34 Questions: Malcolm Goodwin

Malcolm Goodwin is an actor and filmmaker who has starred in numerous feature films such as American Gangster, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, and Leatherheads. His television credits include House Of Cards, Elementary, and A&E’s Breakout Kings, and you’ve seen him in LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” music video which has garnered over 1.36 billion hits on YouTube. Having produced and directed over 50 film, television, commercial, and web projects, he currently stars in the hit CW show iZOMBiE, which is now filming its fourth season.

A classically trained actor, Goodwin attended the Julia Richman Talent Unlimited Program in New York, and graduated with a degree in Theatre Arts and Film from SUNY Purchase College Acting Conservatory. Here, Goodwin took the time from the iZOMBiE set to answer our 34 questions, and reveal how he developed his work ethic, how many times he’s been fired, and what fake brains taste like.

What breakfast kickstarts your day?
Scrambled eggs with cheese and a coffee.

What is your favourite city?
New York.

What keeps you up at night?
My imagination.

What would your 16-year-old self think of you now?
My 16-year-old self would think I lost my street cred because of how much I’ve cleaned up over the years.

What is perfect in your life?
My calves.

If you weren’t doing this, what job would you most likely have?
Teaching.

When are you happiest?
When I’m helping others.

When and where were you most miserable?
Watching my great friend Keith Loneker die from cancer in Lawrence, Kansas. I’m still in shock and disbelief. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve witnessed in my life. 

What are you like when you are stressed out?
I’m calm, collected, and measured.

What is your daily practice?
Patience and gratitude.

What is your vice?
Candy.

What was your first job and how did you get it?
Bagging groceries at a supermarket. My mom and dad had a traumatic breakup that turned my three sisters’ and brother’s lives around overnight. My mom dragged my sister and I to a supermarket in our new ghetto and made us work to help pay bills. I was 11 years old and have never been unemployed a day in my life since.

What’s weird about you?
I’m ok being silent in social situations.

Have you ever been fired?
Yes. Out of 57 nine-to-five jobs I’ve had, I’ve been fired once. For political reasons at the bus company I was working for. Five days later they told me it was a ploy to have someone else fired in my absence but I was so pissed at being taken advantage of and used in that way that I vehemently declined the job offer back.

What brings you comfort?
Financial security.

How would you like to die?
Not suffering. With my mind and spirit intact. Aware that my last breath awaits in me.

How do you relax?
Shoes and socks off, laying on my couch with my wife, dogs and cats.

Who is the love of your life?
Vanessa, my wife.

What’s in your freezer?
Ice packs, lemon ice pops, mozzarella sticks, Healthy Choice meals and ice trays.

What is your power song?
“Who Dat” by J. Cole.

Who is your mentor?
My mentors were my high school drama teachers: the late Mr. Ishan Abdul Rahiim and Mr. Karl Friedman.

What are you most insecure about?
My toenails. I have two bad toes from playing basketball.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Sausage ‘N Egg McMuffin with cheese, 20-piece nuggets and a vanilla shake from McDonald’s.

What is your favourite zombie movie?
28 Days Later.

What is your favourite swear word?
Mothafucka.

What is your favourite book?
A People’s History Of The United States by Howard Zinn.

What film would you watch again and again?
Braveheart.

What do fake brains taste like?
Agar-agar gelatin.

What is your favourite play?
Mule Bone by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. I found my voice as an artist by starring in this play in high school.

What is your after-work drink?
Vodka soda with a splash of cranberry.

What are you least proud of?
That I don’t have stronger relationships with many family members I love dearly.

What is the hardest thing you’ve done?
Overcoming a severe speech impediment that plagued my childhood, teenage years and some of my adult life.

Do you love what you do?
With all my heart. I still pinch myself to make sure this dream I’m living is still a reality.

Photos courtesy of Malcolm Goodwin.