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EXPANDING HIS REPERTOIRE: David Avery

HE PLAYS the 'aspiring playboy' in hit UK web series Brothers With No Game (BWNG), but actor David Avery maintains that his character Marcus in the online show couldn't be further from the real him.

“I actually auditioned for the part of Theo (described as 'the nice guy who always finishes last') when it came up,” he assures me.

“But they gave me the part of Marcus and I was like, 'Cool, I just want to be in the show'”.

The popular comedy drama, created by Justin Credible (JC), Maverick, Don Kwelu and The Yak - also responsible for the popular self-help website of the same name - launched last year to rave reviews. It received over 10,000 views in five days on YouTube, has over 170,000 video views to date and last month won a record six awards at the LA Web Festival.

“I knew it would do well,” says Avery, who admits he was a fan of the of the “hilarious” BWNG blogs before the creation of the web series.

“And I don't mean that in an arrogant way, but I knew that if my friends and I could relate to the show, there would be other guys who could too. I still want it to do better and I see it doing better.”

Set in London, BWNG follows the social and romantic lives of four friends facing a 'quarter-life crisis' and how they deal with dilemmas that revolve around work, family, friendships and most notably, women.

After a triumphant first series, which also starred fellow 'brothers' Isaac Sosanya, Zephryn Taitte and Jay Marsh, the creators launched a fundraising drive to help finance the next one. They raised over £3,000 in 30 days and will begin filming later this year.

On the universal appeal of the show, the 27-year-old says he believes it's down to a winning mixture of “good, funny and original content”.

“It was different,” he says. “It was putting a spin on urban males that hadn't been put out before. In the mainstream work that I do, 80 per cent of it tends to be that I'm wanted by police or I'm up to no good, but this was the complete opposite, but it was still representing urban males from London.”

He explains: “We're actually a bit silly, we're a bit vulnerable and that kind of role is rare and refreshing. The content was good and the message behind it was good.”

Avery, from west London, actively pursued his passion in acting after completing a degree in advertising and video production and discovering he “wasn't very happy” with his choice of course.

“I think to be honest, acting has always been my destiny. I never had the desire to be an advertising exec; advertising was more of a smart thing to do. I've got those kind of parents who are traditional and were like, 'Get your bit of paper' and to me, that made sense.

“I wanted to get some professional training so I applied to all of the drama schools for my masters. I got into the Central School of Speech and Drama and did a year there, which I absolutely loved. I guess that's where it started professionally. I got an agent, a show reel and everything started after that.”

The actor has since gone on to land roles in No.1 British comedy The Inbetweeners Movie, CBBC's The Dumping Ground and has just finished shooting upcoming movie Starred Up, a gritty prison drama, alongside fellow Brit David Ajala.

“Starred Up is probably the biggest project I've done to date and, aside from BWNG, might be one of the best things I've done. It was a month of solid acting, whereas all of my other projects have been quite sporadic.”

He admits that his mixed heritage, which he describes as “predominantly Cypriot with some Egyptian,” has opened him up to a variety of roles.

“I've got a mixed heritage, which is good because I can play all of these great roles. It's funny because not many people know that I play the role of [Greek waiter] Nicos in The Inbetweeners Movie, but I've played characters from a number of cultures.”

The future for Avery, who hasn't ruled out a stint in the States where his music-producing brother now resides, currently involves writing, producing and experimenting.

“I'm currently writing a show with a friend of mine about five characters that exist on the internet and we've got about an hour’s worth of content. We might release them as small episodes, it's more of an experiment.

“I've got other ideas written down, but nothing official. I just want to work on BWNG and other acting projects coming up.”

On the future of the successful web series, he says: “It can go as far as it wants to. As long as the writers and the cast keep doing what they're doing, we can make it through budget struggles or without the support of a traditional production company. I hope it gets seen by more people and the support continues.”

For more information on BWNG visit: www.brotherswithnogame.com or follow @David_Avery_ on Twitter