Jaime M. Callica On What It's Like To Work With Hollywood Heavyweight Tyler Perry - Exclusive
Actor Jaime M. Callica has been building up an impressive array of screen credits in recent years. In fact, his talent is clearly evident in the fact that he has not one but three Christmas movies debuting during the 2021 holiday season. First, there's Lifetime's "Merry Liddle Christmas Baby," the third movie in the popular series starring former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland. He's also appearing in "A Chestnut Family Christmas" for Oprah Winfrey's OWN network, and then "A Christmas Proposal" on CBS, in which he co-stars with Adam Rodriguez and Jessica Camacho.
Another project that's particularly close to Callica's heart is the Tyler Perry-produced "Ruthless," in which he plays a police detective trying to take down a dangerous cult. In this exclusive interview with Nicki Swift, Callica opens up about what it's been like to work closely with the Hollywood heavyweight and multi-hyphenate at Perry's sprawling studio complex in Atlanta.
Jaime M. Callica is impressed by how well Tyler Perry treats his casts and crews
Being cast in BET+ drama "Ruthless" is not something that Jaime M. Callica takes lightly. "I'm eternally grateful to Tyler Perry for that opportunity. That was my first series regular role, first time shooting in Atlanta. So I'm really grateful for that," he said, highlighting his admiration for Perry. "He is like the judge, jury, and executioner," he said of the famed media mogul. "So he is the writer, executive producer, and he's the director. So I work with Mr. P every day."
Given that "Ruthless" was one of the first TV productions to resume after the pandemic shutdown, Callica detailed some of the groundbreaking measures Perry took to ensure everyone's safety. "What Mr. P did is... he took open land and built tons of houses, effectively to be able to house all of the cast and crew. So what we all did was you got tested, you went on into the compound onto the studio lot, and you stayed there while you shot your whole show or your whole movie. And he fed you. I mean, typically you get breakfast and lunch as you know, but we were getting dinner."
Callica also was quick to share that Perry did his best to make their time enjoyable. "There were movie nights with big projector screens. There would be a liquor bus or liquor cart that would go around if you wanted to pick your little liquor in the evenings or on the weekends and stuff like that," he recalled. "So that was unprecedented . . . No one else did something like that to be able to try to get back to work, but also keep everyone as safe as possible."
Tyler Perry's massive Atlanta studio complex must be seen to be believed
"Ruthless" is filmed at Tyler Perry's massive 330-acre studio complex in Atlanta, and Jaime M. Callica explained that it's difficult to conceive the size and scope of the complex without seeing it in person. "When you drive into the studio lot, there are 12 sound stages that he's built currently, all of which are being rented by Marvel until, like the end of next year," said Callica. "Our entire compound for 'Ruthless,' like is probably about four acres worth, sloping hills, and he's using about 25 acres of the 330 right now for all of that."
Perry's studio complex, Callica added, has it all, including "a full-to-scale White House" and "a 90-foot yacht. So [Tyler Perry] is a genius in what he's done because anybody can go there and shoot anything... It's made and ready, waiting for you."
"Merry Liddle Christmas Baby" debuted November 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime; "A Chestnut Family Christmas" premiered November 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN; "A Christmas Proposal" airs December 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT on CBS.