Eric Kofi Abrefa Said ‘BMF’ Co-Star Lil Meech is ‘Like My Brother’
The hit Starz series BMF (Black Mafia Family) is based on the true story of brothers Demetrius ‘Big Meech’ Flenory and Terry ‘Southwest T’ Flenory. The latest from executive producer Curtis ‘50 Cent‘ Jackson and executive producer, showrunner, and writer Randy Huggins, the series centers around the brothers’ drug empire in late 1980s Detroit.
Talented British actor Eric Kofi Abrefa plays the brothers’ main rival Lamar in the show. Recently, he talked about his experiences on the show and how he prepared for it. He also talked about his relationship with co-star Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory who is playing his own father.
Eric Kofi-Abrefa says co-star Lil Meech is ‘like my brother’
In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Abrefa says Lil Meech is like a brother to him, and he loves him. He explained that there’s a family vibe working on the set with everyone. Lil Meech impressed Abrefa because it was his first acting job. He was professional and fully committed from the very first day he worked.
Abrefa explains that the opportunity to play his own father on BMF and tell the story of his father and uncle means a lot to Lil Meech.
Meech wasn’t just given the role because of who he was. 50 Cent, who is very passionate about BMF, started prepping Lil Meech for the role way before the series got greenlit. He insisted the young prospective actor take acting classes for two years. Once that was complete, he then had to audition for the role of his father on the show.
Lil Meech felt it was important to show people that he was worthy of the role, so he could show the world who his father really was.
Playing Lamar
Before taking on the role of Lamar, Abrefa admits he had some background information about the Black Mafia Family.
He was very aware of the impact they had on hip-hop culture, he explained, particularly in the early 2000s. Abrefa said the name Big Meech came up often for him and that he’d seen a couple of documentaries about the family. Abrefa considers it mind-blowing to get to know them in terms of what they were able to accomplish and where they came from.
To get into character, he said he read various articles and publications to start. Showrunner Randy Huggins sent him things to look over including materials on the period and the city of Detroit for his research. Abrefa says his character is loosely based on someone, and he was given some heads up about him to help him establish his character.
Growing up in the ’90s
Abrefa has an impressive resume that’s perpetually growing. He’s played many film and TV roles in popular, critically-acclaimed dramas like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Sherlock, Snowden, Blue Story, and more.
He explained that he’d grown up in the ’90s which were, from his point of view, dominated by American television shows like those on the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and hip-hop music. It helped him to perfect the Detroit accent he uses on BMF.
Abrefa felt, because of all the American TV he’d watched growing up, that his ears were very tuned to the accent. The African American culture, he explained, was like “Black Mecca for like, every Black person around the world.” It gave him the foundation he needed to master the accent.
Abrefa says when he’s on set, he would speak using the accent more often than not. He felt it was important to get the “muscularity around my mouth for it.” He said his approach to developing the accent felt corny sometimes but that it was important that he push through.
