Miles Mussenden is a multi-talented actor who is known for bringing strength, warmth and charm to a myriad of characters on screen. You may already know him from shows such as Queen Sugar, Army Wives, and Bloodline, although he’s about to take on his most challenging role yet.
In his latest role, Miles will play Otis Johnson, the father of Tyrone/Cloak in Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger. The series is set to air on Freeform on June 7 and is based on the Marvel Comics of the same name.
We recently had the opportunity to ask get the lowdown on Cloak & Dagger from Miles, whilst also asking him about his ultimate super power, his philanthropic work and his love for music.
Hi Miles, welcome to CelebMix! We can’t wait to see you on our screens soon as Tyrone’s father in Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger. What can you tell us about your role in the show?
Thank you all so much for putting me in the mix (pun intended). We are getting close and I’m excited to see the show too as I haven’t seen it yet. Otis Johnson is a father determined to see his son succeed to provide the right environment and nurturing for his son to be all he can be. I think you will find that my role as a father will make me everyone’s father for the audience – it’s the father you wish you had, for some maybe the father you’re glad you never had. At the end of the day even these young superheroes are people too – they have lives and families that matter and make a difference to their lives. You’ll get to see firsthand how that affects Tyrone (Cloak).
How did you find the filming experience?
For the most part I loved being on set. We have the best cast and crew you could imagine. They are big fans of the show so it’s more of a labor of love. Personally with the highs I had some pretty low lows. There are times when we deal with some pretty heavy subject matter that is really important however, it can be emotionally draining for the actor. Once those scenes are in the can there’s a lot of love and support and good positive energy all around us so I’m back to being happy to be part of such an amazing project.
You star alongside Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt who play Cloak and Dagger respectively in the show. What were they like to work with?
This was my first time working with Aubrey and Olivia, they completely blew right pass any expectation I had of their work. Olivia has a way of making you feel like you’ve been best friends for a long time. So what I want to know is how in the world does she get to be beautiful, talented, and genuinely a good person at the same damn time. And then Aubrey is just a beast of an actor. He and I have some pretty fiery scenes together and I didn’t have to act like I was in shock for anything his character did because in the moment I was in shock with what Aubrey was doing, he’s a very generous actor and it’s one of those things where iron sharpens iron. Not to mention off-screen we have a somewhat parallel relationship and we talk on the phone and bounce ideas and that type of thing all the time. So I love him like a son.
What attracted you to audition for Cloak & Dagger?
That is one of the mysteries of the universe. Marvel is very secretive and I didn’t even know I was auditioning for a Marvel project. However, the audition scenes were very close to home for me. When I read it I immediately got it and it resonated with me to the point where I literally read it twice or three times and was ready to audition and didn’t have to spend time memorizing lines or anything because it just was just there.
The series is based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Have you read the comics or were you aware of them before taking on the role?
Well, I’ve been a Marvel fan since I was a kid reading the comic books. however I was not familiar with Cloak and Dagger even though I have a hard cover Marvel book with all the characters that my son and I look at together. So I actually only read the Comics after we finished filming. I kind of did it for me and for the fans because I read what they write in the comment sections of the Cloak & Dagger videos we put out I just wanted to understand where they’re coming from and be able to speak intelligently with them when I meet them.
If you could have any superhero power, what would you choose and why?
I would choose the ability to access the full capabilities of my mind at will. I believe we humans have an almost infinite power within us that we have yet to scratch the surface of to even imagine our capabilities.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhwcP0CjSj5/?hl=en&taken-by=milesmussenden
You’ve starred in a variety of films and TV shows over the years. What has been your favourite role so far, and your most challenging?
Well that’s an easy one :-). Cloak & Dagger for both. To get to live in this world is incredible, I mean it’s a dream job. What makes it challenging is that I try not to take myself too seriously, however, I do take the work seriously. I get to share intimately with millions of people the inner workings of a black family that has been traumatized. They will know that is more than just a hashtag.
Are there any dream roles that you would like to undertake in the future?
Haha, yes! The dream role I would love to undertake is that of Nelson Mandela. It may be when they make the Winnie Mandela movie. Or maybe I make it myself. Somehow I know I can capture his essence in a unique way.
Outside of music, you also work with a number of charities which help ‘at risk’ youth in the community. Can you tell us a little about this?
Front & Center is organization I work with that works with the Juvenile Courts as an intervention or a second chance for at risk youth who have grown up under some really tough circumstances. I teach them Improv, role-play and different acting exercises. Sometimes we bring in writers to teach them to write their personal stories. Some of them I was fortunate to get an opportunity to audition for a film in the Atlanta area. Sometimes when these kids live in a dark place they just need someone to show them that there’s a way out. I’ve gotten a little busy and haven’t been active with the organization much lately but I suspect I’ll be getting back with them soon.
You also owned your own record company prior to becoming a professional actor. What did you take away from that experience?
To keep your feet on the ground. Interaction with everyday people is critically important to the art. I remember riding in a limo with some artists and colleagues in New York City. We pulled up and entered through the backdoor of a popular nightclub, were taken straight upstairs to the VIP section where we could overlook the crowd and I remember drinking and talking and having an almost out of body experience where I’m seeing what’s happening but there’s something that’s not real about it and it was living in a bubble. So now I still ride in limos, but you can catch me on the bus or train on any given day.
Music is still a big passion for you – can you see yourself even going back into the production side one day?
If I get inspired. I was on set chatting with my castmate Gloria Reuben one day – we started talking about music and I thought it probably would be really cool too write and produce a song for her. Not to mention we have several people in our cast that are musically gifted.
What else do you have in store for 2018?
I’m slated to do some more work on Queen Sugar. It’s a show that I love, and I love the character Boogie that I play because he has really uplifting energy. It helps balance me out when I play roles that are emotionally tough. I did an indie film called Heather that should be hitting the film festivals this year. And I’m on the lookout for grade roles being a little selective at the moment.
Thank you to Miles Mussenden for his time. Keep up to date with him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Make sure you check out Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger when it airs on Freeform on June 7.