Beginnings
Where to Stream the Album
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Common Questions
When did Cleavant start acting?
Cleavant arrived in New York in 1977 to pursue his Broadway career. His early Broadway credits included the 1977 revival of Hair and Your Arms Too Short to Box With God (following his twin brother Clinton’s suggestion to audition).
When did Cleavant start singing?
Cleavant has been singing since childhood – it’s a family tradition. His father was a Baptist preacher, singer, and gospel composer. As he said: “Music was always my first love” and “It is a tradition to sing in the Derricks family.” So singing came before his professional acting career.
What was Cleavant's favorite episode of Sliders?
The pilot episode. As he stated: “What stays in my mind, in all honesty, has got to be the first one. That was the beginning of it. It was getting to know actors and characters, it was getting to share and starting to grow. It’s the most memorable to me.” He also noted that fans particularly loved “Asylum,” the episode where he sang “Stolen Angel,” a song he wrote.
What was it like working on Dreamgirls?
Initially, he didn’t want to do it! He had just finished a workshop that never got off the ground and didn’t want another workshop. But Tom Eyen (who was working with Michael Bennett) had a vision and wanted only Cleavant for James Thunder Early. He called it “the easiest audition I ever could have done” and later said: “That show was probably the best thing I ever had an opportunity to do on Broadway, and I worked with some of the best people. I worked with Michael Bennett, Bob Fosse, Joseph Papp, Mike Nichols.”
Are you actually working towards a Sliders reboot? This isn't a joke right?
We are in the beginning stages of promotion to help get fan reactions to Universal so that they can get an idea of how many people to expect in the viewing audience. We have a 5,000+ signature petition, but this is just a start. We need a 5 million+ signature petition to start getting their executives into reboot territory.
