Photo by Gawaine Johnson
Nelson James Davis was born May 26th, 1987 in Okinawa Japan. Nelson got the acting bug at an early age when he joined his elementary school’s drama club in the 4th grade. From that point on to adulthood, he has been working on perfecting his craft and paving his way in the entertainment industry. At age 16, Nelson signed with his first talent agency as a model on their talent roster. That led to bookings in various fashion shows and print ad opportunities. Nelson appeared as Kevin Peirce in the season six premiere of the Investigation Discovery docudrama Wicked Attraction titled Venus Guy Trap. Nelson has also done print modeling in multiple ad campaigns for the retail clothing store chain Citi Trends, which has over 500 stores nationwide.
Nelson has also appeared in the UP (TV Network) original movie Love Will Find a Way portraying one of the lead character’s boyfriend. He also appeared in The Swirl Films & New Image feature film Frat Brothers, which aired on BET and Netflix. Nelson more recently played the supporting role of Detective Jackson in the Red Box favorite 24 Hours. Nelson has also written, directed, produced, and acted in various short films of his own as well as a handful of other feature films, short films, and web series.
Currently, Nelson plays Gabriel “Gabe” Stewart in the hit web series Lovers Lane from Victory Productions. We had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Nelson. Check out the interview below.
Hi, Nelson! Thank you for granting the interview. Congrats on your role as Maurice Bond in the Bondage movie. What should the audience expect to see?
Hi, thank you so much for having me! I am honored. You can definitely expect an emotional roller coaster that is going to take off and no turning back. You’ll feel sad, you will feel “in the mood”. You will definitely be talking to your screen.
Tell us about your character. Who is he? What is his personality like?
Maurice Bond is a sex addict, but he is also so much more. I think as an individual he is seeking happiness. He sees sex as a source for happiness and feels that whenever something is wrong, that type of pleasure is going to make everything better. He’s a good guy, he goes really hard for his loved ones.
Maurice is a sex addict that apparently used a male escort service to support his addiction. He was able to leave the trade behind but soon finds himself returning to help save his mother.
Yes. I feel that initially, this is very heartbreaking for him. He wants to do better. He was on a path to do better. Doing better is important to him, but not as important to him as the well being of his mother. He feels that his back is against the wall. He even finds a woman that he is interested in. He is willing to risk doing better for the potential woman of his dreams and in order to ensure his mother’s health. In other words, it’s choosing your loved ones over yourself without them ever asking you to do so. He has a great heart but can be easily misunderstood looking from the outside in. In this situation, I honestly think his good heart outweighs his sex addiction. At times, I honestly feel Bond does not even see “escorting” as sex. It’s just a job and still works towards not having sex outside of his “job.”
Was it a challenge to play him? Did you have to pull from experience?
It was a challenge initially, but I think the key to playing him was to look deeper under the surface. I am the type of guy that “needs to know why” on a day-to-day basis. So it was very important to me to really get in Bond’s head and understand “WHY” he does certain things. When putting yourself in his shoes, it makes things a little easier. Even If I would not handle it the same way personally, I still can understand why. I think we all can relate to Bond. It may not be sex but we all have an “outlet” that helps us feel better. Some outlets are just worse than others. It could be sex, it could be food, it could drugs, it could be writing, or it could be working out. Bond happens to be sex. I also feel many of us would do whatever it takes for our loved ones. So I can relate to this. We all can when we sit and think about it.
How did you get the role?
It was written for me. When Karlton and I first started working together, I was in the process of building my image and rebranding. The first project we worked on was Lovers Lane. I knew I wanted to do something more provocative, so I said, “Hey next season can I have a sex scene, and I want to do brief nudity.” I think it kind of caught him off guard I had to clarify “no frontal. [lol] I would only show my butt in the sex scene to give it that added realism and see what kind of reaction comes about.” Karlton agreed and I was actually the first actor to have a scene like that in one of his productions. It really made sense at the time because I was really breaking through doing eye candy modeling as well. I used modeling as a vehicle to drive more traffic and attention to my acting work. So it generated a good response on Lovers Lane from fans. I wanted to do another provocative project and Karlton created Bond for me. I have always expressed it was important to me that if a story is going to contain elements of sex and nudity it has to be justified in the story. It has to be deeper than just showing skin. I think Karlton did a great job achieving that in his writing on Bondage. At the time I was getting into producing and he asked if I would executive produce it with him as well.
