By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
The Asbury Park Police Department may soon have a Hollywood star in its ranks.
Police Officer Brock Bradforth, who bears a striking resemblance to the late actor/comedian Bernie Mac, may be in the running for the lead in a new movie about the star who died unexpectedly in August at the age of 50.
Mac had suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease.
Bradforth, a city police officer for six years, has always been interested in performing, with music as his first love.
The Asbury Park High School graduate learned how to sing and play the piano at this father’s church.
His father, Rev. James Jones, was pastor of the White Rock Baptist Church in Long Branch.
As a student at Asbury Park High School Bradforth started an R & B Group which won the Coor’s Light Talent Search at the Count Basie Theater, and after advancing in the competition won the Coor’s Light Talent Search in New York City.
“That opened doors for me,” he said.
The group was approached by Tammy Cobbs, who became their manager.
They were signed by Mac Entertainment, on the same label with Mobb Deep, a rap group.
Cobb introduced Bradforth to her boyfriend at the time, Hip Hop artist Busta Rhymes.
After the two became friends Rhymes told Bradforth he was “hysterical.”
“He told me one day I’d be an actor,” Bradforth said.
That was in 1993 and the two are still good friends.
After becoming a family man, Bradforth, who now lives in Tinton Falls, worked for the state Juvenile Justice Division for many years before joining the Asbury Park police department.
But the desire to be an actor never left him and he began auditioning around New York City getting bit parts in many plays.
“Where the auditions were, I was there,” he said.
One of his bigger roles was a six month stint in the Off-Broadway show “Stand by Sue.”
In 2000 Bradforth got a call from a friend that a movie was being shot in Asbury Park with actor Tommy Flanagan, who had appeared in Braveheart and Gladiator.
Bradforth played a small part as a hitman.
“That was my first taste,” he said.
Bradforth’s most recent project is the upcoming “Exit 102,” a movie in which he plays a big part as a security officer assigned to protect a rising rock star. Some scenes have already been filmed at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. The remainder of the movie is scheduled to be filmed in the spring in the city.
Although he has had no formal training as an actor, Bradforth feels like he’s been training all his life.
“In my family you learned how to act not to get into trouble,” he joked.
As the seventh of seven children he had plenty of opportunities to practice. He said his mother especially loves his burgeoning movie career and one of his goals, should he make it big, is to take care of her.
“My main goal is to make sure she’s secure financially,” he said.
Bradforth hopes to hear about the Bernie Mac movie soon and would like to take a leave of absence from his job in the police department.
“This is the dream that I have,” he says.
Bradforth said he loves his job as a policeman and gets plenty of support from his fellow officers for his movie career.
“It’s like a family,” he said.
Bradforth said he is confident he can carry the role of Bernie Mac.
“Once I get into my mind set, I’ll become Bernie Mac,” he said confidently.
He said he’s been watching Mac for years.
“I studied him since he came out,” he said. “He’s a great actor, a great comedian.”
Bradforth found out about the film from the director of “Exit 102.”
He told me, “I want you in this film.”
The film by Lions Gate Pictures will be shot in Los Angeles.
His children, Bryon, Bryce, Braeden and Bria love to visit movie sets when he is filming.
Although he admitted they do get bored when one scene takes as many as 30 takes.
“My daddy is a movie star – that’s what they tell everybody,” he said.
Email to joanne@thecoaster.net.
Read more about your town by picking up The Coaster at your local newsstand or subscribe today.
Published every Thursday.
