March 24, 2023 • 66 mins
Actor and Atlanta native Isaiah John comes by the Trap to talk about his career, Snowfall, and more!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I think it's time to proceed with the pimping man.
There's been enough bullshitting about the politics of the United
States of America. It's time to get serious and go
to work because we ain't bringing nobody doing the trap
that's not certified in every ghetto. Come on, man in America.
(00:30):
Come on, I told you that we only bring it
ghetto legends. Come on to the trap. Come on that
We've been sitting here kicking the wooly Bobo and this
bro that we got on the show with us tonight.
It's most definitely, most definitely a ghetto legend. Get legend.
(00:56):
He earned that. Come on, I'm talking about on Americus.
Come on, man, I think he really from that time
period TV show. Come on, I'm talking about this ship
just had to be Come on right here from left,
come on, holy right post have been here after episode one,
(01:20):
come over, man came after he got the all this.
Come on, man, after you found out you had to
part Now he had to run, he had to run
and now but it's yeah, it's definitely full serve. You
need to be here. Yeah, man, you know it's here.
It's just dope one. You know, us as comedians, we
get to reach across the entertainment board. You know, politics
(01:43):
what somebody people and somebody friends on the other side
of the game that's still handling business in the same aspect,
in the same way of light that we're doing it
on this side. And it's like, first of all, we
want to make sure you get all your propers man
and all your flowers. Is because what y'all doing over there,
it's beautiful and it's and it's really like a classic
(02:07):
already got America on the edge of their seat waiting
to see that ship man, one of the best Crown
dramas on TV. You up there in that pantheon with
all them great shows. And I think this show is
even gonna have some legs man like people steadily getting
turned onto it, you know what I'm saying, Like you
started now for in it, so yeah, and the memes
(02:28):
just dope too. Yeah, but yeah, and you're doing some
ghetto legendary shit. So it's only right that you pulled
up to the eighty five South Show, ladies and gentlemen,
none other than I say, y'all, first of all, let's go,
(02:51):
welcome to the trap. Come on at home. I'm already
at home. I'm chilling. We got all types of ship
going on. How you being been good? How's your mental health?
We got to ask that now as black men, they
shouldn't asking enough mental been good man, Just a lot
of a lot of life transitions. Yeah, it's been good.
(03:13):
It's taking life day by day as we as that's
all we can do. So before we even talk about
one of the dopest shows on TV, we're gonna take
it back a step further. How did how did it
all this even start? Man? How you start acting? My boy?
Black people don't call it acting? You how see you
(03:39):
see whatever didn't make it? Will you be asking your
way to jail? See? You should have been some dad alone.
I think we ain't got ship to get wet. We're
gonna see you so because you should have won it.
God damn that was amazing. Appreciate So how did all
(04:07):
how do you start acting? Man? Man? Uh? How did
I start acting? So? Apparently I've always wanted to be
an actor, which I didn't really understand until like later
in life. I wrote it down when I was in
fifth grade that I wanted to be an actor. In
a veterinarian random you still got time to be a veterinarian.
My boy, I mean I got two many animals at
(04:27):
it this so I'm oh, yeah, I got a whole
animal sleeve, like my leg sleeve. Damn Africans, tiger striping,
freak ship all the way here, I got. You got
the move and even you say animals like you stopping
(05:03):
at dogs and cats or you got no. I mean
I got a lot of lands. So I might have
like chickens, goats, like salamas. B I don't want the lamas.
They be spitting. Yeah, they spit. I don't want that.
Give you some of them little ghosts just pass out.
I don't want that either. Yeah. They just you're scaring.
Oh shit, you're scaring. They go sha keep getting just
(05:40):
being the back just like but yeah. So when I
was thirteen, uh, that was when I like I made
the conscious decision that I was like, you know, I
want to try acting. Um, And I was really shy
growing up. So when I told my mom that I
wanted to act, she was like, no, you don't, like
you don't have the personality for it. And I'm like,
(06:01):
I really want to do it. So it took a
year for me to like convince her that I was serious,
and my dad, he works at the hospital, and his
co worker he was in film school and he was
doing a short film and he was like, yeah, I
need I need an actor from my short film or whatever.
My dad was like, well, my son wanted to try acting,
so you can use my son. And so that was
the first acting gig I had, was a short film
(06:23):
about domestic violence. And ever since then, I just I
ran with it. I just started studying. I didn't I
didn't want an audition for nothing that I just wanted
to study, like because to me, I'm big on like
my pride. This just won't let me like not put
my all into it, and I didn't want to be
viewed as trash. So I just I'm like, I gotta
study this craft because I want to be good. So
(06:45):
I spent most of my years pursuing acting, just studying
with different coaches and figuring out which method worked better
for me, attacking different characters. So um so yeah, that's
pretty much what I did, like throughout my teams. When
I hit high school, I was at a public school
for like my first semester nther grade, and I was like,
I need to get homeschool so I can like really
(07:05):
dive in some more into my craft. So my parents
was cool with it, and so I started like traveling
to la Luckily, this amazing coach that is my favorite
coach that I worked with so far. His name is
called Forward. He came down to Atlanta and did like
an intensive and we started well, started like seven pm
(07:26):
and won't stop till seven am. I'm just straight acting
like overnight. Because his whole ideology behind that was like,
you need to be ready even when you're tired. Yeah,
that's a lot of times, you know how these shoes.
And I've always been the youngest in my in my
class like back then, so around that time, I was
seventeen and like he was. He was just telling me
(07:50):
like how great he thought I was and stuff like that.
And so I was a part of this acting group
called Away and Gail being she was actually but I
never met her. We never never met. I never met,
which is crazy, Yeah, it is crazy. So we never met,
but I did. I did this thing called Monologue Slam
(08:11):
where any actor in Atlantic could audition just performing monologue
and they chose like the top ten actors and if
you were the top ten, you could perform that monologue
in front of John Singleton. So I was like, dope,
So I did it. I was one of the top ten.
But when it came down town to perform in front
of John Singleton, he never showed up. So I was like, bro,
(08:31):
what like never showed up. They said he was stuck
on his boat like around some island line. So that
kind of like crushed my dreams at that point. Um.
And then so I graduated high school in twenty fourteen. Uh.
After that, my dad, he's Caribbing, he from Trinidad, grew
with Jamaica. And when I told him I didn't want
(08:53):
to go to college and I wanted to still pursue acting,
that was like a whole conversation. He was like, you
know you did you go on to school? And I
was like, like my mom was she? She she really
pushed me, you know, and my acting Christians like no,
like I really think he could do it. So I
didn't go to college. Um, and I was still auditioning
for different roles by this point. I still haven't booked
(09:14):
anything really at all. I'm still just studying the craft.
And so, um, when I was how it was, I
don't know. But after that, after high school. The only
job I can get I was flexible with auditions, was
like a restaurant job. So I had a restaurant job.
I was eighteen. I was a server, and which was
(09:39):
it was? It was? It was like a little I knew.
The owner was like a smaller restaurant called Village Cafe.
And the manager at the time he probably gonna see
this ship too. The manager at the time. I couldn't
come into work because I had an audition. I was like,
I told Burl, like, I got this audition tomorrow. Like
he was like, well, if you can't find nobody to
take over your shift, then you can't go. I'm like,
what tell me I can't go to audition? So I
(10:01):
just ain't go. So he wrote me up. He wrote
me up and on the write up, and I wish
I intended to keep it because I always knew who
I was gonna become, right, But on the write up,
he said, you miss work for an audition where you
know you're not going make it in this industry, Like
you're not gonna make it in the industry, And so
(10:23):
I wouldn't say that legally, you ain't gotta stating that ship.
So after that, like I quit shortly after that, and
then I became a janitor at a gym, and I
was a janitor for like two years. But honestly I
(10:43):
loved that job. Like that janitor job was lit work.
The reason why I was late because I learned a
lot about myself, Like I learned uh patience. Uh. It
really like helped me creatively because I had so much
time to myself. Yeah, that's an og job. Janitor was young, clean,
(11:08):
down like it was like it was like I felt
like it was like an old people gym. It was
just a whole bunch of old white people at this gym.
Oh yeah, so they was leaving phones and money. In
(11:30):
twenty twenty fifteen, I bought a small roll in Barber
Shop three. It was just one once one quick scene
with Tiger and Michael Rainey, and they used that scene
in the prom that's when Tiger was again. Remember that.
I'm like, I like, I'm like, what ain't got this Chicago? This? No,
(11:57):
I'm when you said that ship the first ship in
the land, like Nigga Tiger was in Bobby right right? Yeah,
only lad, I remember from any of the Barber Shop series.
If you want to get down, you kept the vote
for le Loo Brown. That's the only I don't remember
(12:21):
nothing about the barber shop through Beside tiger An, the
gamest in the movie dumped out, like, what's up y'all,
and I was that's the scene I was in. You
don't wanted the game? Yeah, so true, man, I excuse
too seriously, Bro, Barbara, I don't believe that ship. I
excut way too lean to being Barbara. What you want
(12:43):
to get, Jake? What your line up? It's fucked up? No,
it's good. Why are you running all in the shot?
You wouldn't let me get away the Ship't know, Barbara,
that me ain't nobody coming back there just because you
(13:05):
owned the shop. Calvin Youmber his name, So just the
guy there, RecA you got there was just studying acting. Yeah,
on your own. Wasn't even auditional. You were just getting good.
I was trying to get auditions, but I really wasn't
getting them any auditions. But you kept by, Hey, that's
(13:25):
what the people, that's the grand dough. Yeah right, you
put the work in. Yeah, it did so by the
time so you said it was thirteen and by high
school you was auditioning for ship and you hit that
job secret to ship didn't get that ship? Yeah, well
that was that was that was really just like to
get in front of him. Um. But like while I
was doing the janitor job, I was doing a lot
(13:47):
of auditions, even after Barbara shop Um. And the weird
part about the industry back then for me was it
was my look. My luck hindered me a lot because
I was audition obviously for African American roles, and they
would tell me that I don't look black American. Really,
what you look like a nigga to me? But see
(14:08):
that's what they don't. They never tell you what's what
you look like? Because sell me what I look like.
I'm saying, though, that's the same I'm not talking about that.
