An Interview with Wayne Brady, Mandie Taketa, Maile Brady, and Jason Michael Fordham from ‘Wayne Brady: The Family Remix’

WAYNE BRADY: THE FAMILY REMIX – Freeform’s “Wayne Brady: The Family Remix” stars Wayne Brady, Maile Brady, Mandie Taketa, and Jason Fordham. (Disney/Matt Sayles)

An unspoken rule in Hollywood, is for celebrities to keep their private lives to themselves, for varying reasons, but the common one we know of, is to allow for them to have a life beyond their stage persona and the person the public expects them to be. But in recent years, that’s changed, and more and more celebrities are eager to open up to their fans and showcase who they are and what they stand for and tonight, one particular celebrity is going to open up to his fans like never before.
 
For tonight, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix will debut on Freeform, which offers unpreceded access to Wayne’s life, truths and feelings and family and in anticipation of the show’s release, we sat down with Wayne and his family, consisting of Mandie Taketa, Maile Brady, and Jason Michael Fordham to discuss this incredible look into all of their lives. 
 
John Betancourt: We are going to start with a two-part question, the first part is for Wayne. Wayne, how hard was it to speak your truth in this series? 
 
Wayne Brady: It was incredibly hard, because if you're in the public eye, it would be silly for you to say you don't care what anyone thinks because you're in the public eye. I think the hard part, the struggle, is getting to the point where you care, but you get over it, because your truth is much more important than… than what they think. And then people come around too. Once you believe in what you're talk talking about, the same people that dug you before are like, “Oh yeah, I agree,” and the people that don't, then I don't need you.
 
John Betancourt: Now for the rest of the family, how hard was it for all of you to have such an open and honest look into your lives?
 
Mandie Taketa: I think it was easy because we're safe with each other. Now ask me again after this airs, okay? 
 
Maile Brady: I second my mom's answer. 
 
Jason Michael Fordham: Yeah, same. I mean, we enjoyed being with each other. How that lands? We'll see.
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to each of you to be part of a show that is truly so open and honest?
 
Wayne Brady: It's beautiful to be able to show a family that is diverse like ours, being able to laugh together, being able to have each other's backs, to be able to show you what a real family looks like. And when I say real, I mean real, because not everyone here is related by blood, but everyone is related by intention, and that's just found family. So, the fact that we can show America what a group of people that love each other, that want to be in each other's lives look like, and they happen to look like us… then victory.
 
Mandie Taketa: I'm with Wayne. I agree, 100%. It means everything to us. And we're really, we're aware of what a privilege and how fortunate we are to be able to share something like this.
 
Maile Brady: I think it's… I'm really excited that people will see a family that looks like ours, function and be vulnerable with each other and really enjoy each other's company. And I'm very proud of what we have created together as our family union.
 
Jason Michael Fordham: And for me, I mean any kind of nervousness or fears is just because I care, you know, I care that our message sort of lands, that we're representing ourselves well and being truthful to the way that we are, and I think that we did that. And so how that's received, you know, remains to be seen. 
 
Wayne Brady: Can I tell you how I see us, especially knowing the world that you live in and that I love as well. I see us as the X-Men. We are a team that… we've been thrown together. Sometimes we don't fit the normal mindset of what is acceptable, but we come together for a mission. I kind of see, see myself as a Cyclops in, in the whole mix, I'd say that Jason is our… well, I was going to say Beast, but, no, no, he's Hank Pym.
 
Maile Brady: I'm saying I'm Magneto. 
 
Wayne Brady: Oh, okay, you can be Magneto and, and Mandie is our… well, I was going to make you Storm, but I was going to say that Mandie is our Jean Grey. So, you have this group that have come together. We all have these different powers, and we decided that we could kick more ass going through the world to get together than separately.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today, if you had one word to describe this series, what would that word be? 
 
Wayne Brady: Fresh.
 
Maile Brady: Unexpected
 
Jason Michael Fordham: Authentic.
 
Mandie Taketa: Uplifting.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. 

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