Take a look at Marques Houston's resume and it's apparent he's both diligent and hard-working. Yet, when he took on his recent role playing marketing executive Sean Price in the dance film "Battlefield America," the California native learned a valuable lesson about himself that strayed from his usually active behavior.

"I'm very lazy and I didnt know how lazy I was," Houston admits to The BoomBox, laughing at his own revelation. "Taking on this role, I had the bulk of the work. I would be trying to sit in my trailer like, 'Please shoot something else so I can get a break.'"

Houston, known for starring as Roger Evans in the TV sitcom "Sister, Sister" and Elgin in the dance movie "You Got Served," worked alongside six children in "Battlefield America," directed by Chris Stokes. While he was a motivational coach attempting to turn misfit kids into underground dance competition champs onset, he had to act as a leader in his downtime too.

"There's six kids I'm working with and there's candy and there's soda around and [the kids are] going a mile a minute then when you need them to work they done burned off all that energy so they're tired," Houston shares. "So I really had to be motivational and take on that role off-camera."

As a seasoned entertainer -- he's been in the business since the early '90s -- the 31-year-old actor-singer's expertise allowed for him to make changes when it came to how he'd be presented onscreen. "I had a lot of say-so in the character Sean Lewis," he states. "Like, 'I would do this maybe this way,' or 'Maybe Sean Lewis would do this this way.'" However, Lewis is far-removed from Houston's naturally likeable persona. "I had to go totally separate from myself," he reveals. "I play a jerk in this movie and I like to consider myself a nice guy. It was tough for me to make that transition."

Chris Stokes, who once served as Houston's manager when he sang in the group Immature, has a no-nonsense attitude when sitting in the director's chair. "He's really hands-on in how he wants his actors to tell the story," Houston explains. "Chris is not nice when he's directing -- offset we're friends, we're homies; onset it's strictly director-actor."

Lynn Whitfield, a co-star in the film, offered Houston words of advice while they worked on the effort together. "She gave me a lot of great tips and she's a legend," he says. "She's an actor for such a long time. She's great."

With "Battlefield America" under his belt, Houston is focused on "The Helpers," a horror film set for release later this year through Brian & Barrett Pictures, a production company run by himself and Stokes. Houston doesn't star in the film but does serve as a producer.

He's also making his return behind the mic. After dropping his last album, Mattress Music, in 2010, a follow-up was needed to satisfy his fans. "I'm currently working on a new album," the Naked crooner discloses. "My fans have been really, really on me about getting some new music out there. The album is going great and I'm really excited about it."

"Battlefield America" is available on DVD/Blu-Ray now. Marques Houston will debut a new single off his forthcoming untitled LP Sept. 24.



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Watch Marques Houston in "Battlefield America - Trailer"

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