Black people come in a thousand different colors back about
exactly exactly. Now you're starting to get this if people
(14:30):
look to say, no, he's but if you really look
at just history, it's just like that. But that's the
thing about it. But even if you even if they
thought that shit, they still shouldn't tell a black man
that he can't audition to be a black Yeah, what's
he was? The people black that they would telling you
wasn't black enough? Yeah, that was black. Yeah, that try
(14:52):
to overdo it. It's like the black police. It really
like it really wasn't like you ain't black enough. It's
like you don't look like the rest of the family,
like everybody else look obviously black. You how much shit
they don't know about black people. The family got in
the house, got one motherfucker, don't look like no bad facts.
(15:14):
Oh my mama, it's just a random man's baby, and
like your mama, don't really talk about this like everybody family,
you know, you know, she looked like everybody got the
same last name. House looked like my brother brother, you
got an uncle name Peewee. You know how that's how
(15:35):
black families work, go on here to get in position
man because they don't even know bro. Sometimes black families
that just have a random man's white person in that motherfucker.
Oh mama's exactly. Yeah, here's with your aunt that day,
your grandma saster. You never know, just a random man's
white side of the family. I write, some ship keep
(15:56):
going for here. But so after that, like it just
fucked up. That scouraged me because to me, it's like
if you tell me I'm bad, that's cool. I can
get better you tell me I ain't, but because my look,
I'm gonna do some paper, like I'm gonna get this role.
(16:18):
But like at that point, I was just like, you
know what, I just wanted to take a break from
even pursuing acting. Um So, in twenty fifteen, Snowfall did
their original pilot John Singleton, you know he wrote it.
He cast everybody. You gotta tell us how you reconnected
with him. I ain't reconnecting it yet. I've been telling
(16:38):
you about how Snowfall started, so they can connect the knots.
So John, he did an original pilot in twenty fifteen,
uh with a Jill Scott was the aunt, d Ray
was the uncle. Like it was a completely different cash.
I mean, Damnston was still Franklin back then, but they
had a differently on everybody. Um So, my mom she found, uh,
(17:02):
she found a project, but it was already casting. She's like, dang,
I say what, I perpectly young. And so what she
did was she has a background in the loft for
twenty eight years, so she just she's do her research.
And so a year later she found out in twenty
sixteen and Day were recasting because FX finally picked it
up and they wanted to do a serious with it. Um.
So at this point, my agent at the time here
in Atlanta, she told him, like, y'all should pitch I
(17:25):
was there for Snowfall, and it was like, we're not
going to pitch her for Snowfall, Like that's an LA
show and we don't do that. And so she took
it upon herself if she found out who was casting,
and so she sent the pitching herself. I didn't know
all this time. Oh man, I'm at mop floors. I'm like, yeah,
what you used to listen to? What you mopping floors?
(17:47):
And shit, man, honestly, I ain't even gonna lie. And
I only even this first time I'm saying this on right.
I used to like write my own songs like well,
because you know, be video your own ship my nigga,
(18:14):
my nigga, nigga, let go self self selfe by my
damn Now now crazy. But yeah, so I'm ship never
(18:35):
never never never. But but yeah, so this whole time,
I'm not really knowing what's going on. And so she
texts meself, oh you got audition Johnson's show? Uh, because
the casting director. She responded, she said, I'm not casting
for the role Leon, yet followed back up for two weeks.
She followed back up for two weeks and she's okay,
(18:56):
cool here his audition sides like, have my audition? Put
him gona take? So she takes me all you got
audition for Snowfalls and John Sticking. The show based about
the crack epidemic in the eighties, and at this point,
I was so discouraged about not being black enough. I
was like, I'm not auditioning for this. I was like,
They're gonna tell me I'm not black enough. I ain't
doing it. I'm not doing it, not wasting my tingue.
(19:18):
And so we argued about it, like you're going to audition.
I was like, I'm not, I'm not doing it. So
I finally did it my first take. I just did
it just to do it, and she knew it was trash.
It's like just trash, redo it. She coached me on
what she wanted to see and then so I did
what she wanted me to do and left it alone.
I was just going work. And then a few days later,
(19:39):
or probably a week later, they said that they wanted
to fly me out for a chemistry with Damnsing, and
so at this point, I'm like, and then they sent
me like a pre contract, tell me how much I
was making and all stuff like that, and I'm like, shoot,
I'm like, damn, this is getting real and so but
at this point, I still wasn't necessarily sold because in
my head, I'm like, if I go and I don't
(20:00):
get the roll, and I just got to come back
to my normal. It was just you know what I'm saying.
It was just like it's cool, but it's not concrete.
So basically, they flew me out on a Tuesday, and
they had had a return flight on a Thursday, so
it's like it was supposed to be like a three
day trip if I did in book. So she bought
herself a one way ticket because she's like, you're gonna book.
(20:21):
I like, I don't know, we don't know. So we
get to La. They sent me the audition size. I'm
studying the script whatever. Uh, Wednesday is an actual in
person audition. So I get there. It's like two two
or three other dudes auditioning for Leon. They dressed in
LA attire, they doing everything LA. I'm like, I'm in
regular street Atlanta club. I'm just like, you know what,
(20:42):
I'm saying about regular stuff. I'm just like, man, they
somebody gonna but because they really in character. And so
I think I was the last one that auditioned for
it too. But what I noticed is that Damn saying
before each one would go in the room, he would
come out in the hallway talk to them, build some
kind of report because they got to play best friends
like Leona Franklin. So he talking to them in the hallway.
(21:04):
You know what I'm saying, be on the quick report.
I'm like, cool. So when it's my turn, he gonna
talk to me too. Nope. When they called me to
do the audition, they called me in the room, I'm like,
they ain't gonna talk to me. Like. So we're in
the room. I see him and it's like fifteen Fox
executives and so I'm like, Briin't never been in the
audition with fifteen executives like ever in my life. But
in my head, I'm like, bro, you got like a
(21:25):
dollar in your account, but you better not scar you
too broke. So I man, that's I got in the
room and Damnson was like, he's like, hey, what's your name?
I said, Isaiah. He said, oh, that's my nephew's name, Okay, dope.
So that was the only thing we connected in that moment,
was the fact that his nephew had the same name
as me. And so I'm standing there, I'm just looking
(21:48):
at him, and they say, yeah, we know, we gave
you this this script to to to perform, but we
don't want you to do that. We want you to
improper damnson. So they just gave me a scenario to
just improv with him. And the scenario was um in
season one, while I was on the bus with the
with the boom box and the white man told me
(22:10):
to turn it down and like go off on the
white man. Like that was a scenario. But who they
had me, who they had me cuts out was Tommy Schlummy.
Tommy Schlalmy. He's like a very powerful important person in Hollywood,
and so he was in the audition room and stuff
like that, and so he said, yeah, so I just
want to hear the scenario. I just want you to,
(22:30):
you know, act like you're listening to your music and
I'm an old white man. I'm just gonna tell you
to turn it down. He just cuts me out. I said,
that's it. Yeah, it just cuts me out. I'm like,
can we get the camera up? So when he said
that I'm really tight before he does this thing, that's
when I start getting coping and I'm gonna get this
motherfucking man. Bro. I was so confused. I was like,
(22:52):
what cuts you out for a TV show? Run it?
So me and Damnston were just falling to the scene
like we kicking it, were talking and talking shit to
each other whatever, and he random interrupt It's like, hey,
you turn it down and look at him and just
got cuss them out. And so after that, after the
scene was over, I was like, so a few I'm like,
(23:14):
so what happens next? You know what I'm saying. But
after I just left. I just left, man. I was like,
appreciate it, huh he was when you left that mother
still not answering what's going on, But so I love
(23:41):
you man. When you thinking they said I wasn't black enough, watch, Honestly,
I was so in the moment I didn't even think
about nothing else like, and that's that's kind of how
I am. I just try to be in a moment
with life in general, to where even right now, honestly,
like me being on Snowfall still hasn't hit me, Like
even when I watched it, I still had to hit
(24:03):
me like that, Oh Snowfall is this like it don't
hit me. I'm just like it's just like, you know
what I'm saying. It's cool. You know, That's just how
I beam my whole life, yea, with anything that I've experienced. Like,
I'm just like, it's cool. Like I don't know even
when my song was, but I'm like, this is scary cool.
(24:23):
You don't know what the fuck gonna impress you though,
but it dinna want want me gonna put the ball?
And how the fuck did you do that? Be impressed by? So? Man,
You're deserved, you deserved. Damn Let me telling people to
(24:47):
stay humble all the time, and you're the definition of
that ship. You're so humble you don't even know you
know the dopest shit on TV. I tell you how
you can appreciate it by cable pay the bill and
then look at all the other ship that you got
to choose from. More. Hey, a bunch of people came
with building Ghana and let them watch it and see
(25:09):
the ce. What's crazy is when I went, when I
went before, when I was on the jetway before I
even got in the airport. He was like, snow fall,
that's they don't see the viol them today. So it
was dope, like we we got we got a fan
(25:29):
base like from all over the world. So that's that's
that's a dupe thing about the show, Like it's impacted
a lot of people from a lot of walks of life.
Let me ask you, young dude, who did you study
from that era from the eighties. Yeah, uh so when
I booked, when I actually booked the role, I had
like a few days to prepareing to the first day
(25:52):
of filming. So um, dub Cy like he was a huge,
huge part in how I was able to understand West
Coast culture and especially from that area. And talking to
John Singleton like have both of them on speed uh
talk to him the script like just understanding like everything,
(26:13):
trying to get the accent, the walk, just the or
the feel of of of West Coast in the eighties.
So really John and dubb was a two two and
most important people in my character development from that you know,
(26:34):
as unique to the West Coast or something like this.
It's really really like, especially in that in that time,
was just uh the walk like they bail like when
they walk and you know what I'm saying, they walked
with a certain confidence like they head up, they chest
up everything. Um. And just how they talk like just
they swag. You know what I'm saying. They're The accent
(26:55):
is kind of it's kind of country like a lot
of people from the West Coast back then us from
the South. They just moved to the West Coast, so
it has a lot of Southern twin to it. But
but yeah, it didn't take long like dub really really
he was on set every day, you know, um and
then learning because Dampson was a part of the first pilot,
so he's been He been with Snowfalls since the very
(27:18):
beginning of Snowfalls, so he even talking to him and
what he's learned, you know, from talking to everybody and
being around everybody. So I luckily I had it. I
got to talk to everybody. And because I'm into dogs,
like my dog training, he's based in LA and competence,
so I was incompetent a lot, talking to a lot
of OG's and competent, so I got to talk to
so many people who are from that time to where
(27:39):
I didn't have to guess or you know, just trying
to go off instinct. I'm like knock and talk to
so many people and just hit him up and ask
him a certain questions. So that helped me a lot
in my character development. You do, you did a good job.
