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Russell Hornsby Full Interview · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: My next guest. Body of work has filled the screens
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: of televisions and movie screens all over the world. From
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Eddie Uh from Eddie Southern on the ABC Family's Uh,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Lincoln Heights, as Luke on the HBO drama and treatment
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: as a detective Hank Griffin on the long running NBC
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: series Grim and the movie's Fences directed by my board
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Denzel Washington, and Creed Too, which starred Michael B. Jordan,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: which stars Michael B Jordan's He was born and raised
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: in Open, California. He was in the theater program at
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Boston University and studied for a summer at the British
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Academy of Dramatic Arts program at Oxford University. He's on
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: the show today to talk about his new series, Lincoln
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Ryan Hunt for the Bone Collector, which premieres Friday, January
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: at eight pm Eastern and Pacific seven pm Central, NBC.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Please working for the very first time the money Making
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Conversation Russell Hornsby, Hey, Hey, Russe, layout that to lay
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: you out there, Russell, you know what I'm saying. You know,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: you know how to lay it well, you know. For also,
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: you know, first of all, congratulations on and I don't
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: say congratulated on what you have done, on what you
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: will be doing, because your resume has allowed you to
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: establish your your consistency and your authenticity as a as
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: a as a professional in this business. And we know
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: that's tough to do. We know it's tough to get
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: serious at last, because sometimes you can't play talked to.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Just before we get started into the interview and everything,
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: talk about your your experience in Hollywood and the entertainment
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: business a little bit. Well, you know. Um, First, for me,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: first and foremost, what was most important to me before
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: and I say this in you know, just in retrospect,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: was having studied as an actor, you know, you know
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: you as you stated in the intro, studying at boxing
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Boston University, getting my degree in theater arts, having an
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: opportunity study the British Academy for Dramatic Arts. But more
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: importantly for me was being able to spend two years
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: with August Wilson. Um. I like to say that that
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: time I spent with August doing the play Jitney all
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: over the country and then off Broadway gave me my
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: master's in life if you will, you know, and in
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: acting and in life and so it prepared me to
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: be able to bring forth that that authenticity and and
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: have a a depth of feeling and personality that feels
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: you know, that can't be matched, that you can't um manufacture.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: It has to be in you, you know. And so
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: it helped me to understand who I was and who
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I am, where I come from, so that I was
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: able to when I walked into LA, when I came
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  Speaker 1: to l A, you know what, it could tell me
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  Speaker 1: who I was, you know, and put that upon me.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: I already knew. That's why I had a clear understanding
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: of that. And it's really really impressive because it shows
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: in your style of work. And uh, I gotta tell
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: you a little a little fun side story. Stephen A. Smith,
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: good friend of mine, the talent that managed as well,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: and uh we was on the phone before this interview
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: was even locked down, and he was saying, hey we Shan,
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: I got an idea, like what what's Steven? What's idea
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: you got to day? Hey man, Mabe that show on
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: ESPN Playmakers, Playmakers, Man, we need to bring that back,
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: I said, I said, first of all, outstanding suggestion. But
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: the poles that be may not want to coming back
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: because that's series right there. Man, I'm gonna tell you something, brother,
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  Speaker 1: incredibly uh you know, you know, only eleven episodes are
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: and but it is stuck, and it's stuck in a
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: part of Americana as great television, authentic real television. Um,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: you know, just just just talk about that experience a
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: little bit because from a viewer standpoint, you know, to
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: have him tell him talk to me about that and
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: let him know that it's you know that that because
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: we always talked about producing different television shows and different
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: things that you can reboot. And that's why I was
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: That's why I was in discussion about it. But man,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: that was an incredible uh television production was on ESPN
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: were you know. Ironically enough, I while we were shooting
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: together a dress. After we finished shooting, while it was airing,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: I ran into Stephen Ay in Times Square, just in
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: from the ABC building or right there. Brother, he's a brother.
