Earlier this year, actor and recording artist Tyrese Gibson faced a firestorm of criticism and mockery when he took to social media to share details about his custody battle with his ex-wife. Not to mention, he personally accused his Fast & Furious co-star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, of delaying the production of Fast & Furious 10.
Still, the backlash hasn’t stopped the 40-year-old actor from continuing his journey in Hollywood. In fact, Gibson has booked three films since the drama, including signing a three-picture deal with Marvel, and is now starring in Deon Taylor’s latest, Black & Blue, out Friday. This thrilling, stressful, poignant film feels like a resurgence for the talented star we met in a Coca-Cola commercial.
“This was the first movie I was able to book after everything I had to deal with personally, so I came into this movie with a level of vulnerabilities that I probably couldn’t even tap into right now if I wanted to,” Gibson told ESSENCE Monday at a special screening for Black & Blue in New York City.
He continued, “I can’t say I was on the receiving end of the beat-down and some of it wasn’t self-inflicted. I’m grown enough to be responsible for things I said and did [that] contributed to my mess.”
Gibson credits his wife, Samantha Gibson, whom he was hand-in-hand with on the red carpet, for helping him see a way through.
“She prayed me out of my mess,” he revealed.
Gibson has advice for those who may still be dealing with their own personal traumas, whether it be trouble in their marriage or trouble with co-parenting with an ex.
“What I will say to anybody who is ‘in it,’ you may not have your traumas play out on public display, [but] invite God in. God sometimes needs permission to get in,” he explained. “There is no handsome, there is no relationship, there is no joke, there is no charm, no charisma, there is no resume that could have took me out of it. The Lord Jesus Christ gets all the credit for what He did.”
Check out the video above to hear more from Gibson, including how he refocused on his passions.
