Most recently, Reid plays Patti LaBelle’s love interest in"A New Orleans Noel."
He told us, “I’ve had success; I’ve had failures.
I’ve had a wonderful career.
I regret none of them.”
Do you have any advice for actors who want to have that kind of longevity in their careers?
Early in your career, one has to make a critical decision, strangely enough.
They said, “You got to know what you want.”
And I said, “What do you mean?
I want to work.”
And they said, “No, no, no.
That seemed like a strange question.
I said, “What do you mean?”
…
Back then, it was your name above the title because everybody was a star.
Now, anybody with a cell phone is a star, but back then … Sure enough, he became a star.
His name was above the title.
I forgot what the movie was “Pirates of Tortuga” or something and there it was.
Well, he stopped working; he didn’t work much after that.
And he said, “So, what do you want?”
I said, “Actually, I want to be in this business the rest of my life.
This is what I want to do.
I want to go out on the saddle.”
They think about the money, the fame, and they don’t think about the career.
And that’s a choice you make.
There’s nothing wrong with it.
This guy was a star.
He made it to what he dreamed [of].
The universe has a sense of humor.
“Have you kept in touch with the rest of the cast?
I keep in touch with the cast as often as I can.
We work together, occasionally.
They become part of your life.
Do you get recognized still as Ray?
Do people come up to you?
Yeah, I do.
It depends on the age of the group.
I’ve been fortunate.
Some of them know me from “That ’70s Show.”
Some of the other people know me from “Simon & Simon.”
They know me from other things.
And I said, “Yeah, sure.”
I think it was [promoting] “Sister, Sister.”
As I’m signing the autograph, he said, “This is amazing.
It’s one of my favorite memories of my career so far.
I’m sure so many people look up to your characters.
Ray was such an incredible father figure for so many people.
Didn’t have a clue, but he did his best.
How did “A New Orleans Noel” stand out to you as a project?
It’s one of my favorite places on this Earth.
That was the first thing to be excited about.
The second one was working with Keshia [Knight Pulliam] again.
It was so cold, my god.
It was the coldest I’ve ever been in my life.
It was nice to have another opportunity to work with her.
Then, of course, Patti LaBelle, a true legend.
What was it like filming with a superstar?
You guys had such good chemistry.
A lot of people don’t wear it well, but it lightens her.
She brings a certain energy to the set.
It was very, very comfortable being with her and doing the scenes.
It was really a nice experience.
You don’t often get that with stars.
Sometimes stars [act like], “I’ve had enough of this.
I’m doing this for the money.
Don’t talk to me.”
And you guys were filming on location in New Orleans for most of it?
Some of it was in Natchez, Mississippi, where I had never been.
But it was interesting to be in.
It’s a town that’s still sort of in its own little interesting time war.
They’re very nice to us.
I had no negative experiences whatsoever with the people, both Black and white.
But the town itself is sort of caught in [a] little interesting time of war.
Did it affect the mood of the shoot at all?
It wasn’t a negative mood.
It was just the look, the feel [of] what we’re doing.
It actually probably added to it.
The buildings [from the period were] still standing.
The house [where] Lincoln sat on that night before he was assassinated is still there.
He was visiting some people.
If you’re doing period pieces, that’s what I love about New Orleans.
That Southern character, that Southern mystique is interesting no matter what period.
That’s one of the themes of this movie the new versus the old.
It’s a big architectural discussion.
Do you fall on either side of that argument between those two architects?
No, not really.
Are they going to keep fighting?
Are they going to enjoy it?
We’ve got to do that.
If not, it’s a constant struggle constantly at odds with something or someone.
Kind of boring, actually.
It is very good for the soul.
And it’s so different now.
To make these TV movies, you got to shoot them in two, three weeks.
There is no rest in shooting.
And of course, if you have weather issues, it pushes you a little harder.
Is anything you wish we’d covered?
I’m glad to see these movies being made, these Christmas movies every year.
It’s a little something different.
We’re learning a little bit about each other through these Christmas movies.
“A New Orleans Noel” premieres on Lifetime on December 3 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
