‘Gentleman’ singer Ne-Yo now a hitman on TV

NE-YO in a scene with Lesley-Ann Brandt in “CSI New York”

AMERICAN pop-R&B star Shaffer “Ne-Yo” Smith uses his singing, writing and production talents to style himself as a romantic and—to borrow the title of his acclaimed third album—a “gentleman.” However, in a coming episode of “CSI New York,” airing July 7 on AXN Asia, the music man takes on the guise of a cold-blooded hitman. And yes, Ne-Yo’s totally cool with that.

“Well, that is what I asked for,” the 31-year-old Arkansas native told the Inquirer in a recent phone interview. “When the CSI people got in touch, I told them I wanted to be the character running around with a gun, killing people, because that’s definitely not what people expect from me. It wasn’t easy, though. I had to work with an acting coach to get in the head of this guy.”

As a new actor, whose only previous acting experiences were in lighthearted fare like “Stomp the Yard” and “Save the Last Dance 2” and the video game-inspired “Battle: Los Angeles,” Ne-Yo is determined to better himself in his side career.

Best advice

“The best piece of advice I ever got was to never look like I was acting,” he said. “But I didn’t know how to be a killer. Working constantly on it, the character was born.”

Thankfully for him, his work hasn’t gone unnoticed: On the hopper for Ne-Yo is a possible prestige film, produced by no less than George Lucas.

“Yeah, it’s called ‘Red Tails,’ and it’s based on the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the only African-American fighter pilots allowed to do combat duty in World War II,” said Ne-Yo. “I’m working here with people like Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard, and it’s been an amazing experience, and such an exciting story. These were men were fighting two wars—enemies in Europe and at the same time battling discrimination and bigotry back home.”

What annoys him

He does find the lack of control inherent in shooting movies a bit irritating.

“Music for me is just a lot more natural,” he pointed out. “There’s an element in acting that’s kind of annoying to me, this whole ‘hurry up and wait’ mentality where people say they urgently need you on the set and then you wait for four hours. That irks the hell out of me. I’m like, ‘I’m giving you my time here. Don’t waste it.’”

Annoyances aside, Ne-Yo has developed a lot of respect for the people he’s worked with. “‘CSI New York’ in particular was a great learning experience, because it helped me get acquainted with the actor in me,” he noted. “It was a lot of fun, but I definitely developed respect for the craft. I mean, Gary Sinise is a fantastic actor, one of my favorites, and I really learned a lot from watching him work.”

For inspiration, he looks to fellow musician-turned-actor Will Smith. “I love his work ethic,” Ne-Yo said. “He has a goal, and he’s never going to stop until he gets to where he wants to be. No matter what the obstacles, no matter how many tries, he will get there. It’s very inspiring for me.”

With his career going to the next level, Ne-Yo approaches the question of his future plans with a mix of confidence and trepidation. “How am I going to proceed from here? Very carefully,” he said.

“I’m definitely not gonna stop doing music. But if I’m approached with the right role, I will give it a look. I wouldn’t call moving to acting a second step, for instance, because that would imply the first step was over. And I’m never going to be finished with music.”

In fact, his music career is as prodigious as ever. After releasing four albums in five years, he’s dropping his fifth album later this year. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of coming Ne-Yo projects.

“I’m a huge fan of animation and cartoons, and I have a cartoon I wrote and developed for Cartoon Network that is in production right now,” he revealed.

“We’re still putting the finishing touches on it. I have a hat line and a clothing line coming up. I’m about to be the spokesperson for a new Malibu rhum and tequila mix, coming out soon. I’m looking for artists, writers and producers for my label, Compound. I’m doing a lot of different things right now, because I want to take the chance to do all the things I want.”

So the plan is to become a brand? “Pretty much,” he laughed.