigue Tobias.
The well-traveled actor recalls that before he met his wife Michele and moved to Newark all he knew of the area were his friends Queen Latifah, Dupré “DoItAll” Kelly (formerly of Lords of the Underground and now Newark councilman), Treach of Naughty by Nature and the Sutton family who owned the once popular Je’s Restaurant. “I knew all those legendary Newark cats but when I came over and really started to get to know what the city is really about it really expanded my community leadership and work,” explains Tobias. “I was always doing stuff in the community, but Newark is a different beast,” Tobias proclaims.
Now he is entrenched in the community, regularly hosting panels, leading workshops, mentoring young actors and supporting the arts in the city. Even on his days off, Tobias is supporting Newark-based WBGO radio. “My routine is to clean my house on Saturdays while listening to the Rhythm Revue; I have my membership card and my T-shirt,” emphasizes Tobias, noting that he is a big fan of the show (See “Rhythm Revue: The Man Behind the Music” on page 30).
“We all have to give to live,” professes Tobias. “I want people to know you can do this stuff; you can live your dream the way you want. This version of me you see today, I saw it 22 or 24 years ago. I saw it. Now a new vision is emerging,” forecasts Tobias.
As Tobias’ search for self continues to evolve, so does his film career. Up next, Tobias plays the leading man in BET’s First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story, directed by Vivica Fox and starring Michelle Mitchenor. The usual heartthrob says “You’re gonna hate me in BMF,” referring to his hated drug dealer character. “I love the bad guy role. I challenged myself. I pushed it,” promises Tobias.
We will stay tuned!
