Dance flick remake is his movie debut.
Twenty-seven years after the original Footloose hit theaters, a remake of the story about a southern town that bans dancing hits theaters October 14, with its plot, most of its songs and many of its dance moves intact, but with a modern multicultural sensibility. “The movie is a lot more diverse than the original one and we’re happy about that,” says Ser’Darius Blain, who plays football captain Woody. “We kept a lot of the iconic scenes but added a modern flair to it. I think it’s a lot more relevant to 2011. We held on to some of the old and brought in some of the new.”
Blain admits he’d never seen the 1984 Footloose in its entirety until he learned he was being considered for his role, which is his first big break. “I can’t believe this happened three months after I moved to L.A. I moved here in April and was on the set in July,” marvels the Florida-bred actor, whose prior appearances were primarily in television commercials. Although his mother is a drama teacher, he was more into sports than acting as a youth. “I was a nerdy jock. I was in band and played basketball all four years. I wanted to be a doctor. But it was always in the back of my mind that [acting] was a possibility.”
While he’s not a trained dancer, “I have some rhythm,” he says, “but I definitely learned a lot from Jamal Sims and Spencer Henderson,” he says, praising Footloose’s choreographers. “They made it amazing.”
Coincidentally, Blain’s next role teams him up with another Footloose star, Andie MacDowell. She plays his boss in the ABC Family series Jane By Design, about a young fashion designer (Erica Dasher). It will premiere in January. Meanwhile, Blain is busy working on music. “I sing and write a lot of pop, R&B,” he says. His first single, “Supernova,” will be released next month.
(Photo: Paramount Pictures)
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