You're doing a good job because I la the whole
time that John Singleton put you up on you. He
(28:03):
wanted the giants of the industry. Yeah, he was really
big on never forgetting your people, and like he said,
you if you if you, if you never forget your people,
you always have a fan base to fall on, like
all people will always support you. So never never feel
like he's too big for your own people. Um and
that and that's that's a huge thing. And just man,
(28:27):
he gave me a lot of games. He even though
my dad has been doing photography for years, but John
really helped me and made me pick the camera and
get into photography because he saw I had an eye
and he was like, you're gonna direct one day, and
just to start with the camera, to start the camera.
So we would be on set showing each other pictures.
I'm taking pictures of John and he taking pictures of me.
Uh So it's a lot of different things that I
(28:49):
was able to just connect with John. Um so, yeah,
a legend and that's a big fool man. Yeah. So
when I met him at the first table read, he said,
um because I thought that whole boat story was like cat.
(29:10):
So when I met him, the first thing he walked,
he said, Isaiah, I was like, shit, he's done on
my name, and so he was like he said, he said,
I was supposed to meet you a few years ago,
but I was stuck on my boat. And then I
was like, oh, you really want to suck on you.
I thought that was that was a line and he
was like, he said, but I did see your tape
back then. He said, you are an amazing acting as
(29:31):
the first thing he said to me, And that show
that's a hell of a company. That's don and I
book the show when I was twenty and I'm twenty
seven now. So I spent like most of you know
what I'm saying, me becoming a man like on this
show and around John and around some great people. Sean,
(29:51):
it's a hell of a breakout role, bro, It's some
dope shit to be a part of. And I think
I just like it was more than knowing that you
worked on that ship. Bro, Like made a decided effort
at a young age man to dedicate yourself to something
because that's what this comedy thing is. But this is
a little bit easier, you know what I'm saying, because
it's really just getting out late at night and hanging
(30:13):
out and talking shit. But to you know, like that's
the studying, it is, it is, it is. You know,
you got to dive into act in a different way.
So man, that's awesome. Yeah. I always tell people like,
it's like I didn't wish to be who like in
this position. I didn't believe. It's like you gotta even
take belief of stuff for you got to know, like
(30:34):
I knew, you know what I'm Sayingcause I feel like
even with belief, that's that's room for for for doubt,
you know what I'm saying. I knew, So I was
just waiting for the opportunity and system that's so valuable.
That's the whole asset. When you're trying to do anything
like outside the box, outside of you know what I'm saying,
(30:55):
like chasing a career or something like that, you gotta
have that support, syste That's that's real. Yeah, yeah, so
this journeys, it's it's been uh, it's been real interesting.
But it's dough Man. That's crazy. How did you get
on the barbershop again with tier Man getting in the face.
(31:22):
So Bro John sings and put you in bu right
wait wait, wait, you got to work with one of
the great I mean I'm saying you got to work
with tiger Man. Highlight, the highlight of that set was
(31:48):
back then he was saying Kylie Jenner, so he can't set.
Kylie Jenner was on saying everybody, Kydie's on set, but
he brought Kylie was on the barber shop set that
you would never know, you would have never shoot. Don't
want to know. Somebody didn't know what the shot was
going there they can go here go the barop, I
(32:15):
shoot some movie when you get your haircut. That's so
fucking cool. So every time you didn't happen, they make
a movie. Who is this? They shot it on the
Red Cab. Everybody was there, Ray there drinking apple juice
(32:40):
and the Taylor was dressed like Einstein because you don't
like send your there's like six years old. And Tyler
Jena thought all this, Tyler, they ain't gonna go home. Baby.
They make a movie, but make a big shit leaving me.
When did you turn eighteen? You have what funny whatever?
(33:02):
Back today said, but right now we currently filming some
of the seasons. Got damn eight of Snowfall right here.
Show this didn't knock this bullshit. But that's a hell
(33:23):
of a plug shop man. So you you know our
home girl girl, she came through the trap. Then that's
my girl. We gotta get everybody. Oh, y'all we need
to hold union show. When y'all like, yeah, I don't
know when how we gonna work that you be tired
of that? People we actually like where your cast make
said right, I'll be at public sometimes that we're freakling
(33:46):
that I called the freak the first time I met
at the same time. See, that's how you know the
(34:08):
ship good. When they call you the character man, that's
when you're acting. Yeah, everybody called me Leon. They're like,
I don't sorry, I'm like, that's cool. I don't be tripping.
I know some actors don't like being called their character name,
but to me, you can't fuck how somebody know you,
they know you was living, they know me. I'll be
Leon then I'll tell y'all, y'all just show immersive. Man,
(34:29):
anybody's not on snowfall. I don't know what the fuck
you're doing, but you feel like you know these motherfuckers.
You like the ten situations. I told you, I'll be
sweating with the ship. They gonna get out. Oh what
ain't gonna do? Just wait till this last season with
that man. This last season great crazy, Oh my god,
(34:49):
I can't wait. They named everybody right too, like you
look like a leon on the under believable he stress.
That was like, damn, I gotta win another week backyard.
(35:13):
That niggas ain't there. No, I ain't gonna no tig
on the sand. You can't. You don't know nobody moving
this much weight to ever. Let you don't know what
the fuck going out. First of all, I'm saying they're
not gonna stress a tiger time they not. Yeah, if
you bound, I saw what you called the white man
Joe Exidy, Yeah, or a baby tyger. I can't get
(35:36):
a tiger you. Oh, you can't buy a tager unless
you glad. Y'all told me, y'all see me when I'm talking.
You want to be a baby man. This ship you
cannot give a nigga a tiger. Can you imagine? Then
you go over, nigga, has he got a tiger? He says,
some nigga shit, Hey man, my tigger don't fight. I
(36:00):
think I don't know that ship. Boy, that's too much.
That's how to do that hard. I've had one, yeah
his apartment. Yeah, so you still don't buy why you
can't have a tiger though, you guys, this funds. That's why.
Because statement, can you have a monkey? No, motherfucker, because
(36:28):
because people got gotta have. You got to be in
the right place, depend on what kind of animals. Then
this list of animals not to fuck with. He loved
animals and he don't even fun with the ship. That's
really the crazy dude. Let all the animals go, yes
in the middle of the night, and and tigers bat
(36:49):
He let them go in the middle of the night.
They had to put them all down. They ain't. I know,
they didn't. That cheetah got about it there, that cheating,
that cheetah scooping up dogs and left and right. But yeah,
that's cruel. I think that's everybody's biggest feel though, is
the go outside one day you're just chilling on your porch,
hitting a little piece of blood, and you see some
(37:11):
shit that you know, we're supposed to be out talking
out nigga, a fucking silver back gorilla just in the
bushes and walk out there and and look up and
see you like, how did this get here? Now? Would
you rather see that as some UFO alien? I'd rather
see the fucking aliens. I feel like you might see
him at the same time. You ain't our gorilla. I'd
(37:39):
rather see the aliens. But I don't know, bro, that's
hella steria. We got one thing on that set. We're black.
They probably gonna get scared. Then, a motherfucker they never
seen they're coming to get They are black, but they
ain't never seen black folks. So the aliens black, I'm
telling they get up. Thing about the ship gonna look
(38:04):
like our differ room, Like, what the fuck they gonna
be like we've been waiting. What about that? Like a
female alien? That motherfucker kind of cute? He goes, That's
what's gonna happen when they come. It's gonna it's kind
of cute. I'm telling you, Like elians might be cute too.
You gotta stop doing this. You got stuff thinking that
(38:24):
alien bitch it's gonna have the same shit that we
fuck with. You think this bitch from folk hundred trillion
light years away, it's gonna have a regular vagina where
she's gonna be in the middle hurch. It is gonna
be so wid it's gonna be It's not like how
you took that somewhere. I thought it wasn't going I
(38:46):
thought you said puzzle was gonna literally be a black hole.
It's gonna from another galaxy. What you got the right
kind of dick, even you dick might have to do.
You didn't even Garison like the boys. You look like
(39:14):
you look like you got the whole species talking to
I thought it was a mitch there is. We are
(39:38):
from a mitchless Garix. Women, where are you going in?
My heart comes here still looks exactly twenty three thousand
and two seventy six. They are not missing here. You're
(40:00):
talking about you if you wasn't dreaming right, No man,
nobody gonna looking for I like a long hal stig.
(40:25):
That's the crazy part about it, though. The fucking ain't
the probably ain't nothing but niggas just riding through galaxies.
It's sucking with time and space and engine. Just the
niggas is in the process of reversing the Civil rights
movie everything. We just can't gather up. Stop people. You
think they got pol you can't even think so. Yeah,
(40:46):
if you got to travel, you wouldn't go back to
certain ship in history. Like think about eliens. They know
if they're from the future. Let's say they from the future,
so they know the ship. Just let's go back and
watch it. No, they don't help police, brod. They have
intelligence that means that they're smart enough to not do
shit that needs imagine you see other aliens run from
the police aliens? No, No, I think that would be crazy, right,
(41:09):
ain't aliens uniforms? Sh you worry about the space polist
worry about don't use shrink you got damn brainy head.
(41:30):
See keep playing with screaming at you. They ain't got
no mouth. Just do that. You know you're here looking
at you. They're smarter than us, bro That's why they
don't fuck with us. They know we're on bullshit. That's
hell got right. You know what I heard? I heard
(41:54):
that they built the pyramids from the top down and
not from the ground up. The better from the you.
I just heard that he was on TikTok. Nah hold
on because the niggas on TikTok saying you could walk
to Africa. You can't take day to fly to Africa.
How to fucking gonna want the Grand that they said,
(42:16):
it's a portal? Really really really what stay really What
they said was there's been multiple Egypts around the world
because it's pyramids, and they said there's pyramids in the
Grand Canes. So they just said that that was because
you got the rope. Don't make your cowboy walked to Africa.
(42:39):
That's what they said were all together when it was
paying jail. I want some pil African samdeals float do.
