Actor Tyriq Withers Admits He Kept a Bible Close By to Protect His Energy While Working on His New Movie “HIM”
Tyriq Withers wasn’t stepping onto Jordan Peele’s HIM set unprepared. The rising star admitted he always carried a Bible with him during filming, crediting it as a source of protection and balance.
“You gotta always keep it on you,” Withers told theGrio. “Keep it in the trailer. Keep it in your chair. But yeah, you know, you can’t ever go wrong with the Bible in your back pocket. I’m just protecting myself, my frequency, my energy because you just never know.”
That sense of protection, he added, became especially important during one unsettling shoot that coincided with a solar eclipse. “That was the most eerie day I’d say on set,” he said.
Marlon Wayans’ Humor Behind the Horror
While the film dives deep into dark, psychological horror, Withers said Marlon Wayans kept the atmosphere lighter off-camera. Wayans, who plays Isaiah White opposite Withers’ Cameron Cade, often improvised in scenes and found ways to mentor Withers during filming.
“I looked at the parallels of the relationship [between our characters]. And where Isaiah was twisted, I wanted Marlon to not fail the younger person,” Wayans told GQ. “I wanted to take him under my wing and protect him and guide him in a way that didn’t come from a place of insecurity or feeling threatened.”
Withers recalled the trailer confrontation scene as one of the most memorable, describing Wayans’ antics: “He booed me, he ripped my happy trail hair off, then he said, ‘Look at you getting mad… like somebody licked the dust off of a hot Cheeto.’”
Channeling Pain and Joy Into HIM
Withers said the intense and comedic moments all shaped his approach to playing Cameron Cade.
“Waking up every day, the most important thing was, how do I prep this character, Cameron Cade, to be a vessel for people chasing greatness?” he reflected. “I think that what me and Marlon put on screen is an accumulation of our mosaic. And our mosaic is trauma, pain, love, laugh, and joy, all those experiences poured into this movie.”
