The Breakfast Club – "More Than an Actor: Marcus Callender on Writing, Producing & Being a True Creative" (Part 1)

Aired: November 25, 2025
Host: Lauren LaRosa
Guest: Marcus Callender

Episode Overview

In this impactful episode, Lauren LaRosa sits down with Marcus Callender—best known for his roles as Ray Ray on “Power” and Power on “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”—to unpack his journey as a multi-hyphenate creative. Marcus discusses his growth from actor to writer and director, focusing on his new play "Spades." He explores the emotional ups and downs of an acting career, the challenge of creative lulls, his relationship with notoriety, and the importance of taking authorship and producing your own work. The conversation is layered with insightful anecdotes about career setbacks, mental health, and the messy journey behind creative achievement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Marcus Callender – More Than Just "Ray Ray" (03:36–05:36)

• Lauren introduces Marcus’s multi-faceted identity as a creative: “He would be so annoyed if I only called him an actor, but he is a creative. He is a multi-hyphenate…” (03:36)
• Marcus gives his backstory: “Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I’m a Pisces. Yeah. And I am the writer and director of Spades, the play. Some of y’all might know me from Power… Wu-Tang: An American Saga…” (05:04)
• Memorable Quote:
  "If people see me and still think that I'm that character, I guess I did a good job in portraying that." – Marcus (05:46)

2. The Impact of "Power" and Public Recognition (06:40–08:54)

• Marcus describes how "Power" brought him street recognition and notoriety.
• The specific episode in which his character killed Raina was both a career milestone and a source of public ire:
  “I literally had to, like, hide my face all the time… especially when that episode dropped.” (07:28)
• Navigating fame as a New Yorker took adjustment:
  “When you from New York and you see somebody staring at you, the first thing you thinking is, like, yo, what's up? What you looking at?” (08:29)

3. The Pressure of Sudden Visibility & Facing Uncertainty (08:54–12:13)

• Lauren asks about the pressure felt when his character’s arc was ending.
• Marcus reveals the inside info on his character’s planned demise, learning about it only at the table read (10:03).
• Explains how he was originally hired for just one episode, but creator Courtney Kemp extended his role based on his performance:
  “Every character is in you. But what’s going to make it different is simply you. There’s only one you on the planet.” (11:50)

4. Careers, Lulls and Mental Health: The Post-"Power" Plateau (16:40–24:10)

• After "Power," Marcus faces a year of not booking work, causing confusion and depression.
• He describes hoping for signs and getting a workshop offer—reminding listeners always to give 100 percent, no matter the stage (18:45):

  “You never know. Right. So when I realized it was him, I was like, oh, this is the guy from—He remembered me. Wow.” (19:43)

• Advice to creatives: Trust intuition, work hard, recognize the journey is as valuable as the goal.
• Quote:
  “The journey is way more interesting than the goal… every time I reach the goal, I’m still mostly thinking about what it took to get here.” (24:50)

5. Taking the Leap to LA, Facing More Setbacks, and Staying Hungry (21:12–25:33)

• Marcus recounts moving to LA, surviving on faith, and chasing opportunity despite uncertainty:
  "I didn't have the money to do it… but it's about trusting that intuition… there's no way I had that epiphany to move to LA and he's not gonna make a way." (21:13)
• Details near-misses for major TV roles (“New Amsterdam,” a CW series), and being in casting conversations with legends like Lorenz Tate:
  “Even though you can’t pay your rent with that…” (Lorenz Tate casting, 23:10)

6. Coping with the Creative Down Times & Returning to Writing (26:00–29:42)

• Marcus describes how downtime, failed auditions, and distractions (including relationships) led him to pick up the long-abandoned script for "Spades."
• Recalls starting "Spades" in 2015, staging an initial reading, and revisiting the script after being re-inspired at a spades game party in LA.

7. Self-Production and Redefining Success on Your Own Terms (29:42–31:15)

• Marcus details how, by focusing on his play, he started attracting new opportunities, including landing an off-Broadway play and then the Wu-Tang series.
• "The minute I dive into my own shit, now all of a sudden opportunities come." (29:59)

8. Landing and Living Wu-Tang – Character Study and Authenticity (31:15–47:04)

• Talks about the unique process of auditioning, screen testing, and eventually playing “Power,” a real person and Wu-Tang’s executive producer.
• Story of finally meeting the real Power, studying him in-depth to nail the details: how Power walks, counts money, dresses, and more.
• Memorable Scene: Marcus FaceTiming Power for wardrobe advice and learning to always wear his chain tucked in rather than outside (47:04).
• Quote:
  “Down to like how I wear the chain. He never wears his chain on the outside. He always has it tucked in… Just like little things. So I was able to bring more to the role, which I think paid off.” (47:04)

9. The Writer’s Strike, Depression, and Choosing to Bet on Himself (48:54–57:16)

• After Wu-Tang, creative momentum stalls as the writer’s strike hits—once again, Marcus faces a mental health challenge and questions about his circle and support systems.
• He candidly addresses how distractions and vices crept in, and a deeply introspective birthday gathering sparked him to cut off negative energy and “clear space” (53:19).
• After a failed Detroit reading and feeling stalled by traditional white institutions, Marcus decides to produce "Spades" himself: “I’m tired of waiting. So… I’m gonna do this myself. Yeah, I’m gonna do this myself. And it woke something up in me.” (55:10)

10. The Play "Spades"—Building Momentum & Finding Purpose (56:52–57:18)

• Recent staged readings of "Spades" in New York—Marcus describes the long, 10-year evolution of his play and the satisfaction of finally moving forward on his own terms.
• Lauren closes out the conversation with a rally for listeners to check out “Spades the Play,” now running in New York.

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "If people see me and still think that I'm that character, I guess I did a good job in portraying that."
  —Marcus Callender (05:46)

• “Every character is in you. But what’s going to make it different is simply you. There’s only one you on the planet.”
  —Marcus Callender (11:50)

• “The journey is way more interesting than the goal… every time I reach the goal, I’m still mostly thinking about what it took to get here.”
  —Marcus Callender (24:50)

• "The minute I dive into my own shit, now all of a sudden opportunities come."
  —Marcus Callender (29:59)

• "Down to like how I wear the chain. He never wears his chain on the outside. He always has it tucked in… Just like little things. So I was able to bring more to the role, which I think paid off.”
  —Marcus Callender (47:04)

• "I'm tired of waiting. So… I’m gonna do this myself. Yeah, I’m gonna do this myself. And it woke something up in me.”
  —Marcus Callender (55:10)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Marcus's self-intro and career background: 03:36–05:36
• Reactions to infamous "Power" episode: 05:46–08:29
• Learning about his character’s death on "Power": 09:30–11:50
• Career drought and mental health struggle: 17:00–21:57
• Moving to LA and casting near-misses: 21:12–25:33
• Reviving the “Spades” play: 27:13–29:59
• Landing Wu-Tang as "Power": 31:15–41:07
• Meeting the real Power & character study: 43:13–47:04
• Writer’s strike and creative depression: 48:54–55:10
• Committing to self-producing "Spades": 56:52–57:18

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is raw, real, and encouraging—highlighting both the glamorous and gritty sides of a creative career. Marcus’s openness about insecurity, rejection, and finding the courage to do things on your own terms offers inspiration for artists and anyone facing self-doubt or setbacks. Listeners are left with the sense that resilience, self-belief, and authenticity are the real game-changers.

Stay tuned for Part 2, and look out for “Spades the Play” in New York.

Episode hashtag suggestions: #SpadesThePlay #MarcusCallender #CreativeJourney #TheBreakfastClub