You can't walk, but you can't start. You know, some
of this ship too good not to believe. We've been
believing what we believe for so long. I'm looking for
(43:00):
some new ship to believe. I mean, my whole my
question is is how in the last hundred years we
have so much technology, but we supposedly being for hundreds
of thousands of years, How we didn't have cars fifty
thousand years ago. I think we had what you call it.
I think I think it's been moments of Advance and
then a recent the Stone Age back to Square Water,
(43:22):
get like Anni laid Nerve because motherfucker's just can't get
it right here. Just blow this bitch up ever so
often to be like, we'll try it again when y'all
get your shit together. I don't even think he was
blowing up. I think he let us blow it up.
Let me spri shit on these give me another reason.
People about themselves. They're so flat. The only people that
(43:57):
I can truly realize old Chinese. See the type of
ship we get to talking about once the weed really
settles in so so Bro, when you sit back and
watch the show, Bro, you just be chilling and just
(44:18):
like that shit, I'll never just hit you when you
had those moments. Oh you just really just going on
some artist ship, just criticizing. I'd be criticizing. I'm like,
I don't even believe myself right there. But now it's
hard for me to like watch anything for real. Yeah,
I'd be like, that's cool, that's cool, this is not
cool whatever. Um, I'm always looking at the acting, looking
(44:42):
at the shot, looking at the lighting. Oh they didn't
have that pin like that now last shot, it's all yeah,
that's why you're gonna be directed. It's different eventually sometimes
you but you know, I smoke a lot of weeks
and sometimes to turn my brain off. Amen, who plays
(45:03):
Uncle Jerome? He directed the episode this season. Yeah, we
got one of them, had to get one. That's what
they called to Jerome. Yeah, he and that and it
was fired. He's the reason why I performed that jail
scene the way that I did. Man, that ship so far.
Please tell me, that's my one of my favorite things. Man,
let's talk about it, so we get down from it. Johnson,
(45:26):
the Black Actors Studio today without j Jones, I see
you really performance performance movie, shocking, exhilarating. It was such
a It was what we call the Black Actors Guild.
(45:49):
I haven't called via Danny Glover from the Washington School Hall. Yes,
what of the most accomplish young actors we've ever had
Inside the Black Actor Studio. There was a gym scene. Well,
you have a friend of yours, take a student, see
(46:15):
where you really shoot your death as an actor. Quite
impressed over here an eighty five show. We'd give it
six black thumbs up even if we had seven, if
we had run more on a scan of one to six.
You got a six? No for real? Tell us about that.
(46:41):
So John Singleton, he uh, he typically directed our season finales,
so this was season two. Um, so it was his
episode and the scene was obviously it was a strong scene.
It was cool. And I was performing a scene and
I was it was it was, it was good, it
was good. Well we wanted to make it great. And
(47:03):
Amon pulled me to a side and he was just like, look,
he said, fuck everything. He said, fuck the words, fuck
fuck the script, fuck everything. He said, just go off
of how you feel. He said, you've seen your man's
right now, fucked up in the face. He said, just
let however you feel go. He said, just do whatever
(47:25):
you want to do. In that moment, I was like
cool and that really in that moment it just turned
me up. Like I was like, I watch, it's gonna
be the last take. So I John's like, are you ready?
I'm like yeah ready. So we started performing. I do
my coverage. So we're doing a scene. I break the phone.
That everybody clapping and I'm like, oh, yeah, we really
(47:47):
an't doing this again. Got broke the phone, so that's
gotta be it. And so John was like, we got it,
and then I didn't really understand how it was gonna
be pieced together. I was just in the moment. I
just was like, all right, that's that was, you know,
I feel I felt good about that one or when
I saw it and I was like, man like that
that made me feel a certain kind of way. And
I was like, that's dope when I can make myself,
(48:08):
uh feel my own performance, you know. And that's how
I feel about this last season. I got a lot
of those moments that I cannot wait. But everybody got
these moments. Man Like, everyone really went crazy this season
with their performances. So it's gonna be dope to see everybody.
Uh see everybody's reaction to this season. But your thing,
when you get pissed off, yeah, just go crazy. Just
(48:33):
go crazy, because even I think season four. So every
time they gave me, like a race and I got
a race something, I broke a table, I threw a
chair in the wall and stuck in the wall one take.
I was like, they know they right, and I'm gonna
be angry. I'm gonna break something with the crackhead. But
(48:53):
she wasn't a crackhead at first. That was your girl.
She wasn't she wasn't get on love story of Romeo
and Julian proportions because everybody in the from getting You
out the way of the book from oh with like yeah,
(49:20):
I think I think with that, with that specific love story,
I think Leon just felt obligated to not stick by
her shot, but because he ended up getting a new
girl eventually and then he just doubled back. But he
felt kind of at funk, you know. He introduced her
to Crack to be around crack, so he felt responsible,
(49:44):
you know. So I think that's that's where the core
their love story is the fact that he feels like
if it wasn't for him, she would have never went
down that road. Though it just I don't know, it
just hit there really really with me and gilded our chemistry.
(50:04):
That's when like it was her and like I think
three or four of the girls to audition for Wander
and I treated that audition like it was mine. I was,
I was off off book, I knew the lines. So
when I was performing with each girl like I was,
I was in it with him, I'm like, I'm not
gonna be reading and make you have to try to
pull something out of no, like we were in this
(50:25):
scene for real, Because we're gonna be love interest, you know,
for for a long period of time. I gotta make
sure like we can go toe to toe. So she
was probably like the second to last girl auditioning. But
when we're talking, she's like, yeah, I went to Airway
and then I'm like really like so we I'm like, oh,
we know the same people. So when we get in
a room, like she was like the only one who
(50:46):
I went we went at it like we went at it.
So I was like, she wonder So when she got
out the room, I told all the producers, I said,
that's wander for Shore because she was the only one
who really went like she would knock back. There was
no sense of I'm backing down because you'll be on
like no, like I wonder you know what I'm saying.
So it was dompe like it was dope, like what
(51:07):
y'all see today is. But she brought in the room
that day. So that's why everybody was like she was
perfect for this character. Um and the fact that what
really you know to me isn't a test to her
her talent is because when she woke the show, I
don't think she knew that her character was gonna be
on crack, so she just imagined if she was trash,
(51:28):
you know what I'm saying, Like that wasn't that story
wouldn't have sold the way that it did. But because
she's a great actress, like when they told her that
she was gonna be on crack, she just did her research.
She really, she really did her research. Talk to a
lot of people saying that she really got it character.
(51:50):
I didn't say she going back to the neighborhood. How
this stuff thing. So I'm glad Jack nobody ever asked
me about my I'm glad you can't visit me. I'm
(52:20):
Zack weekend. I'm zach weekend. Have me look my boy
Jane came ahead right. People ain't gonna get lit, you know.
And that ship. I watched the wattle. She hadn't fucked up.
(52:52):
I was watching TV. Then TV jumped on top my
fucker't know at the time. Oh my goddamn kids down
on the way started sweating. Then the bitch jumped on me.
(53:17):
I know. One of the mother whint my back flut, bullshit,
you're not. He just pulled the floe backs in and
he zipped the mother what when the put a zip
on my floor so I won't go in the kitchen
no more? Man, Man de Rail on the show too. Yeah,
(53:50):
my god, Peaches you laughing. The teachers are a little funny.
That het me call on Peach some too. Nobody I
think be like, what's something hilarious? It'd be cool. It
seems like y'all y'all got a good relationship that man.
(54:12):
I tell everybody, we like a family outside of Snowfall,
Like we all kick it. We got a group chat,
uh and the old white dudes and should be on
that what the group chat? Yeah, everybody on the it
ain't a lot of old white gude girl like regularly
what about the white put the crack in the neighbor? Carter?
(54:38):
That's my guy. He's dope. He was like a quarter car. Yeah, yeah,
cool he got He did some good great work this
season two. Everybody did. Yeah. I like his character. He
go great a lot of people. It took it. I
think it took him a while to like really like
the Snowfall fans because he said, like obviously he ain't
(54:58):
say it like that. Yeah, but niggas I hate you,
like how we get walk up to him saying I
can't stand he got hate. That's crazy. In the airport
slap before back, he said he would be king. He
(55:28):
boils so far. I played character with my grandson his
birthday because we all we like when we get number
of people hate me. But they ain't crazy. How they
(55:50):
told you you wasn't black enough. Now you're on TV
doing the blackest shit you could possibly be doing. Man,
I was just as local. They just gonna so they
don't see. They just gonna show you that some gotta
put your blessing in the sky. He was tend different
look and just got it. Mean, gotta wrap your blessing up,
(56:15):
make it look like something like give rerap. You gotta unwrapping.
It's a blessing. Ain't like it looked like it ain't
want something, look like it ain't want to rate. But
then what that one thing matter? You can't Jane, what real?
You can believe what I mean? Will here? Don't you
(56:40):
never think that it ain't what? Ain't what it else?
You gotta wrap your blessing up. You put your shting
autos on box. You're thinking some breaks forget something else whatever.
Now that's hard. I just love how you f up
(57:00):
that ship and the story made for a circle. Shure,
you really got the job when you won the monologue. Ship.
True she had that ship happened. It wasn't for that.
Ain't the seeds that's everything happened for either. Hell yeah, Leon,
(57:20):
that's a black ass name too. That's coming from the
nigger named lewis Man. That might be a little spit
off looking name. Cleveland. Y'all callos with the cave. I
(57:42):
shut then up before I get Crag involved with. Then't
got a name like a pastor and defend pass the
thing a little buddy, shut stupid. He couldn't get this
(58:03):
old nigga. You wouldn't hit my story. That's funny, you
know the funny thing. That's all the nigga's name, real
real og names. Black people do. Got some o dass names,
old as fuck, bro Chat, we gotta come getting no
(58:33):
more biblical that. I think it was your name black Isaiah.
You know it's always a mixed nigga name. My zi
ain't ain't not saying like Jesus nephew. Isaiah is a
mixed name. Jesus nigga. You know, name I z Isaiah Thomas,
Isaiah Thomas. That nigga is dark scared Washington long enough.
(59:04):
You are the first. I only need the name the
first one. Okay, watch up again, nigga losing Isaia all
the others. I'm probably the first. Isaiah john john If
(59:24):
you had a phone book right now and being page
in them, why I never met Isaiah john I met
Isaiah Johnson. You gotta get up there in the meet
the old nigga. Name is Zaia. Yeah. I used to
be a passenger, joined the military. I did you do that?
