TYRESE RELYING ON 'BLACK NATIVITY' TO OPEN NEW DOORS

Tyrese Gibson (L) and Jacob Lattimore in “Black Nativity”

*Yes, Tyrese has starred in some bona fide blockbusters – most notably the “Fast and Furious” and “Transformers” franchises.

But the singer from Los Angeles wants a role that will allow him to show people what he can really do…without being interrupted by a big-budget action sequence. Although he put in dramatic work in such films as “Four Brothers,” “Baby Boy” and “Waist Deep,” he believes that his effort in “Black Nativity” will finally put Hollywood casting directors on notice.

“This was a stage as an actor that I’ve never had an opportunity to perform on,” the 34-year-old crooner told us about his part in an ensemble cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Nas, Jacob Lattimore and Mary J. Blige.

In the film, a teen (Lattimore) is sent by his struggling mom (J-Hud) to stay with his estranged grandparents in Harlem. While there, he gets into some serious trouble – thanks in part to Tyrese’s shady character Tyson.

Below, Tyrese says he hopes the role will be his career game-changer.

Image Credit: David Buchan/Getty Images

Hollywood is still reeling from the recent loss of Fast and Furious franchise star Paul Walker, who died in a car crash Saturday. (Walker was sitting in the passenger seat; his friend Roger Rodas, the CEO of custom car shop Always Evolving, was driving the vehicle and also perished in the crash.)

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Chief among the mourners: Tyrese Gibson, another Fast and Furious star who initially responded to the news of Walker’s death with stunned disbelief. (“My heart is hurting so bad no one can make me believe this is real Father God I pray that you send clarity over this cause I just don’t understand,” he wrote on Instagram Saturday. “My heart hurts it’s broken no one can convince me that this is real…”) A clearly heartbroken Gibson took a trip to the accident’s crash site Sunday, where photographers captured him weeping and laying down a flower for his fallen friend.

Apparently, Gibson also took a piece of crash wreckage with him: