Actor and singer Woody McClain spent last year's (16) Independence Day holiday with Bobby Brown, the singer he portrays in new TV movie The New Edition Story.
The young star couldn't get home to Florida for July 4th and so Bobby insisted he join the Browns for a cook-out in Los Angeles.
"I spent 4th of July with him and his family and I got a chance to talk with him and his wife and the whole family is amazing," Woody tells WENN. "I couldn't make it home, so he called me over there. He actually asked me if anybody else from the cast was in town and I said, 'Nope! Everybody left'.
"So I came over and ate all that food by myself! He made ribs. He made chicken, mac n' cheese, collard greens... He's really a warm-hearted guy. With the fame and success and the money of course he's a good, real person. I appreciate Bobby Brown - and he can cook!"
And the My Prerogative singer was a constant source of support for Woody: "The moment I first felt like Bobby Brown was the moment I first heard My Prerogative in the actual outfit with the band behind me, with the ladies screaming and grabbing on me... and then hearing Bobby in the background screaming, 'That's Bobby!'"
McClain's castmate Bryshere Gray had a similar connection with Mike Bivins, who he portrays in the film.
"I stayed with Michael for two weeks and just got to know him," the Empire star says. "I sat and had dinner with his mom, talked to his brothers and got into his mental state. If I'm playing a character I want to embody that character, so you really believe that I'm who it is (sic)."
The New Edition Story debuted on U.S. cable channel BET on Tuesday (24Jan17).