The subject matter of the movie is intense. We typically see movies depicting women as escorts. There aren’t many movies depicting men in this trade. If it is, it’s usually same-sex plots. However, your character is apparently heterosexual. He’s in love with a woman but it’s complicated. In your opinion, how does “Bondage” bring something new to the story?
It is different for sure in the world that we are used to seeing on film, but I believe it is very accurate in terms of what is going on in “the real world.” Male escorts for women exist for sure. I did my research. [lol] But I think that’s what makes this different. It’s entertaining but a lot of things about this story is pretty realistic.
What is going to surprise people about Maurice?
Again, I think once people get to know Maurice they are going to be surprised that he is a good guy with a good heart. Looking from the outside in, it looks like he’s a guy looking for an excuse to justify having sex. But once you get to know Maurice, you realize Bond is just a demand that he is fighting within, but he can’t push him completely off the edge of the cliff because he needs him to survive.
Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of dialogue and why?
My favorite line was “ I am in public relations.” Because it symbolizes how he just does not want to lie to people and when asked what he does he said “public relations.” [lol] He is trying so hard.
When looking back on the production, what resonated with you the most and why?
“We did it!” That sums it up and always comes to mind. Like this was a passion project and we did it. Not only did we do it but we just did a second season. And in the amount of time we shot it in.
In your opinion, what scene in the movie is going to blow people away and why?
I think the scene that is going to blow people away is the scene where Bond meets Jackie’s mom and stepfather for dinner. Let’s just say Bond is put in a very interesting position and you will find yourself having a discussion about it.
What did you enjoy most about your character and role?
I enjoy how complex he is. There are so many layers. I feel as if I am actually becoming Bond while filming as opposed to a character saying lines. Bond has so many emotions that have to be portrayed. He sleeps, he wakes up, he’s sad, he’s depressed, he’s happy, he’s confused, he has sexual desires, and he reflects. He does so many things and does so many things that are portrayed in Bondage.
Do you have anything else you would like to share about the series?
Let’s just say it is a few people with the same addictions just double the dosage.
What are your upcoming projects?
I am currently working on a feature film titled Protege. It is a thriller. Also, I’m in a suspense feature film titled Secure The Bag.
What do you enjoy most about acting?
I enjoy having the opportunity to become someone or something else. When I grew up, like most kids, I wanted to be so many things. I feel with acting I get a chance to leave a little piece of those dreams with every role. On top of that, I just really enjoy entertaining.
What was the last movie you watched and why?
Acrimony. Because I respect what Tyler Perry has done and continues to do!
Is there a role you would like to play one day?
I want to do action! I want to play a secret agent or assassin. Something like that.
How important is representation in the industry?
I feel representation is very important in the industry! But I also feel what you do on your own is just as important because it makes your representations job easier and you all win! Just work!
If you didn’t choose acting as your career, what would you be doing and why?
I would probably be an author. Which I am still not counting out. Not instead of acting but in addition to. But I feel I could still entertain and bring stories to life in peoples heads.
What’s your favorite quote/affirmation and why?
“If you stay ready, you don’t need to get ready” – Will Smith. That right there will really keep you focused and motivated. The time is coming. The question is am I going to be ready?
Complete this sentence. If I could do anything in this world, I would be doing . . .
. . . another movie that you all can enjoy!
How can people see the movie and connect with you on social media?
You can check it out filmarchitectz.com and connect with on Instagram and Twitter @nelsonjdavis Facebook Nelson Davis.
Featured Image Credit: Gawaine Johnson.
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