For more than 25 years, Mekhi Phifer has gained a reputation as one of the most beloved and versatile actors in the industry. The Harlem native has amassed an impressive resume of TV and film credits. On television, he starred in Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), from 2002 to 2008 he played Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama “ER”, and he played Tommy Brown, Bobby Brown’s uncle in "The Bobby Brown Story” (2018). He also starred as CIA officer Rex Matheson in “Torchwood: Miracle Day” and he had a recurring role in the Showtime drama “House of Lies.”

On the big screen, Phifer made his film debut in Spike Lee's acclaimed film Clockers. He went on to star in many more films such as High School High, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Soul Food, Shaft, Paid in Full, 8 Mile, and This Christmas just to name a few.

Mekhi Phifer's New Crime Thriller

For his latest project, Phifer is starring in the newly released crime-action thriller Long Gone Heroes. According to a synopsis, the film details the journey of a “special forces soldier who has given up country, religion, and even hope, [and] must return to the field of battle to track down his niece, a reporter, caught in the middle of an illegal private contracting operation that went dead wrong.”

The star-studded cast includes Frank Grillo, Josh Hutcherson, Eden Brolin, Wendy Moniz, and Andy Gracia.

A Career Built on Talent, Passion, and Persistence

Interestingly, Phifer never had a desire to be an actor. As a high school student, he wanted to be an electrical engineer and was already enrolled in classes at Columbia University.

“I went to a high school in Harlem called Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics and I also attended Columbia University while I was in high school. I was getting college credits there, and in the summertime, I stayed on campus,” Phifer told BET.com. “I was taking serious college courses like pre-calculus because I was gearing up to go to college after graduation.”

After seeing an open casting call in the local newspaper for Spike Lee’s upcoming film Clockers, he went with his cousin and the rest is history

“I went to the open casting call for Clockers with my cousin and I wound up getting the lead role in the movie. That's kind of how I got into acting,” he explained. “I had never acted before. I had never auditioned before. I didn't have an agent, a manager,  pictures, or anything. I just went to an open casting call that they publicized on the radio and in the newspaper and things like that. I was here with more than 1000 people.”

Phifer also made appearances as a burgeoning actor in several music videos such as En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go”, Keith Sweat’s “Nobody”, and Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine.”

“It was awesome doing that because those were the good old days when they would accompany the song with a dope  music video to help promote the project. Whatever happened to that?” Phifer asked. “So I got to have a lot of fun with that.”

Now as a veteran in the game, Phifer said that the key to his success has been loving his craft, staying true to himself, and being able to adapt to the changing times.

“Anybody can get a job in a movie, guest star on a TV show, but maintaining a career is something else. It’s about building a name for yourself and garnering attention. If you can do something consistently for 10 years straight without having to do anything else, then you've got yourself a career,” he explained. 

“To sustain a career in film and television, it takes  being willing to hone in on the craft, being serious about the work, finding nuances, not only in yourself, but in different characters, and the ability and willingness to keep learning because you’ll never know everything,” he added. “If you're my age or the age of Morgan Freeman, you should never stop learning.”

A Collaboration with a Friend

Phifer shared that he was asked to play the role of Moreao in Long Gone Heroes by Frank Grillo, whom he had previously worked with. He noted that having great relationships in the industry is another way to stay relevant.

“My buddy Frank Grillo is an awesome cat and this was our second film together. We had another film that came out early this year called Lights Out and we had such a great time on that together that when this film came up, he gave me a call,” Phifer recalled. “He told me that he thought I would be great in the role and unlike the last movie, where we were friends, in this one we would be rivals.”

“I play a mercenary named Moreao, we're going after a woman who's a journalist that witnessed something nefarious, and we're trying to stop her and to get the truth out,” he continued.  “Me and Andy Garcia, who plays Roman, are trying to track her down along with our group, and it gets exciting.”

Garcia was one of Phifer's favorite actors as a kid, he expressed how special it was to finally work with him.

“It's funny because I told him the story that I remembered being a kid in Harlem and going to see Godfather III, The Untouchables, and Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead and all these great films before I was even considering being an actor. Then being able to work with him was a blessing unto itself,” he said.

A Timely Film

It was not lost on Phifer that the timing of the film comes ahead of the Presidential Election and at a time when turmoil is taking place overseas.

“With the current political climate, the foreign wars, and unfortunately innocent people getting killed, this film will really hit home for some people,” he said. “It’s not a political film but it has political aspects to it. There are some very high-level people in this film that are involved in this conspiracy. It's crazy in this climate how art imitates life.”

A Family-Friendly Action Thriller

Phifer said that Long Gone Heroes is the kind of film that the entire family can enjoy and he couldn’t be more proud of the final result.

“It's just one of those films where everyone can have a good time. It's a good Saturday night  movie to check out with a loved one, friends and, you know, it's PG 13 so the kids can watch it,” Phifer said. “We want you to sit down and have a bowl of popcorn, relax and enjoy the show.”

Long Gone Heroes hits theaters Friday, September 20.