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  Speaker 1: I love you on that show, playing on that show.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: And I was firstly, last time person, the only time
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: I've ever met Stephen A. Smith. But you know, we
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: just had an opportunity. John isen Draft who created a show,
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: I mean, he just he was just telling you truth
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: and as to what he saw, and he mad an
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: authentic portrayal of what was happening to athletes, you know,
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: in professional football. And you know, I appreciate give it.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Getting an opportunity to honestly to tell the truth, you know,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: and not glamorized it and not sensationalizing and not gloss
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  Speaker 1: it over. They were really coming from a representational standpoint, honestly, absolutely,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: and I think that's what really I think that's what
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: really resonated with audience. Absolutely real it was, and it
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  Speaker 1: was also outstanding acting. Outstanding acting. Did that because of
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: the fact that I always tell people in order to
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: like a show, you have to be able to take
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: the journey with the actor. If the jack actors bring
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: you in and you feel a relationship with him, and
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: on that show, I felt as a viewer, I felt
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: a relationship and it was a hit show. So I
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: say that because of the fact that you know, you know,
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: when you say you get the ratings back and you go, man,
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: we're hit, then you can in your mind you think,
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: oh man, I'm landed a jackpot, and that is not
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: how Hollywood works. Sometimes acts, you know, you know, here's
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: the show. Add the numbers was delivering the goods. The
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: acting was great, and it was and it went away
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: that probably said a tone for you with Hollywood that wow,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: what tough time is real? Is not real? Correct? Absolutely?
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  Speaker 1: You know what I what you learned very early is
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  Speaker 1: that you know, Hollywood is the business of show and
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: and it's and it's and it's the business doesn't make sense.
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  Speaker 1: The show ain't gonna work, and so there are a
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: lot of people who have to be happy, you know,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: when you put a show on the air, or when
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: you put a movie on the screen or what have you.
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  Speaker 1: And again, you're right, I learned very early that nothing
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  Speaker 1: is guaranteed. But but also though how I was reard,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: how I was raised, coming from Oakland, being black in America,
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  Speaker 1: that I understand that you know that that's that's in me.
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  Speaker 1: So you never take anything for granted. You you know,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: what's what what you all you can go by is
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  Speaker 1: what you have today anymore is not guaranteed, and you
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: can't depend on yesterday. Yeah, we're talking to Russell Hornsby
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: and his new series is coming out in January on NBC. UM,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: let's talk about that character because that you're playing in
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: this when our drama that's on the NBC. Now we
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: just talked about the series that need ESPN. You were
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: playing a running back, running back, very athletic, very athletic.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Now you're playing a character there's a quadriplegic, and you
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: know that's a you know, I would try to wrap
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: my head around how you how you know, because all
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: your whole life has been a physical life. Walk us
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: through the steps of preparation for a role where it
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: was about you know, your mind, your expressions are really
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: only going to be in your face. You know, the delivery,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: the nuances of the tone. That had to be a
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: journey for you. Correct, it really did. It really was
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: a journey Rashan, and but one that I was so
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: willing to take and I believe ready for quite honestly,
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: you know, I'm an actor who I embraced the challenge
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: and seeing in every level. Uh, you know, I was
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: a little nervous, you know, before taking it on, before
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: we began shooting. I have to be honest about that.
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  Speaker 1: But I knew that I could do it. I knew
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  Speaker 1: I was prepared because I knew that the Lord would
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: not put me on what they say, Uh, they weren't.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: He would drop me off here, and and so I
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: knew that that that I was ready. But for me,
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: what had prepared me most, quite honestly, for this role
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  Speaker 1: was my ability and my time in school of working
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: on Shakespeare, and also my time in doing the plays
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: of August Wilson. Because what we're when we're when we're
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: talking about see what, well, I feel that what Shakespeare
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: does with the language is able to bend the language. Right,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: you're talking about this high language where all you're doing
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: is using your words, my liege, I did deny no prisoners,
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  Speaker 1: but I remember when the fight was done, when I
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: was dry with range and extreme toial. Right. So so
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: that's that's Shakespeare, right. But then you have the beautiful
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: expression of August Wilson. Right, so you you marry the
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: bard and the blues together. So August says, I don't
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: know about you and Leroy, but Pernell made me kill him.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: Ryan called me Champ. I told him my name is King.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: He said, yeah, Champ, I go on, I don't say nothing.
