Q: What have you been working on since Believe Me last summer?

A: I’ve been working on a TV show called Power on Starz, where I play a character named Shawn who’s the son of 50 Cents’ character, Kanan and also the surrogate son of Omari Hardwick’s character, Ghost. The characters function in a high-income world within the drug and nightclub business and are grooming Shawn to be one of the up and coming drug dealers in New York City.

Q: Should your fans expect to see more of you in the second season of Power?

A: Absolutely. People should see much more of the storyline that was established in the first season come to life. They’ll see the evolution of Shawn; in the first season he’s popularized to the world of violence, drugs, and the club life he’s been thrust into. As we go into the second season, we’ll get to see a maturation of his character as he becomes more aware of his environment, and also more capable of handling his environment.

Q: What are similarities and differences of working on the set of Power vs. Believe Me?

A: The similarity is that both projects are high quality with talented people involved. I think the unique difference is one being film, while the other is television, which brings different levels of time commitment. With Believe Me, I got the chance to work with one director (Will Bakke) throughout the entire process. With Power, I’ve gotten to work with several directors who have different perspectives, which I have to adapt to.

Q: It’s funny to see people divided on our trailer, some seem excited about the comedy and love the fun cast, while others are disgruntled and feel like the message is “making fun of Christians.” Then they see it’s made by Christians and become confused. Do you think the controversy over the release may benefit the film’s success?

A: Absolutely, I think controversy of any sort can benefit a project, but close-minded people could find it offensive. The subject matter of Believe Me will allow people to observe or question what they already believe in through a film that doesn’t dictate a specific response from the audience. After reading the script and talking with Will (Bakke), it’s clear that Believe Me has a faith-based theme, but depicts that you must understand why you believe in something to have faith in it.

Q: You have such a strong social media following that is continuously growing alongside your success. What are your fans saying to you about Believe Me?

A: The fans are excited. What made me proud was when I was in Australia, where Believe Me will go after it has been released in the states, people were asking me about Believe Me, which they had been following through social media and all the materials released thus far. People have really grasped what we have been putting out on social media. Several Q&A questions in Australia were about the release of Believe Me, which got me excited.

Q: You did an incredible job with your role of Tyler. Besides being the nicest guy, what similarities do you see in Tyler and yourself? Have you ever had to say “No” in a situation your friends encouraged you to be in?

A: Absolutely, you’re not living if you don’t have to say “No” to certain opportunities that arise. I respect Tyler’s level of integrity and I try to carry myself the same way. Tyler has a lot of love and passion for his friends. He gets into situations in the film due to his loyalty and love for them, but eventually questions his belief system as things escalate.

Q: The actors had great report on set last summer, do you keep up with any of them currently?

A: Believe Me was unique; the fact that I consider those actors some of my best friends rather than industry acquaintances made the experience very special. I’ve been to a few events with Miles Fisher, Max and I have hung out; I was in Australia recently and hung out with Alex a few times and had a chance to meet his parents and friends. I talk to Johanna consistently and have tried to go to yoga a few times, but that hasn’t worked out (laughing); she’s a lovely and inspirational person. I can honestly say I am close friends with everyone. The passion and love on the set was so genuine and holds true in the friendships that have manifested from Believe Me.

Q: What are your favorite memories on and off set from last summer?

A: My favorite memory was the day before we shot the scene where we are walking through the hotel room and I put on the South African hat in slow motion; we hung out in the green room with all the boys. I happened to bring my guitar that day, and Miles also brought his so we had a little jam session. I put a photo on Twitter from that day; it was one of the best experiences I’ve had, not just from Believe Me, but in my life.

The camaraderie and euphoria of being in a place I wanted to be in, enjoying the work I was doing, and being able to experience it with others I really enjoyed being with was an experience amongst many that I will always cherish. It was a long day, but the guys had a great time hanging out. I remember Alex Russell playing the harmonica and Max was humming some song Miles had him do; we had an improv rag tag orchestra. Alex was impersonating everyone and we enjoyed that time together.

Also, the first night when we went to Bangers on Rainey Street, getting a chance to meet everyone was fun and seeing what we were about to embark on was exciting. When Johanna came to the set, we did our first run through, and when we came outside, Alex Carroll busted out a back flip for Jo, and I was like “this dude’s crazy!” I’ll never forget that. We worked hard and when we were celebrating in the hotel room, I accidentally punched Alex in the face during a dancing scene; he fell down laughing. It was an amazing time and so much fun.

Q: Where did you find your inspiration to act? What age did you begin acting?

A: The actor who is the most pivotal in my career to date is Michael Caine. “How to Act in Film” is a book I carry with me daily as a reference. I like his practical approach to acting as a business; he’s an artist first, but recognizes business happens; he navigated the balance well. His career success and the variety of characters he has played over his 30-40 year career is something I have to respect.

His words and work have influenced me a great deal. At 11 years old, I saw a movie called the Radio Flyer and it resonated with me. I started reciting scenes from the film and set up chairs and had my mom play the certain characters for me to play the dialogue back with her. I knew at that time I was going to become an actor. Even though I dedicated time to sports up through college, I knew I would come back to the arts at some point. It happened organically where I could perceive it, study it, and do theatre, and in a way that interested me.

To learn more about Sinqua, you can follow him on Twitter, @sinquawalls, and to see all the news about his role in Believe Me, follow @believemefilm.