‘You gotta keep that thang you,’: Tyriq Withers reveals he carried a bible on set of ‘HIM’

Actor Tyriq Withers admits he kept a bible close by to protect his energy while working on his new movie “HIM.”

Tyriq Withers made sure he wasn’t stepping on the set of Jordan Peele’s “HIM” unprotected. But instead of sage or crystals, the rising star revealed that while filming the chilling psychological horror film, he always kept one essential item nearby: a bible.

“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 protection came in handy, especially on one of the eeriest shoot days. “We were shooting a scene during the eclipse, and that was the most eerie day I’d say on set,” he said. “It was like something was happening, but, you know, we’re here now.”

Despite the film’s dark themes and horror genre, life on set had its lighthearted moments. Naturally, Wayans brought his comedic nature behind the scenes and even into certain scenes that may or may not have made the final cut of the film. In moments where Wayans’ character failed, the actor says he tried to make up for it in his relationship with Withers off-camera. 

“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. 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,” Wayans told GQ.  

That bond showed up in some of their most intense scenes. Withers pointed to the trailer scene, where Wayans’ character explodes at him, as his most memorable behind-the-scenes experience. 

“Because he was doing all types of stuff like I think in that scene, he booed me. Then next scene, he pulled my happy trail hair off [like] he ripped it off. And then another scene, he said, look at you getting mad and your face get red, like, look like somebody licked the dust off of a hot Cheeto,” he said unable to contain his laughter. “So I think that was most memorable day, because he just had fun with it. And, you know, I think that’s what you get when you work with an icon like Marlon.” 

From the dark, heavy moments on camera to the comedic ones behind the scenes, Withers says they all play a part in the performance viewers see in “HIM.” 

“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? And I think that perfectionism pushed me to a place where the experience Cameron was having, those emotions, were felt by me as a human,” he shared, reflecting on his experience working on the film. “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.”