by Kimberly Wilson

April 29, 2013

Lance Gross Talks Tyler Perry and Being the New Face of SoftSheen Carson

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Lance Gross has been busy! Aside from his recent release of Tyler Perry’s Temptation, and his new NBC pilot List of Demands, SoftSheen Carson recently announced its partnership with the budding actor to unveil their new digital campaign “Work Ur Magic!” The Temptation star will help men look their best while giving fans a chance to win a trip for four to Las Vegas through Magic Shave’s virtual Facebook dating game.

“It’s an honor to work with SoftSheen Carson,” says Lance. “I feel like the brand is iconic with African American males. This is the perfect marriage between magic shave and myself because it is something that I would actually use.”

Contestants will have to put their “smooth moves to the test” and aim to capture the attention of a beautiful girl within the 4 minutes it takes Magic to make you smooth. “It’s fun,” says Lance. “I introduce them to a young lady and they work their magic. Being smooth is a big part of the contest.”

The Howard University graduate credits most of his current success to the institution and the people he met along the way.

“Professor Bay in the Theater Department at Howard University was the one who urged me to go into theater,” expressed the “Work Your Magic!” spokesman. “I took her acting class. Before that I was in a shell, I was shy and didn’t know how I would pursue this career. She broke me out of my shell. She put it in my head that it was possible to do. With that I just decided to do what I love.”

Luckily, a few years after graduation, he moved to Hollywood and was given his first big break.

But it was Tyler Perry who continues to be the driving force in his career. He recently starred alongside Jurnee Smullet in the controversial film, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. The film opened to mixed reviews, which have continued to cause a stir for fans and mainstream media. Lance Gross offered his insight to this, “Because Tyler is so successful at what he does, everything he does is put under a big magnifying glass and everybody wants to critique it. Tyler is very good at doing what he does. He is very good at relaying a message and putting the positive message in something that otherwise may seem negative.”

But Lance doesn’t limit himself to just being a “Tyler Perry actor.” According to the former House of Payne and Meet the Brown’s star, “Do I feel like since I’ve been working with him I’m boxed in? I feel like, in some aspects people look at that and say, “He’s Tyler Perry’s actor. But I feel like my job is to break out of that box and I feel like I’m doing that. I’ve worked with other directors just like I’ve worked with Tyler Perry. I just look for great projects. If it’s a great project it moves me. I’ve worked with Rick Famuyiwa on Our Family Wedding, and I have a new show for NBC, with Phillip Noyce, in my opinion one of the best action directors there is. Anyone who is put in that Tyler Perry box and stays in that box is because they’re not doing their job to break out. And for some people just working with Tyler Perry is awesome. I think it’s awesome because he’s a great director to work for, but it’s all about what you want to do.”