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  Speaker 1: He don't know. My daddy killed the man for calling
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: him about his name. He don't know. He messed with
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  Speaker 1: King heavy the second. So that's rhythm. Now you hear
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: what I mean? We marry the bard and the Blues
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: of August Wilson together. And so what I like to
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: call for Lincoln Ryan, who is a C four C
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: five quadriplegic. What now what I what I would I
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  Speaker 1: feel I brought to Lincoln Mine is cerebral scragging right, yes,
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: because it's in his head and all he has is
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: the words on the page, you know, with which to
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: use to express himself. He can't walk a certain way,
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: he can't, just have to use his mind and his
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: words hangout. Awesome. We're talking about man Russell will to
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: the Russell Hornsby. He's the star of the new series
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: on NBC Star Mini Series and in fact coming back
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: home because he's on Graham on NBC for a long
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: time on Friday nights Friday Night. Brother, I was just
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: watch on Friday Nights man Lincoln Ryan Hunt for Their Bone.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: Collected with Your premier is Friday, January ten at a
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: pm Eastern and Pacific seven pm Central on NBC. We
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: were right back with more this interview. Uh Shakespeare me up. Brother.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: You know I'm from fifth Ward and Houston, Texas. You're
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: from Oakland. You're doing a number on me. Russell, Hi,
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: this is Rushan McDonald. You're listening to money making conversations
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: on the phone. Is Russell Hornsby Variety UH named him.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: Wanted the ten actors to watch because he's a massive,
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: impressive catalog of films we talked about they hate you,
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: give Cree to Oscar nominated Fences, Netflix seven Seconds and
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: Showtimes their Affair a Graham, which can go on and on.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: You know, the thing I love about it is that
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: the dynamics of what you see Oakland, California, people can
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: stereotype you. People can say that's uh, you know that
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: dream that you have right there, young man, don't work
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: no place else, Go get a normal job. And he
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: but that isn't that didn't That didn't Ryan with me.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: They didn't Ryan with him either because the fifth wor Texas.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: They told me the same thing and and say, kid,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: talking about your opportunities are limited on what is available
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: to you. I went to my opportunities and that basically
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: when I when I when I did my research on
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: your stories about what you did. You were not afraid
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: of the journey. That's why you went to Boston. That's
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: why you went over the Oxford. Talk about that journey
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: before we get back into the series a little bit.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: You know, um going to bostoniverseity and coming raised being
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: born and raised in Oakland, California. You know, that was
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: a time when you know, the drugs had crack had hit,
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: and you know, brothers and sisters were dropping like flies
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: and the truth be told. You know, being a young brother,
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: I didn't necesary, I didn't grow up in the hood necessarily,
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: but you know, you saw the adverse effects of okay,
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: and I was honestly, I was just I was scared.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: And so I said to my mother, I said to myself,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: I wanted to get out of here and go as
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: far as I can. Ironically enough, the points from San
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: Francisco to Boston, the two frisits ap points of this country, right, yes, yes, yes, yes,
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: and so and I and I and I wanted and
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: I knew that I wanted to do to you know,
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: to try my hat and acting. And so I went
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: to went to Boston University. The only thing my mother
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: said to me is that you can't quit, and so
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: you can go pursue this dream of yours, but you
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: cannot quit. And while I when I got there, while
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: I wanted to uh, because it's just so many things
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: are happening in my world had turned upside down my
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: first time really being away from home. But the echoes
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: ringing out my mother's voice. You can't quit, So I
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: keep going. From my junior year going into my senior year,
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: I would go home and you know, I had a
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: job at rex fanam making a couple of dollars with
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: your kid. One before the sum of my uncle said
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: to me, Russell, why do you are we going home?
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: My uncle lived in Boston. He said, why don't you
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: do something you know in the summer. And I was like, wow.
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: It just never dawned on me that I could do
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: something else. So I looked up this pro this theer,
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: the program and the British Academy and Dramatic Arts and
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: and I applied my audition got in. I had to
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: hustle all all during the school year and just before
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: I went to you know, make up this money so
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: I could pay to go. And for three almost two
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: and a half months, it was some of the most
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: the best time of my life up to that point,
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: and one of the most memorable times in my life
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: because I saw people from all over the world come
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: into this place where the dream all different kind of
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: talent levels, all different colors, accents, uh, shake size everything
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: and just to be able to interact a black boy
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: from Oakland to be you know, in London, England and
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: interacting with all these people. And all it was about
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: up to this point was about your talent. Are you hungry?
