As an only child growing up in a military family, Jay Ellis was in constant search of stability. He swapped cities and schools with every change of the calendar, due to his dad’s Air Force assignments. Interpersonal connections were fleeting. But his bond with Mikey was different.
Ellis — the 42-year-old actor best known for portraying Lawrence in HBO’s now-defunct dramedy series “Insecure”—describes Mikey as the big brother he’d always wanted: a fly-guy hybrid of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”-era Will Smith and Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Wayne of “A Different World.” The two youngsters were inseparable.
Mikey was suave, smart and always down for shenanigans; together they’d assemble time-travel machines, evade bullies, and speculate about the appropriate ratio of tongue and saliva for one’s first kiss.
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