Actor Stephen Bishop Teases “Being Mary Jane,” Season 3

Being Mary Jane

At the end of last season of BET’s drama, Being Mary Jane, our favorite news anchor suffered a devastating car accident after she learned that her BFF Lisa (Latarsha Rose) and her on-again, off-again ex-boyfriend David (Stephen Bishop) had been intimate. The dramatic episode, “Signing Off” left fans with gaping mouths and questions galore.

Ahead of the two-hour Season 3 premiere, I went right to the scoundrel source of info, actor Stephen Bishop. I begged Bishop for details, since I’ve known his brother — a successful attorney —for many years, and was hoping for some inside scoop. But based, on his answers, Bishop’s brother has taught him the fine art of pleading the 5th.

Being Mary Jane
Photo Credit: Benjo Arwas

When Bishop learned his character’s involvement  in the season-ending drama, he was caught off-guard. “When I read the script,” he shares,“my first reaction was, ‘Oh my God. Everybody that loves me right now is going to hate me!’ That was my first thought.” So of course, I had to ask: have the fans been tough on the handsome actor? “I was right, I was right!” he laughs, admitting, “It hasn’t been an intense and I thought it could be, but people definitely have come up to me. They come up to me with intensity, but it’s tongue-in-cheek intensity. They come up to me, pointing their finger and say, ‘I’m really mad at you!’ and then they smile.”

And just like the show’s fans, Bishop reveals he was dying to learn what would happen in Season 3. “When you’re in something like this, you’re on edge, because you’re under contract, but you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know what’s going on, so I was anxious to see how they’re going to write David out of this corner.”

Bishop reveals that the series will pick up right where Season 2 left off. “We have to figure out what’s happening with Mary Jane, and David is clearly concerned with that. So, that’s where we start: What’s happened to Mary Jane? David feels that he caused the situation, and he’s trying to be at her side in her darkest hour. So he’s there, and as you can imagine, the feelings about him aren’t as loving as they once were.”

Move out of the way, Male nurse! We want to catch a glimpse! Photo credit: Guy D'Alema
Move out of the way, male nurse! We want to catch a glimpse of Mary Jane!
Photo credit: Guy D’Alema

I’m sure that the effects of the accident are going to be felt long after the season premiere, so I asked Bishop where his character goes from this starting place of regret, guilt and fear. “I can’t really talk about much; a lot of what’s happening at the beginning is something that the fans need to watch.” He’s excited for the show’s fans to see what’s in store this season, but, “I don’t want to give anything away, but what I can say is David is still there, and he’s still very much in love with Mary Jane and trying his best to get back to her.”

Since he’s not giving me the friends-and-family scoop, I asked about special guests. BET revealed that Jill Scott and Loretta Devine will appear this season, but Bishop was mum about anyone else. “I’m not allowed to talk about that,” he teases, “But I know that there are some.” He also mentioned that he didn’t get to work directly with Scott in her episodes. Hmmm, mysterious.

So of course, the big question for Season 3 has got to be, how does Mary Jane’s face look? And, how long are we going to have to wait to see it? When I asked, Bishop laughed. “Again, I’m not at liberty to discuss that. I have been specifically directed not to discuss that particular subject.” He told me there is so much hubbub surrounding the accident that there was a memo that went out to the cast saying specifically not to reveal any details about Mary Jane’s accident. Bishop admits that it’s kind of fun to know spoilers that the fans are dying to see, but that it does make interviews like ours difficult because he’s excited to share the story with the show’s fans. But he’s just not going the share the story until after it airs on October 20.

Being Mary Jane > BET > Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT beginning Oct. 20 (2-hour premiere)

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