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: Do you want to learn? Are you willing to step
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: out of your comfort zone? Show it's what you have
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: to offer and learn a lot about myself and that
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: sess and that said to me at that time, this
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: is what I'm gonna do. This, I'm gonna procuse this
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: and full board. I'm going all out. And the truth is,
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: ra Sean, there was never a plan, b bro. You
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: know what you mean. You're driven by that passion now,
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: but it was never never was a plan. Beat. Well,
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: I'm talking to Rocket Hornsby. Uh what do they call
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: that a work? Uh? You know we thought informed me
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: to get a job an employment application. I ain't got
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: to feel none of that, you know what. I'm talking
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: to Russell Hornsby. He's starting a new series Lincoln Ryan
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Hunt for the Bone Collector with the premiers Friday, January
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: tenth at a pm Eastern and Pacific seven pm Central NBC. Okay,
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: let's put some pressure on this. This previous role was
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: done in the movie by Mr Denzel Washington, who also
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: directed You and Fences. Absolutely, here's my whole thought process
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: to this. Because your physical guy, I've seen you or
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: you know what, I've seen you running and fighting in Graham,
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: I've seen you, I've seen you pack. Can you always
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: play a detective? You know what I'm saying, You're always
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: somewhere protecting people. And so now you're in this role.
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: Did did you? Did you have anybody strap you down
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: to get used to like not move? Don't move? You
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: can't move? What what? I'm just trying to wrap my
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: head around that because it can't be as simple as hey,
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: you know, I'm a great actor on this a method moment,
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: just be still? How how many weeks did he get
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: you to wrap your head around that process of being
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: a quadripreely quadriplegic. Um. You know what, Honestly, I'll be
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: honest with you, this is not something I could have
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: done five, seven or ten years ago. Now the truth
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: because I am I'm forty five years old, I'm athleted
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: but forty five and and now I understand how when
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: I was coming up, the old folks could just sit
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: on the porch all day. Why, you know, because I mean,
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: I mean, I'm pretty found on athletic, but I'm tired,
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: you know what I mean? Time not still. I know,
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: I got miles to go before I sleep. Looks like
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: getting twisted. But the stillness, the stillness that I was
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: able to get, it was just based on age, quite honestly,
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: because I can, i'd have peace in my life and
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: I can be still before you know, five, ten, fifteen
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: years ago, when you're a kid, you a youngster, got
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: all this energy, got faster and just running through you.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: You can't do still for nothing. What are we gonna do?
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: What we're gonna get into, what I'm gonna see? We
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: want to get from what we're doing the night, what
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: we're doing to morrow night. All that and just having
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: the just having a sense of stillness of age that
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: I didn't have before. Honestly, that's what helped me, quite honestly,
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: because I'm again, I'm secure in who I am. I'm
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: securing my manhood, I'm secure in my blackness, and I'm
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: secure and I'm at peace, and I can be still
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: because I'm not running from I'm not running from anybody,
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: and I'm running to anything. I'll take my time and
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: I'll get there. You know that saying. Remember I first
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: heard in the movie of Colors with Robert Duval and
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: Sean penn Or. In the movie, and Robert Duval tells
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: the story. He says, tells the story about the old
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: bully and the young bulls. He says, Dad, he said, there,
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: look at them cows down at the bottom of the hill.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: He said, let's write down and get one of them cows.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: And the old bull says, no, son, let's walk down
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: and get them all. Well, I'm an older bull. Now
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: I walk You mean doing right? But us we know
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: in this series you didn't. You're not doing the job
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: by yourself, and I want to give you time and
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: for you to, uh, you know, shout out some of
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: the incredible cast as part of it. I got my boy,
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: are right there from the sopranos, Michael and Arrow. Come on, now, sopranos,
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: you know so so so, just let's run down some
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: of the cast. That's that's that's putting down this show.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: I know the pilot was shot in New York City
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: in Central Park, one of my favorite cities in the country,
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: the New York Subway. So you kept it authentic. That
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: experience had to be. As always, every every project you
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: do has his own unique experience, but the unique experiences
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: tied to the actors that share the same screens with you,
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: are the same stage as we well, you know we
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: have uh, you know my co star who plays a
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: million sacks, Aria Cabell. She's just wonderful. We've had a
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: great time working together and you know we're we're you know,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: on the show, we're essentially partners, you know, and working
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: together we have you know that we said it with St.