In reverse? People know what You're gonna go ahead them
two weekends a year was ill? Trust me? Steve Case
(59:49):
sleep to night. Hey man. This episode is sponsored in
part by cocaine the same time this used to make crack.
They didn't give us none, but we did use some
of the money. No, this was this was the Actually
this was prop cocaine from the set of Snowfall and
(01:00:12):
No extra track to Still No, No, you try to
sell it. I told you he was some snow The
nigga there on the TV show shipping two birds the
corners is hard? What's up cat? When you see La
(01:00:38):
back to the British accent. At first, it was um
like the first time I like heard it was after
the first table read, so I'm thinking he from you know, America,
like he talking to American accent. And as soon as
we've done everybody, you know what I'm saying, saying naked eyes,
he whip out this London accent. I'm like, well, I
(01:01:03):
was confused black like he got me around all his
UK HOMEI so there ain't nothing to me now. But
when we used to do a tour, like we used
to do a tour, so we will film the season
and then go on like a nationwide tour, just hit
automated cities, and every time they were, they were they
were show the first episode and they would do a panel.
(01:01:26):
As soon as he opened his mouth in every city,
every black woman in them theaters was screamed like they
never heard a UK accident before in their life. They
probably ain't heard when the real life he says hello
and they go crazy. I'm like, hello, now we got
(01:01:46):
the sauce Hello, but I heard it's like that fun
so over there, I gotta go, oh yeah, I got
it's crazy. It's crazy because damned to be trying to
he be trying to do the Atlantic accent every time
(01:02:07):
he do. I ain't doing he like, ain't got damn. Yeah,
it's funny. Yeah, that accent crazy, it's crazy. Yeah, got appreciate.
They're gonna tell you say something. We'd be like say something.
(01:02:29):
They're gonna tell you to say something that you know
what I'm gonna say? Bis what sahi to be? They're
(01:02:55):
gonna get you them cookies though, ain't they biscuits? Cookie? Yeah?
So they sausage cookie? Yeah the way that sounds. So
what they call the cook and I will not be
participating in the if they cast biscuits with sausages don't
get configured can start. But they call them on business cookies.
(01:03:22):
So what they call the cookie a biscuit? So what
you mean, nigga says, no, no, not that you don't
what what you mean to asking what do they call
the biscuit? Then? What the nigga? That's a scone? A scone?
(01:03:43):
This nigga have, man? Why you explaining ship in him?
You know what the nigga no scone? Uh, we got
them over here, but they got them different over there.
To say, it's like, yeah this UK people help me out.
This nigga' for the UK. He had to there's a
(01:04:05):
nigga from a zone. When you have you have, motherfucker,
you can be wrong either way. Dawn Show called them
bitches gone or bit scotted. Maybe they just say pastry
(01:04:31):
my knigg Strew Strew strud Strew goes like. They don't
say line. They say que crumpet, like what we call
a line. You gotta have money to have crumpets. Nigga.
Everybody don't get to eat trans can be okay, it's
not a hor it's a whole fucking shit. We live
(01:04:53):
in Atlanta. We got music and music. They're not human now.
I do had one theory that I believe. I believe
Memphis is Egypt, though think about it. They got pyramids,
everybody got gold to and tattoos. They speak their own language,
(01:05:16):
and them niggas be gangster walking. That's in the hieroglyphics.
See he won high motherfucker green with you damn show.
Just in case you wonder what we're doing, we are
now showing you just how important having an eighty five
South show app is. Because you was watching this show thinking, oh,
(01:05:38):
they did finally put the ship back on YouTube. They
was listening. We weren't. We weren't on that appy five
dot com, Foka dap. You got an hour for free.
We gave you what you wanted. Now give us some
subscriptions to the app fifteen eighty five dollars a year.
Shannowighty five dot com, eighty five South Show, Get the Apple.
(01:06:01):
See this is what they don't know. Really three dollars,
but adjusted for inflation is a low. Get the app, man,
stop bullshing, were out of here, man,
I think it's time to proceed with the pimping man.
There's been enough bullshitting about the politics of the United
States of America. It's time to get serious and go
to work because we ain't bringing nobody doing the trap
that's not certified in every ghetto. Come on, man in America.
(00:30):
Come on, I told you that we only bring it
ghetto legends. Come on to the trap. Come on that
We've been sitting here kicking the wooly Bobo and this
bro that we got on the show with us tonight.
It's most definitely, most definitely a ghetto legend. Get legend.
(00:56):
He earned that. Come on, I'm talking about on Americus.
Come on, man, I think he really from that time
period TV show. Come on, I'm talking about this ship
just had to be Come on right here from left,
come on, holy right post have been here after episode one,
(01:20):
come over, man came after he got the all this.
Come on, man, after you found out you had to
part Now he had to run, he had to run
and now but it's yeah, it's definitely full serve. You
need to be here. Yeah, man, you know it's here.
It's just dope one. You know, us as comedians, we
get to reach across the entertainment board. You know, politics
(01:43):
what somebody people and somebody friends on the other side
of the game that's still handling business in the same aspect,
in the same way of light that we're doing it
on this side. And it's like, first of all, we
want to make sure you get all your propers man
and all your flowers. Is because what y'all doing over there,
it's beautiful and it's and it's really like a classic
(02:07):
already got America on the edge of their seat waiting
to see that ship man, one of the best Crown
dramas on TV. You up there in that pantheon with
all them great shows. And I think this show is
even gonna have some legs man like people steadily getting
turned onto it, you know what I'm saying, Like you
started now for in it, so yeah, and the memes
(02:28):
just dope too. Yeah, but yeah, and you're doing some
ghetto legendary shit. So it's only right that you pulled
up to the eighty five South Show, ladies and gentlemen,
none other than I say, y'all, first of all, let's go,
(02:51):
welcome to the trap. Come on at home. I'm already
at home. I'm chilling. We got all types of ship
going on. How you being been good? How's your mental health?
We got to ask that now as black men, they
shouldn't asking enough mental been good man, Just a lot
of a lot of life transitions. Yeah, it's been good.
(03:13):
It's taking life day by day as we as that's
all we can do. So before we even talk about
one of the dopest shows on TV, we're gonna take
it back a step further. How did how did it
all this even start? Man? How you start acting? My boy?
Black people don't call it acting? You how see you
(03:39):
see whatever didn't make it? Will you be asking your
way to jail? See? You should have been some dad alone.
I think we ain't got ship to get wet. We're
gonna see you so because you should have won it.
God damn that was amazing. Appreciate So how did all
(04:07):
how do you start acting? Man? Man? Uh? How did
I start acting? So? Apparently I've always wanted to be
an actor, which I didn't really understand until like later
in life. I wrote it down when I was in
fifth grade that I wanted to be an actor. In
a veterinarian random you still got time to be a veterinarian.
My boy, I mean I got two many animals at
(04:27):
it this so I'm oh, yeah, I got a whole
animal sleeve, like my leg sleeve. Damn Africans, tiger striping,
freak ship all the way here, I got. You got
the move and even you say animals like you stopping
(05:03):
at dogs and cats or you got no. I mean
I got a lot of lands. So I might have
like chickens, goats, like salamas. B I don't want the lamas.
They be spitting. Yeah, they spit. I don't want that.
Give you some of them little ghosts just pass out.
I don't want that either. Yeah. They just you're scaring.
Oh shit, you're scaring. They go sha keep getting just
(05:40):
being the back just like but yeah. So when I
was thirteen, uh, that was when I like I made
the conscious decision that I was like, you know, I
want to try acting. Um, And I was really shy
growing up. So when I told my mom that I
wanted to act, she was like, no, you don't, like
you don't have the personality for it. And I'm like,
(06:01):
I really want to do it. So it took a
year for me to like convince her that I was serious,
and my dad, he works at the hospital, and his
co worker he was in film school and he was
doing a short film and he was like, yeah, I
need I need an actor from my short film or whatever.
My dad was like, well, my son wanted to try acting,
so you can use my son. And so that was
the first acting gig I had, was a short film
(06:23):
about domestic violence. And ever since then, I just I
ran with it. I just started studying. I didn't I
didn't want an audition for nothing that I just wanted
to study, like because to me, I'm big on like
my pride. This just won't let me like not put
my all into it, and I didn't want to be
viewed as trash. So I just I'm like, I gotta
study this craft because I want to be good. So
(06:45):
I spent most of my years pursuing acting, just studying
with different coaches and figuring out which method worked better
for me, attacking different characters. So um so yeah, that's
pretty much what I did, like throughout my teams. When
I hit high school, I was at a public school
for like my first semester nther grade, and I was like,
I need to get homeschool so I can like really
(07:05):
dive in some more into my craft. So my parents
was cool with it, and so I started like traveling
to la Luckily, this amazing coach that is my favorite
coach that I worked with so far. His name is
called Forward. He came down to Atlanta and did like
an intensive and we started well, started like seven pm
(07:26):
and won't stop till seven am. I'm just straight acting
like overnight. Because his whole ideology behind that was like,
you need to be ready even when you're tired. Yeah,
that's a lot of times, you know how these shoes.
And I've always been the youngest in my in my
class like back then, so around that time, I was
seventeen and like he was. He was just telling me
(07:50):
like how great he thought I was and stuff like that.
And so I was a part of this acting group
called Away and Gail being she was actually but I
never met her. We never never met. I never met,
which is crazy, Yeah, it is crazy. So we never met,
but I did. I did this thing called Monologue Slam
(08:11):
where any actor in Atlantic could audition just performing monologue
and they chose like the top ten actors and if
you were the top ten, you could perform that monologue
in front of John Singleton. So I was like, dope,
So I did it. I was one of the top ten.
But when it came down town to perform in front
of John Singleton, he never showed up. So I was like, bro,
(08:31):
what like never showed up. They said he was stuck
on his boat like around some island line. So that
kind of like crushed my dreams at that point. Um.
And then so I graduated high school in twenty fourteen. Uh.
After that, my dad, he's Caribbing, he from Trinidad, grew
with Jamaica. And when I told him I didn't want
(08:53):
to go to college and I wanted to still pursue acting,
that was like a whole conversation. He was like, you
know you did you go on to school? And I
was like, like my mom was she? She she really
pushed me, you know, and my acting Christians like no,
like I really think he could do it. So I
didn't go to college. Um, and I was still auditioning
for different roles by this point. I still haven't booked
(09:14):
anything really at all. I'm still just studying the craft.
