Actor Tobie Windham is one of the stars of Disney’s comedy series “Just Roll With It.”
The Birmingham, Alabama, native fell in love with acting at 12 years old after seeing the musical Thunder Knocking on the Door by African American playwright Keith Glover. It inspired him to pursue acting and spread the joy he felt with others.
Windham, who received a bachelor’s in theater from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master’s in acting from American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, had several acting jobs before landing his current role in Disney’s “Just Roll With It,” which recently was picked up for a second season.
The actor says his favorite part of the show is the surprise aspect that allows the studio audience to vote on what will happen next. “A foghorn goes off, and I love the look in [the cast’s] eyes when we’re, like, it is just us four against the world right now, so let’s figure out how to make this happen, and we got to be funny. I love that,” he said.
On Oct. 4, the cast will perform alongside special guest star Raven-Symoné in “Just Roll With It: You Decide LIVE!” — the show’s first-ever live interactive broadcast to a nationwide audience. It will be a big moment for Windham, who says Raven-Symoné was his “first television crush.”
“When I saw her on ‘[The] Arsenio Hall [Show],’ … I remember tears in my eyes,” he said. “I was looking at my mom and I was, like, ‘Mom, I want to like marry her,’ and now I am about to be working with her. That’s about to be special.”
Before “Just Roll With It,” Windham acted in theater companies around the country. However, it was his previous role on Disney’s comedy series “Walk the Prank,” his experience at Prima del Teatro in Italy and his membership in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. that formed his foundation and prepared him for his current role in “Just Roll With It.”
Windham says his two years on “Walk the Prank” exposed him to producers and different acting abilities that he possessed. The month he spent at Prima del Teatro in Italy studying improv and Russian playwright Anton Chekhov helped him relinquish doubts about his career. And, as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, aka a “Nupe,” he became part of a brotherhood that fully supported him and introduced him to important people in the industry.
“I would meet people, and just off of being a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, they would be like ‘I got you. Come over here and meet this person,’ ” he said.
Recently, a fan encounter at the Louvre Museum in Paris confirmed that his career has reached a new level. “I see three kids with their camera phones out recording me … and I was, like, oh, I think they recognize me,” he said.
It was a good feeling, he added. “I like where I am going. I like my journey.”
“Just Roll With It” airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on Disney Channel (EST/PST). “Just Roll With It: You Decide LIVE!” airs Friday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. (PST) and 9 p.m. (EST).
This article is published on Rolling Out magazine's website. Visit the site by clicking here.
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