Bryan Terrell Clark Talks 'Diarra From Detroit,' Portraying A Different Type Of Gay Black Male Character

BET+ is exploring a “ghosting” mystery in its new series Diarra from Detroit.

The series follows Diarra as she explores the mysterious underworld of Detroit, trying to find the man she met on Tinder who has gone missing. Along the way, Diarra is helped by colleagues and friends, including Mr. Tea played by Bryan Terrell Clark.

Clark has been appearing in films and shows for over the last twenty years, including Queen Sugar, When They See Us, Inventing Anna and performances on Broadway such as Motown: The Musical, Hamilton and Thoughts of A Colored Man.

Having known Diarra Kilpatrick, the show's creator and star, for over 15 years, Clark reveals that the character of Mr. Tea was crafted with his voice in mind. “As a matter of fact, in that first episode, there are lines that I said in real life that ended up in the script,” Clark said in an interview with The Quintessential Gentleman.

“What attracted me to the project first was the script. I think pilots are really hard. Those first episodes... some of my favorite shows on television and in television history, I hated the pilots. When I read this one, it was probably the best pilot in the last 10 to 14-15 years that I've read. And I can almost name the pilots. There's only been like a couple other ones that I was like this pilot is insane. I love this so much. I loved how funny it was. But at the same time, I love that, like it had a drive to it because the mystery felt like it was a real thing you had to follow. So it is kind of smart.” Clark said. “You do have to pay attention to the show because every single episode is giving you clues on top of clues to what's going on with this guy.

Stepping into the role of Mr. Tea, Clark said, “Tea is Diarra’s work gusband and, you know, everybody needs a little gay husband to have your back and tell you the truth every now and then. He's a science teacher who loves his friend, and he sees her kind of go off the rails when she goes on this Tinder date and he ghosts her.”

The uniqueness of Diarra from Detroit lies in its mystery, according to Clark, who emphasized the show's commitment to portraying Black culture authentically and defying stereotypes.

“We rarely have TV shows that center us, and literally, the cast itself and the world itself is thrown into the culture that is Black culture. In cities like Detroit, Philly, and Baltimore, there's an urban cultural aspect that has very specific nuances to what that setting is, but also who those characters are that come from those spaces. And so for me, it's about refacing that genre. It's about centering a Black woman in that genre, and in that world, and also kind of like turning the stereotypes of these characters on their heads. I mean, the person that's the most gully in this friend group is married with two kids. My name is Mr. Tea because I got a lot of tea but he's not big and sassy,” Clark said about showing representation on the show that doesn’t fall into stereotypes.

“I'm so thankful for the work and I'm thankful for the lexicon of the work that we've put into the industry,” Clark mentioned the progress in Hollywood concerning queer character representation.

“It's magical when I feel like we can see queer Black people that feel like the actual people we know. And there's some truth and authenticity to the nuance of who Mr. Tea is that he doesn't fall into the stereotypical gay Black male roles,” Clark added.

“We have not seen positive, powerful brother, sister-friend relationships between queer Black people, and straight Black people, and this is something that the show just does. I'm excited for y'all to see these relationships,” Clark expressed about the show bringing a positive light in showing the connections between people of different sexual orientations.

Clark also shared his advice on "ghosting," despite being married and having been out of the dating game for years.

“For me, it's about communication. So even if it's not working out, if they keep blowing you up and then not getting the message, maybe just send them a message and say, 'Hey, I had a great time meeting with you. I don't really see it going any further. You’re definitely a good person. I hope you find the one.'”

Check out the full interview below.

Catch new episodes of Diarra From Detroit every Thursday on BET+ to see what Mr. Tea will reveal next.