Three UNCW students-Quinten Johnson, Josh Cohen and Rickie Smalls – participated in the production of the upcoming feature film “Frat Brothers,” produced by local company Swirl Films and starring popular TV and music star, Lil’ Romeo.

Not only did the student actors land key roles in a feature film, but the trio also got a taste of fraternity life while shooting the scenes. Oddly enough, they were experiencing the “frat world” for the first time on their very own campus – “Frat Brothers” was regularly filmed on UNCW grounds.

“I went to UNCW,” said Swirl Films producer, Eric Tomosunas. “It was incredible to be able to bring the film to Wilmington, be on campus, and see how much the school has grown. It’s such a beautiful campus.”

Tomosunas anticipates the film to be released in October and hopes to have it air on channels such as VH1, BET (Black Entertainment TV) and TV One. Depending on the success of the film, we may be able to see Johnson, Cohen and Smalls on the big screen.  

The characters

The film is an illustration of African American fraternity dynamics in which two brothers pledge two different fraternities. Lil’ Romeo plays one of the brothers, a member of his father’s fraternity, Delta Gamma Gamma.

Smalls plays James Penny of rival fraternity Nu Epsilon Pi, and Johnson plays Craig Hill, Lil’ Romeo’s character’s “main dawg” and “yes man.”

“He was sort of the comic relief,” Smalls said of his character. “He didn’t get any girls and he gets beat up the worst.”

Josh Cohen’s character isn’t in a fraternity. Instead, he acts as the director of the inter-fraternity council.

Building a brotherhood

“[The film] shows the inside of African American frats,” Johnson said. “Not just the party side, but the tradition of fraternity Greeks.”

Even though Johnson is a senior, the film gave him insight into the workings of a fraternity.

“It helped me understand that it’s not just something you get involved with,” Johnson said. “It’s a tradition.”

Smalls agreed that the experience gave him perspective, but also admits that the fraternity traditions were not all fun and games.

“To be in a movie where you’re actually in it, and to actually go through that initiation, it’s intimidating,” Smalls said. “But it’s an experience. I loved being involved in a frat in a movie because of the building of brotherhood.”

This “brotherhood” phenomenon was heightened by the most thrilling part of the fake frat experience. Johnson and Smalls learned how to “step”- an African American fraternity tradition and a unique form of dance. For the two fraternities portrayed in the film, the rivalry involved the “step hype.”  

“When we rehearsed the steps, we were reminded as actors to think about our experience, and to think about how we got here,” Johnson said of the dance practice – a valuable exercise for both on and off set life.  

Making friends with celebrities

The guys all agree that the cast and crew immediately clicked on the set, only adding to the brotherhood experience.

“They’re there not just there to make a movie, but to make art,” Johnson said.

Both Cohen and Johnson had met famous people before. In the past, Cohen worked with Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Josh Duhamel. But the three students agreed that working with Lil’ Romeo was both incredibly rewarding and entertaining. They described him as a jokester, sometimes messing up on purpose just for laughs.

“I grew up watching ‘The Lil’ Romeo Show’ [on Nickelodeon],” Cohen said. “He was really down to earth.”

The cast went out to a few bars in town for some off-the-set bonding, a chance to spend some time with the celebrity they’ve watched since childhood.

For Smalls, this was his first taste of acting fame.

“Working a movie with any big name is pretty cool,” Smalls said. “But Lil’ Romeo doesn’t live up to the stereotype. It was fun working with him- he’s a clown.” 

The two even discussed working together on some music in the future- a very cool proposal.

“A lot of movies are about improvising. We learned a lot from [Romeo] and he learned a lot from us,” Johnson said. “He didn’t come off as famous. He’s our age, and another cool person willing to come in to work.”

Being a student and a star

Johnson, Cohen and Smalls all have dreams of careers based in the film or production industry. “Frat Brothers” was just another step toward that dream.

Both Cohen and Smalls have been acting for most of their lives. Johnson began in high school, and all three started in theatre.

“With theatre, I found myself wanting more,” Smalls said. “It’s been said that I’ve been more talented with improv, and there is more of that in film. I found that fun.”

Cohen was introduced to the film industry when he starting working with agents.

“It was awesome. Once you get a taste of Hollywood as an actor, you don’t want anything else. When I was in elementary and middle school, it was just a dream, but when you see yourself on TV, it’s not just a dream anymore,” Cohen said. “I’m a full time student, and these past two years, I’ve shot hundreds and hundreds of hours of films. The lifestyle is what I love more than anything.”

But being both a student and an actor can sometimes force them to make hard decisions.

“I had to drop a class to get involved in this film. But this could be for national television,” Johnson said. “You’re having so much fun with your cast and crew and getting paid to be with your friends… you’re doing something you’re passionate about for 8 to 9 hours a day.”

Johnson is a senior this year and has checked out a couple of graduate schools to get his masters degree in theatre, with hopes of staying involved in the film community and possibly teaching later in his life. Cohen and Smalls still have another year of school to go, and they promise we will be seeing more of them on the big screen, one way or another.