Television

A prescription for change

Mekhi Phifer leaves teenage "street" roles behind as the newest star on TV's classic drama "ER". He's grown up a lot in real life, too.

By Mark Morrison

"I grew up in a single-parent house. My mother taught me everything."

The first day Mekhi (pronounced muh-KYE) Phifer showed up on the set of "ER" at the end of last season, he found cast members in tears. It wasn't anything personal -- at least not to the 27-year-old television series newcomer. The scenes being rehearsed were ones signaling the exit of actor Anthony Edwards and his much-loved patriarchal character, Dr. Mark Greene. Edwards was making his swan song after eight years with the critically acclaimed series just as an outspoken young resident named Dr. Gregory Pratt -- played by Phifer -- was making his debut.

"People were crying, and I'm in the middle of all this," he says. "But I loved that, because I knew they had grown to love each other as a family, and I was coming into a nurturing environment."

Flash forward to this season, the NBC drama's ninth: As the headstrong Pratt, Phifer brings an unpredictable mix of brashness and vulnerability, mystery and charm that seems to come naturally.

Joining a veteran TV series may be an unorthodox move for a young actor with more than 15 films to his credit -- he plays Eminem's best friend in the just-out "8 Mile" and even gets a mention in the film's title track -- but the decision, like most things Phifer does, is part of a bigger plan: "I definitely thought [ER] could take me to another level of manhood as far as how people see me. I see myself as a grown man, not a kid with a book bag chasing after girls."

Until now, Phifer has played mostly teens, from a tough guy in 1996's "High School High" to a modern-day high school Othello in 2001's "O" (his last-such part, he swore). Even in those roles, Phifer showed a maturity beyond his years. "I credit New York for that," says the Harlem-born and -bred actor, who was raised by a single mother determined to see her son aim higher than the streets.

Having found his way at an early age, the actor relates to Pratt's struggle to prove himself in the ER. "[Pratt] came to the hospital with his defenses up," says the actor. "He probably worked his way up through community college and wasn't a conformist who tried to fit other people's idea of how a doctor should walk and talk. But he's also very good at what he does and wants to prove that he can play by the rules. Sometimes it's tough love, but it's love all the same."

Phifer could just as easily be speaking of the dynamics that shaped his own life. "I never met my father," he says of the man who left his mother when she was a pregnant 24-year-old college student. "I grew up in a single-parent house. But my mother taught me everything. She laid a foundation of reading, writing, arithmetic, self-love, self-pride. She taught me about who I am, my African heritage. She taught me how to make sense of things, how to have an objective view, how to take constructive criticism. She taught me to get out there and be the best I can be."

Surprisingly, Phifer is philosophical about his father's absence: "I have seven uncles, so I always had male role models. I really feel like my father was just here to bring me in so I can do what I do. [His absence] never held me back. I never used it as an excuse."

Phifer wasn't invulnerable to the economic lure of street life, but while helping a friend hustle drugs one day, he had an epiphany. "I'm looking around me, and I see the clientele, people looking sick, broke, dismal, and I thought, 'What's the point? I'm not only helping to deteriorate my community, I'm not helping my family or myself. I'm smarter than this.' And I left."

Although he hadn't intended to pursue acting, Phifer went to an open casting call for Spike Lee's 1995 drama, "Clockers", with head shots he took in a photo booth en route to the audition -- and he won the lead from among 1,000 hopefuls.

Phifer's brief marriage in 1999 to actress Malinda Williams (now on Showtime's "Soul Food") produced 3-year-old son Omikaye. The couple, whom he says split amicably, live "two exits apart" in Los Angeles and share custody. Fatherhood is another reminder Phifer lives in the grown-up world -- and one more reason why he chose "ER". Being part of one of TV's most impressive ensemble casts gives him visibility, so he can "make certain things happen."

Top among them? Although currently single, settling down is something he's given great consideration to. "I really want a big family -- I want five kids, the big house, the goldfish, the dogs. I want to be a soccer dad," Phifer says with a laugh.

And as for his big-screen Hollywood career? Phifer isn't ruling anything out; instead he's diversifying. "I don't want to be a slave to the system," he says. Among his business investments are owning two Athlete's Foot athletic stores in the L.A. area, and he plans to open four more: "Everything I'm doing is part of 'The Plan.' "

Photo by By Bob D'Amico, ABC