And so, um, when I was how it was, I
don't know. But after that, after high school. The only
job I can get I was flexible with auditions, was
like a restaurant job. So I had a restaurant job.
I was eighteen. I was a server, and which was
(09:39):
it was? It was? It was like a little I knew.
The owner was like a smaller restaurant called Village Cafe.
And the manager at the time he probably gonna see
this ship too. The manager at the time. I couldn't
come into work because I had an audition. I was like,
I told Burl, like, I got this audition tomorrow. Like
he was like, well, if you can't find nobody to
take over your shift, then you can't go. I'm like,
what tell me I can't go to audition? So I
(10:01):
just ain't go. So he wrote me up. He wrote
me up and on the write up, and I wish
I intended to keep it because I always knew who
I was gonna become, right, But on the write up,
he said, you miss work for an audition where you
know you're not going make it in this industry, Like
you're not gonna make it in the industry, And so
(10:23):
I wouldn't say that legally, you ain't gotta stating that ship.
So after that, like I quit shortly after that, and
then I became a janitor at a gym, and I
was a janitor for like two years. But honestly I
(10:43):
loved that job. Like that janitor job was lit work.
The reason why I was late because I learned a
lot about myself, Like I learned uh patience. Uh. It
really like helped me creatively because I had so much
time to myself. Yeah, that's an og job. Janitor was young, clean,
(11:08):
down like it was like it was like I felt
like it was like an old people gym. It was
just a whole bunch of old white people at this gym.
Oh yeah, so they was leaving phones and money. In
(11:30):
twenty twenty fifteen, I bought a small roll in Barber
Shop three. It was just one once one quick scene
with Tiger and Michael Rainey, and they used that scene
in the prom that's when Tiger was again. Remember that.
I'm like, I like, I'm like, what ain't got this Chicago? This? No,
(11:57):
I'm when you said that ship the first ship in
the land, like Nigga Tiger was in Bobby right right? Yeah,
only lad, I remember from any of the Barber Shop series.
If you want to get down, you kept the vote
for le Loo Brown. That's the only I don't remember
(12:21):
nothing about the barber shop through Beside tiger An, the
gamest in the movie dumped out, like, what's up y'all,
and I was that's the scene I was in. You
don't wanted the game? Yeah, so true, man, I excuse
too seriously, Bro, Barbara, I don't believe that ship. I
excut way too lean to being Barbara. What you want
(12:43):
to get, Jake? What your line up? It's fucked up? No,
it's good. Why are you running all in the shot?
You wouldn't let me get away the Ship't know, Barbara,
that me ain't nobody coming back there just because you
(13:05):
owned the shop. Calvin Youmber his name, So just the
guy there, RecA you got there was just studying acting. Yeah,
on your own. Wasn't even auditional. You were just getting good.
I was trying to get auditions, but I really wasn't
getting them any auditions. But you kept by, Hey, that's
(13:25):
what the people, that's the grand dough. Yeah right, you
put the work in. Yeah, it did so by the
time so you said it was thirteen and by high
school you was auditioning for ship and you hit that
job secret to ship didn't get that ship? Yeah, well
that was that was that was really just like to
get in front of him. Um. But like while I
was doing the janitor job, I was doing a lot
(13:47):
of auditions, even after Barbara shop Um. And the weird
part about the industry back then for me was it
was my look. My luck hindered me a lot because
I was audition obviously for African American roles, and they
would tell me that I don't look black American. Really,
what you look like a nigga to me? But see
(14:08):
that's what they don't. They never tell you what's what
you look like? Because sell me what I look like.
I'm saying, though, that's the same I'm not talking about that.
Black people come in a thousand different colors back about
exactly exactly. Now you're starting to get this if people
(14:30):
look to say, no, he's but if you really look
at just history, it's just like that. But that's the
thing about it. But even if you even if they
thought that shit, they still shouldn't tell a black man
that he can't audition to be a black Yeah, what's
he was? The people black that they would telling you
wasn't black enough? Yeah, that was black. Yeah, that try
(14:52):
to overdo it. It's like the black police. It really
like it really wasn't like you ain't black enough. It's
like you don't look like the rest of the family,
like everybody else look obviously black. You how much shit
they don't know about black people. The family got in
the house, got one motherfucker, don't look like no bad facts.
(15:14):
Oh my mama, it's just a random man's baby, and
like your mama, don't really talk about this like everybody family,
you know, you know, she looked like everybody got the
same last name. House looked like my brother brother, you
got an uncle name Peewee. You know how that's how
(15:35):
black families work, go on here to get in position
man because they don't even know bro. Sometimes black families
that just have a random man's white person in that motherfucker.
Oh mama's exactly. Yeah, here's with your aunt that day,
your grandma saster. You never know, just a random man's
white side of the family. I write, some ship keep
(15:56):
going for here. But so after that, like it just
fucked up. That scouraged me because to me, it's like
if you tell me I'm bad, that's cool. I can
get better you tell me I ain't, but because my look,
I'm gonna do some paper, like I'm gonna get this role.
(16:18):
But like at that point, I was just like, you
know what, I just wanted to take a break from
even pursuing acting. Um So, in twenty fifteen, Snowfall did
their original pilot John Singleton, you know he wrote it.
He cast everybody. You gotta tell us how you reconnected
with him. I ain't reconnecting it yet. I've been telling
(16:38):
you about how Snowfall started, so they can connect the knots.
So John, he did an original pilot in twenty fifteen,
uh with a Jill Scott was the aunt, d Ray
was the uncle. Like it was a completely different cash.
I mean, Damnston was still Franklin back then, but they
had a differently on everybody. Um So, my mom she found, uh,
(17:02):
she found a project, but it was already casting. She's like, dang,
I say what, I perpectly young. And so what she
did was she has a background in the loft for
twenty eight years, so she just she's do her research.
And so a year later she found out in twenty
sixteen and Day were recasting because FX finally picked it
up and they wanted to do a serious with it. Um.
So at this point, my agent at the time here
in Atlanta, she told him, like, y'all should pitch I
(17:25):
was there for Snowfall, and it was like, we're not
going to pitch her for Snowfall, Like that's an LA
show and we don't do that. And so she took
it upon herself if she found out who was casting,
and so she sent the pitching herself. I didn't know
all this time. Oh man, I'm at mop floors. I'm like, yeah,
what you used to listen to? What you mopping floors?
(17:47):
And shit, man, honestly, I ain't even gonna lie. And
I only even this first time I'm saying this on right.
I used to like write my own songs like well,
because you know, be video your own ship my nigga,
(18:14):
my nigga, nigga, let go self self selfe by my
damn Now now crazy. But yeah, so I'm ship never
(18:35):
never never never. But but yeah, so this whole time,
I'm not really knowing what's going on. And so she
texts meself, oh you got audition Johnson's show? Uh, because
the casting director. She responded, she said, I'm not casting
for the role Leon, yet followed back up for two weeks.
She followed back up for two weeks and she's okay,
(18:56):
cool here his audition sides like, have my audition? Put
him gona take? So she takes me all you got
audition for Snowfalls and John Sticking. The show based about
the crack epidemic in the eighties, and at this point,
I was so discouraged about not being black enough. I
was like, I'm not auditioning for this. I was like,
They're gonna tell me I'm not black enough. I ain't
doing it. I'm not doing it, not wasting my tingue.
(19:18):
And so we argued about it, like you're going to audition.
I was like, I'm not, I'm not doing it. So
I finally did it my first take. I just did
it just to do it, and she knew it was trash.
It's like just trash, redo it. She coached me on
what she wanted to see and then so I did
what she wanted me to do and left it alone.
I was just going work. And then a few days later,
(19:39):
or probably a week later, they said that they wanted
to fly me out for a chemistry with Damnsing, and
so at this point, I'm like, and then they sent
me like a pre contract, tell me how much I
was making and all stuff like that, and I'm like, shoot,
I'm like, damn, this is getting real and so but
at this point, I still wasn't necessarily sold because in
my head, I'm like, if I go and I don't
(20:00):
get the roll, and I just got to come back
to my normal. It was just you know what I'm saying.
It was just like it's cool, but it's not concrete.
So basically, they flew me out on a Tuesday, and
they had had a return flight on a Thursday, so
it's like it was supposed to be like a three
day trip if I did in book. So she bought
herself a one way ticket because she's like, you're gonna book.
(20:21):
I like, I don't know, we don't know. So we
get to La. They sent me the audition size. I'm
studying the script whatever. Uh, Wednesday is an actual in
person audition. So I get there. It's like two two
or three other dudes auditioning for Leon. They dressed in
LA attire, they doing everything LA. I'm like, I'm in
regular street Atlanta club. I'm just like, you know what,
(20:42):
I'm saying about regular stuff. I'm just like, man, they
somebody gonna but because they really in character. And so
I think I was the last one that auditioned for
it too. But what I noticed is that Damn saying
before each one would go in the room, he would
come out in the hallway talk to them, build some
kind of report because they got to play best friends
like Leona Franklin. So he talking to them in the hallway.
(21:04):
You know what I'm saying, be on the quick report.
I'm like, cool. So when it's my turn, he gonna
talk to me too. Nope. When they called me to
do the audition, they called me in the room, I'm like,
they ain't gonna talk to me. Like. So we're in
the room. I see him and it's like fifteen Fox
executives and so I'm like, Briin't never been in the
audition with fifteen executives like ever in my life. But
in my head, I'm like, bro, you got like a
(21:25):
dollar in your account, but you better not scar you
too broke. So I man, that's I got in the
room and Damnson was like, he's like, hey, what's your name?
I said, Isaiah. He said, oh, that's my nephew's name, Okay, dope.
So that was the only thing we connected in that moment,
was the fact that his nephew had the same name
as me. And so I'm standing there, I'm just looking
(21:48):
at him, and they say, yeah, we know, we gave
you this this script to to to perform, but we
don't want you to do that. We want you to
improper damnson. So they just gave me a scenario to
just improv with him. And the scenario was um in
season one, while I was on the bus with the
with the boom box and the white man told me
(22:10):
to turn it down and like go off on the
white man. Like that was a scenario. But who they
had me, who they had me cuts out was Tommy Schlummy.
