Actor – THE BOSS MANN MAGAZINE

A Conversation with Filmmaker and Actor Lewis T. Powell About His Career, Life and Critically-Acclaimed Film’ Padlock Men

Lewis T. Powell’s short film, Padlock Men, of which he wrote, starred, directed, and produced has to date netted 28 ‘Official’ Film Festival selections with 17 wins and nominations for its depiction of the historically secret band of vigilante civil rights soldiers. Doubling throughout the years as a master barber, filmmaker and musician with coast to coast experience from Washington, DC to South Los Angeles, Powell is proud to celebrate 15 years in Hollywood. He is one of the most diverse talents in the entertainment industry. Lewis, known as “Lew” to his friends is also a musician and artist, producing and releasing under his independent record company Col’Beast Entertainment as, “Big Lew.” He has worked with a plethora of artists like E-40, Too Short, Scarface, Born Jamerican Edley Shine, B-Legit and Nonchalant. “Big Lew,” the recording artist stage name of actor Lewis T. Powell has also reached a No. 2 on the Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles charts for over 18 weeks with his hit, “How We Do,” as “Big Lew BKA Popeye Reds featuring Nonchalant” in 2001.

A good portion of our interview with Lewis T. Powell allowed us to get to know him on a deeper level. When asked about what he has taken for granted in life, he responded with such a great answer.
Lewis T. Powell goes on to say that he feels everyone in this world at some point has taken something for granted in life, there are multiple stages in life with plenty of opportunities where something can get taken for granted. He feels that people oftentimes have a choice to make once they are educated on the outcome of a situation based on their action. People are ignorant by default when they start in life, but at some point, enough experience is gained to understand the choice they are making. In general, he feels we as humans take life for granted often, life can end at any given moment, with lots of unfinished work by individuals. Lewis experienced a tragic event at age 13 when he found out his friend was murdered at a young age; he can count 40 people who got murdered from age 13 to age 27. Lewis remembers feeling depressed while enduring the fact that so many people were getting murdered during his childhood. Growing up in an environment full of negativity stuns your growth, and Lewis can attest to these unique circumstances where we felt he could not share much of how he felt without getting judged. Lewis was able to break the chains of negativity by identifying his weakness, but he quickly turned it into a strength. Each day he got older, he often would use past experiences to fuel his motivation. Today, Lewis’s appreciation for life allows him to enjoy every bit of each moment. Lewis calls it, living on borrowed time.