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: Michael Imperioli. You know, you would think when you meet Michael,
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: you would think that Michael is gonna be one way man.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: It's so genuine, so generous a spirit, and it's such
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: a really wonderful person to work with. Um. You know
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: a dear old friend of mine from the theater, Robin
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: rough who plays the player my help nurse on the show,
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: Uh Ellington brook lyons just a wonderful, wonderful cast of people.
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: And again we're talking about people with talent, you know
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: what I mean, Like with who know what they're doing,
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: who another way around the set, another way around the script,
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: and look to elevate material that's so important. And you know,
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: the the original writers d J. Boyd and Mark being
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: being coldly uh, just wonderful writers. And our show on
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: the Bury O'Brien, just some really good people who really
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: care about what we're doing. You know, it's it's beautiful
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: when I see you to roll out those names, because
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: let's just go back to you, my friend, your resume.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: You know, like you said that it becomes a body
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: of work. And when you come on a set, it's like,
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: you know, it's like it's like it's like Tom Brady
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: coming on the set. You know, you know, oh wow, Okay,
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: I gotta step up my game. I gotta step up
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: my game. Okay, because he threw the ball, I better
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: catch it. Okay, he made the ball to run through
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: the whole, I better trying to find a hole. If
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: he passes back to drop back the pass, I better
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: block and not allow him to get sacked. So I felt,
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: I felt. I feel honestly that you know, Variety just
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: doesn't hand pick people out and say you wanted the
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: top ten actors to watch you know, your your resume,
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: you know Shakespeare, just quoting it doing my radio show,
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: going from going from Oakland to Boston. Then then you're
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: then getting pitched in the idea, Hey man, what you're
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: doing for the summer, I'm gonna find something to do.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: Guess what you had to qualify? You had to qualify
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: to do that. They weren't handed out those opportunities. And
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: when you when you, when you when you you know,
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: Playmakers was in two thousand three, come on that. Sixteen years.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: I have seen you on TV consistently and the movies consistently.
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: So when you walk on that set, remember this rustle.
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: All the energy is being produced by you, and it
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: just permeates to the rest of the cast because they
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: have to step up to your resume, they have to
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: step up to your work ethic. And I think it's
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: beautiful because on this particular series you can't even move.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: That's right, that's right, that's right. You know, nothing happened
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: by accident. Um A wise man and dear friend of mine,
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: Stephen Henderson, used to tell me things don't just happen.
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: Things happen to Jess And it happened by virtue of
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: the work. That you put in and your willingness to
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: do the work. But I have to honestly wet we
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: brought it. We raised his name earlier. I have to
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: give a lot of kudos to Denzel Washington, and the
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: reason being is that I had the opportunity to do
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: in to do to be a part of the revival
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: offenses on Broadway, and and then to be able to
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: come back six years later and do the film, to
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: be hand kicked by him. You have a game to
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: do this film and giving a chance to share the
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: stage and the screen with one of I think the
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: greatest actors got for Breton, honestly, and it said to me,
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: it instilled me with confidence, that said, you are here,
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: so don't retreat back, you forward. And it was the
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: who he said. He says, no, no, no, You're supposed
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: to be here because because I remember asking him. I said,
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: I remember saying to him when were the first day
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: of shoot against him a d thank you said, thank
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: you for what I said, you know, you know, because
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: for having be here, you know, for giving me the
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: opportunity not a brother. So I didn't give you nothing
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: and you earned it. That's what I'm saying. That's what
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: you're supposed to be here. That from that, that just
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: told me everything I needed to know and everything I
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: needed to hear. Well, Russell, he just validated ro Sean McDonald.
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: That's all I was saying about your brother. That's all
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: I was saying about yo, your your career. It validates
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: anytime you're are going to say now you're humbleness makes
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: you say thank you. What we all should do. We
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: should all not assume that that happened because who I am,
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: because people can look the other way. But no, my man,
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: you're special. He's starting on my he's starting on Money
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: Making Conversation right now, but he's gonna be starting on
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: NBC Lincoln Ryan Hunt for the Bone Collector, which your
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: premier is Friday, January tenth at a pm Eastern and
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Pacific seven pm Central on NBC. My man, Russell, thank
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: you for coming on my show. I hope you understand that. Brother.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: I'm a fan, but I also do my homework because
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: I know what you do and what you deliver, which
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: I brother, thank you so much for taking the time.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: I really appreciated a pleasure meeting you, and I would
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: tell Steven. I'm gonna tell Stephen there I talked to
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: you today too as well.