Tommy Schlalmy. He's like a very powerful important person in Hollywood,
and so he was in the audition room and stuff
like that, and so he said, yeah, so I just
want to hear the scenario. I just want you to,
(22:30):
you know, act like you're listening to your music and
I'm an old white man. I'm just gonna tell you
to turn it down. He just cuts me out. I said,
that's it. Yeah, it just cuts me out. I'm like,
can we get the camera up? So when he said
that I'm really tight before he does this thing, that's
when I start getting coping and I'm gonna get this
motherfucking man. Bro. I was so confused. I was like,
(22:52):
what cuts you out for a TV show? Run it?
So me and Damnston were just falling to the scene
like we kicking it, were talking and talking shit to
each other whatever, and he random interrupt It's like, hey,
you turn it down and look at him and just
got cuss them out. And so after that, after the
scene was over, I was like, so a few I'm like,
(23:14):
so what happens next? You know what I'm saying. But
after I just left. I just left, man. I was like,
appreciate it, huh he was when you left that mother
still not answering what's going on, But so I love
(23:41):
you man. When you thinking they said I wasn't black enough, watch, Honestly,
I was so in the moment I didn't even think
about nothing else like, and that's that's kind of how
I am. I just try to be in a moment
with life in general, to where even right now, honestly,
like me being on Snowfall still hasn't hit me, Like
even when I watched it, I still had to hit
(24:03):
me like that, Oh Snowfall is this like it don't
hit me. I'm just like it's just like, you know
what I'm saying. It's cool. You know, That's just how
I beam my whole life, yea, with anything that I've experienced. Like,
I'm just like, it's cool. Like I don't know even
when my song was, but I'm like, this is scary cool.
(24:23):
You don't know what the fuck gonna impress you though,
but it dinna want want me gonna put the ball?
And how the fuck did you do that? Be impressed by? So? Man,
You're deserved, you deserved. Damn Let me telling people to
(24:47):
stay humble all the time, and you're the definition of
that ship. You're so humble you don't even know you
know the dopest shit on TV. I tell you how
you can appreciate it by cable pay the bill and
then look at all the other ship that you got
to choose from. More. Hey, a bunch of people came
with building Ghana and let them watch it and see
(25:09):
the ce. What's crazy is when I went, when I
went before, when I was on the jetway before I
even got in the airport. He was like, snow fall,
that's they don't see the viol them today. So it
was dope, like we we got we got a fan
(25:29):
base like from all over the world. So that's that's
that's a dupe thing about the show, Like it's impacted
a lot of people from a lot of walks of life.
Let me ask you, young dude, who did you study
from that era from the eighties. Yeah, uh so when
I booked, when I actually booked the role, I had
like a few days to prepareing to the first day
(25:52):
of filming. So um, dub Cy like he was a huge,
huge part in how I was able to understand West
Coast culture and especially from that area. And talking to
John Singleton like have both of them on speed uh
talk to him the script like just understanding like everything,
(26:13):
trying to get the accent, the walk, just the or
the feel of of of West Coast in the eighties.
So really John and dubb was a two two and
most important people in my character development from that you know,
(26:34):
as unique to the West Coast or something like this.
It's really really like, especially in that in that time,
was just uh the walk like they bail like when
they walk and you know what I'm saying, they walked
with a certain confidence like they head up, they chest
up everything. Um. And just how they talk like just
they swag. You know what I'm saying. They're The accent
(26:55):
is kind of it's kind of country like a lot
of people from the West Coast back then us from
the South. They just moved to the West Coast, so
it has a lot of Southern twin to it. But
but yeah, it didn't take long like dub really really
he was on set every day, you know, um and
then learning because Dampson was a part of the first pilot,
so he's been He been with Snowfalls since the very
(27:18):
beginning of Snowfalls, so he even talking to him and
what he's learned, you know, from talking to everybody and
being around everybody. So I luckily I had it. I
got to talk to everybody. And because I'm into dogs,
like my dog training, he's based in LA and competence,
so I was incompetent a lot, talking to a lot
of OG's and competent, so I got to talk to
so many people who are from that time to where
(27:39):
I didn't have to guess or you know, just trying
to go off instinct. I'm like knock and talk to
so many people and just hit him up and ask
him a certain questions. So that helped me a lot
in my character development. You do, you did a good job.
You're doing a good job because I la the whole
time that John Singleton put you up on you. He
(28:03):
wanted the giants of the industry. Yeah, he was really
big on never forgetting your people, and like he said,
you if you if you, if you never forget your people,
you always have a fan base to fall on, like
all people will always support you. So never never feel
like he's too big for your own people. Um and
that and that's that's a huge thing. And just man,
(28:27):
he gave me a lot of games. He even though
my dad has been doing photography for years, but John
really helped me and made me pick the camera and
get into photography because he saw I had an eye
and he was like, you're gonna direct one day, and
just to start with the camera, to start the camera.
So we would be on set showing each other pictures.
I'm taking pictures of John and he taking pictures of me.
Uh So it's a lot of different things that I
(28:49):
was able to just connect with John. Um so, yeah,
a legend and that's a big fool man. Yeah. So
when I met him at the first table read, he said,
um because I thought that whole boat story was like cat.
(29:10):
So when I met him, the first thing he walked,
he said, Isaiah, I was like, shit, he's done on
my name, and so he was like he said, he said,
I was supposed to meet you a few years ago,
but I was stuck on my boat. And then I
was like, oh, you really want to suck on you.
I thought that was that was a line and he
was like, he said, but I did see your tape
back then. He said, you are an amazing acting as
(29:31):
the first thing he said to me, And that show
that's a hell of a company. That's don and I
book the show when I was twenty and I'm twenty
seven now. So I spent like most of you know
what I'm saying, me becoming a man like on this
show and around John and around some great people. Sean,
(29:51):
it's a hell of a breakout role, bro, It's some
dope shit to be a part of. And I think
I just like it was more than knowing that you
worked on that ship. Bro, Like made a decided effort
at a young age man to dedicate yourself to something
because that's what this comedy thing is. But this is
a little bit easier, you know what I'm saying, because
it's really just getting out late at night and hanging
(30:13):
out and talking shit. But to you know, like that's
the studying, it is, it is, it is. You know,
you got to dive into act in a different way.
So man, that's awesome. Yeah. I always tell people like,
it's like I didn't wish to be who like in
this position. I didn't believe. It's like you gotta even
take belief of stuff for you got to know, like
(30:34):
I knew, you know what I'm Sayingcause I feel like
even with belief, that's that's room for for for doubt,
you know what I'm saying. I knew, So I was
just waiting for the opportunity and system that's so valuable.
That's the whole asset. When you're trying to do anything
like outside the box, outside of you know what I'm saying,
(30:55):
like chasing a career or something like that, you gotta
have that support, syste That's that's real. Yeah, yeah, so
this journeys, it's it's been uh, it's been real interesting.
But it's dough Man. That's crazy. How did you get
on the barbershop again with tier Man getting in the face.
(31:22):
So Bro John sings and put you in bu right
wait wait, wait, you got to work with one of
the great I mean I'm saying you got to work
with tiger Man. Highlight, the highlight of that set was
(31:48):
back then he was saying Kylie Jenner, so he can't set.
Kylie Jenner was on saying everybody, Kydie's on set, but
he brought Kylie was on the barber shop set that
you would never know, you would have never shoot. Don't
want to know. Somebody didn't know what the shot was
going there they can go here go the barop, I
(32:15):
shoot some movie when you get your haircut. That's so
fucking cool. So every time you didn't happen, they make
a movie. Who is this? They shot it on the
Red Cab. Everybody was there, Ray there drinking apple juice
(32:40):
and the Taylor was dressed like Einstein because you don't
like send your there's like six years old. And Tyler
Jena thought all this, Tyler, they ain't gonna go home. Baby.
They make a movie, but make a big shit leaving me.
When did you turn eighteen? You have what funny whatever?
(33:02):
Back today said, but right now we currently filming some
of the seasons. Got damn eight of Snowfall right here.
Show this didn't knock this bullshit. But that's a hell
(33:23):
of a plug shop man. So you you know our
home girl girl, she came through the trap. Then that's
my girl. We gotta get everybody. Oh, y'all we need
to hold union show. When y'all like, yeah, I don't
know when how we gonna work that you be tired
of that? People we actually like where your cast make
said right, I'll be at public sometimes that we're freakling
(33:46):
that I called the freak the first time I met
at the same time. See, that's how you know the
(34:08):
ship good. When they call you the character man, that's
when you're acting. Yeah, everybody called me Leon. They're like,
I don't sorry, I'm like, that's cool. I don't be tripping.
I know some actors don't like being called their character name,
but to me, you can't fuck how somebody know you,
they know you was living, they know me. I'll be
Leon then I'll tell y'all, y'all just show immersive. Man,
(34:29):
anybody's not on snowfall. I don't know what the fuck
you're doing, but you feel like you know these motherfuckers.
You like the ten situations. I told you, I'll be
sweating with the ship. They gonna get out. Oh what
ain't gonna do? Just wait till this last season with
that man. This last season great crazy, Oh my god,
(34:49):
I can't wait. They named everybody right too, like you
look like a leon on the under believable he stress.
That was like, damn, I gotta win another week backyard.
(35:13):
That niggas ain't there. No, I ain't gonna no tig
on the sand. You can't. You don't know nobody moving
this much weight to ever. Let you don't know what
the fuck going out. First of all, I'm saying they're
not gonna stress a tiger time they not. Yeah, if
you bound, I saw what you called the white man
Joe Exidy, Yeah, or a baby tyger. I can't get
(35:36):
a tiger you. Oh, you can't buy a tager unless
you glad. Y'all told me, y'all see me when I'm talking.
You want to be a baby man. This ship you
cannot give a nigga a tiger. Can you imagine? Then
you go over, nigga, has he got a tiger? He says,
some nigga shit, Hey man, my tigger don't fight. I
(36:00):
think I don't know that ship. Boy, that's too much.
That's how to do that hard. I've had one, yeah
his apartment. Yeah, so you still don't buy why you
can't have a tiger though, you guys, this funds. That's why.
Because statement, can you have a monkey? No, motherfucker, because
(36:28):
because people got gotta have. You got to be in
the right place, depend on what kind of animals. Then
this list of animals not to fuck with. He loved
animals and he don't even fun with the ship. That's
really the crazy dude. Let all the animals go, yes
in the middle of the night, and and tigers bat
(36:49):
He let them go in the middle of the night.
They had to put them all down. They ain't. I know,
they didn't. That cheetah got about it there, that cheating,
that cheetah scooping up dogs and left and right. But yeah,
that's cruel. I think that's everybody's biggest feel though, is
the go outside one day you're just chilling on your porch,
hitting a little piece of blood, and you see some
(37:11):
shit that you know, we're supposed to be out talking
out nigga, a fucking silver back gorilla just in the
bushes and walk out there and and look up and
see you like, how did this get here? Now? Would
you rather see that as some UFO alien? I'd rather
see the fucking aliens. I feel like you might see
him at the same time. You ain't our gorilla. I'd
(37:39):
rather see the aliens. But I don't know, bro, that's
hella steria. We got one thing on that set. We're black.
They probably gonna get scared. Then, a motherfucker they never
seen they're coming to get They are black, but they
ain't never seen black folks. So the aliens black, I'm
telling they get up. Thing about the ship gonna look
(38:04):
like our differ room, Like, what the fuck they gonna
be like we've been waiting. What about that? Like a
female alien? That motherfucker kind of cute? He goes, That's
what's gonna happen when they come. It's gonna it's kind
of cute. I'm telling you, Like elians might be cute too.
You gotta stop doing this. You got stuff thinking that
(38:24):
alien bitch it's gonna have the same shit that we
fuck with. You think this bitch from folk hundred trillion
light years away, it's gonna have a regular vagina where
she's gonna be in the middle hurch. It is gonna
be so wid it's gonna be It's not like how
you took that somewhere. I thought it wasn't going I
(38:46):
thought you said puzzle was gonna literally be a black hole.
It's gonna from another galaxy. What you got the right
kind of dick, even you dick might have to do.
You didn't even Garison like the boys. You look like
(39:14):
you look like you got the whole species talking to
I thought it was a mitch there is. We are
(39:38):
from a mitchless Garix. Women, where are you going in?
My heart comes here still looks exactly twenty three thousand
and two seventy six. They are not missing here. You're
(40:00):
talking about you if you wasn't dreaming right, No man,
nobody gonna looking for I like a long hal stig.
(40:25):
That's the crazy part about it, though. The fucking ain't
the probably ain't nothing but niggas just riding through galaxies.
It's sucking with time and space and engine. Just the
niggas is in the process of reversing the Civil rights
movie everything. We just can't gather up. Stop people. You
think they got pol you can't even think so. Yeah,
(40:46):
if you got to travel, you wouldn't go back to
certain ship in history. Like think about eliens. They know
if they're from the future. Let's say they from the future,
so they know the ship. Just let's go back and
watch it. No, they don't help police, brod. They have
intelligence that means that they're smart enough to not do
shit that needs imagine you see other aliens run from
the police aliens? No, No, I think that would be crazy, right,
(41:09):
ain't aliens uniforms? Sh you worry about the space polist
worry about don't use shrink you got damn brainy head.
(41:30):
See keep playing with screaming at you. They ain't got
no mouth. Just do that. You know you're here looking
at you. They're smarter than us, bro That's why they
don't fuck with us. They know we're on bullshit. That's
hell got right. You know what I heard? I heard
(41:54):
that they built the pyramids from the top down and
not from the ground up. The better from the you.
I just heard that he was on TikTok. Nah hold
on because the niggas on TikTok saying you could walk
to Africa. You can't take day to fly to Africa.
How to fucking gonna want the Grand that they said,
(42:16):
it's a portal? Really really really what stay really What
they said was there's been multiple Egypts around the world
because it's pyramids, and they said there's pyramids in the
Grand Canes. So they just said that that was because
you got the rope. Don't make your cowboy walked to Africa.
(42:39):
That's what they said were all together when it was
paying jail. I want some pil African samdeals float do.
You can't walk, but you can't start. You know, some
of this ship too good not to believe. We've been
believing what we believe for so long. I'm looking for
(43:00):
some new ship to believe. I mean, my whole my
question is is how in the last hundred years we
have so much technology, but we supposedly being for hundreds
of thousands of years, How we didn't have cars fifty
thousand years ago. I think we had what you call it.
I think I think it's been moments of Advance and
then a recent the Stone Age back to Square Water,
(43:22):
get like Anni laid Nerve because motherfucker's just can't get
it right here. Just blow this bitch up ever so
often to be like, we'll try it again when y'all
get your shit together. I don't even think he was
blowing up. I think he let us blow it up.
Let me spri shit on these give me another reason.
People about themselves. They're so flat. The only people that
(43:57):
I can truly realize old Chinese. See the type of
ship we get to talking about once the weed really
settles in so so Bro, when you sit back and
watch the show, Bro, you just be chilling and just
(44:18):
like that shit, I'll never just hit you when you
had those moments. Oh you just really just going on
some artist ship, just criticizing. I'd be criticizing. I'm like,
I don't even believe myself right there. But now it's
hard for me to like watch anything for real. Yeah,
I'd be like, that's cool, that's cool, this is not
cool whatever. Um, I'm always looking at the acting, looking
(44:42):
at the shot, looking at the lighting. Oh they didn't
have that pin like that now last shot, it's all yeah,
that's why you're gonna be directed. It's different eventually sometimes
you but you know, I smoke a lot of weeks
and sometimes to turn my brain off. Amen, who plays
(45:03):
Uncle Jerome? He directed the episode this season. Yeah, we
got one of them, had to get one. That's what
they called to Jerome. Yeah, he and that and it
was fired. He's the reason why I performed that jail
scene the way that I did. Man, that ship so far.
Please tell me, that's my one of my favorite things. Man,
let's talk about it, so we get down from it. Johnson,
(45:26):
the Black Actors Studio today without j Jones, I see
you really performance performance movie, shocking, exhilarating. It was such
a It was what we call the Black Actors Guild.
(45:49):
I haven't called via Danny Glover from the Washington School Hall. Yes,
what of the most accomplish young actors we've ever had
Inside the Black Actor Studio. There was a gym scene. Well,
you have a friend of yours, take a student, see
(46:15):
where you really shoot your death as an actor. Quite
impressed over here an eighty five show. We'd give it
six black thumbs up even if we had seven, if
we had run more on a scan of one to six.
You got a six? No for real? Tell us about that.
(46:41):
So John Singleton, he uh, he typically directed our season finales,
so this was season two. Um, so it was his
episode and the scene was obviously it was a strong scene.
It was cool. And I was performing a scene and
I was it was it was, it was good, it
was good. Well we wanted to make it great. And
(47:03):
Amon pulled me to a side and he was just like, look,
he said, fuck everything. He said, fuck the words, fuck
fuck the script, fuck everything. He said, just go off
of how you feel. He said, you've seen your man's
right now, fucked up in the face. He said, just
let however you feel go. He said, just do whatever
(47:25):
you want to do. In that moment, I was like
cool and that really in that moment it just turned
me up. Like I was like, I watch, it's gonna
be the last take. So I John's like, are you ready?
I'm like yeah ready. So we started performing. I do
my coverage. So we're doing a scene. I break the phone.
That everybody clapping and I'm like, oh, yeah, we really
(47:47):
an't doing this again. Got broke the phone, so that's
gotta be it. And so John was like, we got it,
and then I didn't really understand how it was gonna
be pieced together. I was just in the moment. I
just was like, all right, that's that was, you know,
I feel I felt good about that one or when
I saw it and I was like, man like that
that made me feel a certain kind of way. And
I was like, that's dope when I can make myself,
(48:08):
uh feel my own performance, you know. And that's how
I feel about this last season. I got a lot
of those moments that I cannot wait. But everybody got
these moments. Man Like, everyone really went crazy this season
with their performances. So it's gonna be dope to see everybody.
Uh see everybody's reaction to this season. But your thing,
when you get pissed off, yeah, just go crazy. Just
(48:33):
go crazy, because even I think season four. So every
time they gave me, like a race and I got
a race something, I broke a table, I threw a
chair in the wall and stuck in the wall one take.
I was like, they know they right, and I'm gonna
be angry. I'm gonna break something with the crackhead. But
(48:53):
she wasn't a crackhead at first. That was your girl.
She wasn't she wasn't get on love story of Romeo
and Julian proportions because everybody in the from getting You
out the way of the book from oh with like yeah,
(49:20):
I think I think with that, with that specific love story,
I think Leon just felt obligated to not stick by
her shot, but because he ended up getting a new
girl eventually and then he just doubled back. But he
felt kind of at funk, you know. He introduced her
to Crack to be around crack, so he felt responsible,
(49:44):
you know. So I think that's that's where the core
their love story is the fact that he feels like
if it wasn't for him, she would have never went
down that road. Though it just I don't know, it
just hit there really really with me and gilded our chemistry.
(50:04):
That's when like it was her and like I think
three or four of the girls to audition for Wander
and I treated that audition like it was mine. I was,
I was off off book, I knew the lines. So
when I was performing with each girl like I was,
I was in it with him, I'm like, I'm not
gonna be reading and make you have to try to
pull something out of no, like we were in this
(50:25):
scene for real, Because we're gonna be love interest, you know,
for for a long period of time. I gotta make
sure like we can go toe to toe. So she
was probably like the second to last girl auditioning. But
when we're talking, she's like, yeah, I went to Airway
and then I'm like really like so we I'm like, oh,
we know the same people. So when we get in
a room, like she was like the only one who
(50:46):
I went we went at it like we went at it.
So I was like, she wonder So when she got
out the room, I told all the producers, I said,
that's wander for Shore because she was the only one
who really went like she would knock back. There was
no sense of I'm backing down because you'll be on
like no, like I wonder you know what I'm saying.
So it was dompe like it was dope, like what
(51:07):
y'all see today is. But she brought in the room
that day. So that's why everybody was like she was
perfect for this character. Um and the fact that what
really you know to me isn't a test to her
her talent is because when she woke the show, I
don't think she knew that her character was gonna be
on crack, so she just imagined if she was trash,
(51:28):
you know what I'm saying, Like that wasn't that story
wouldn't have sold the way that it did. But because
she's a great actress, like when they told her that
she was gonna be on crack, she just did her research.
She really, she really did her research. Talk to a
lot of people saying that she really got it character.
(51:50):
I didn't say she going back to the neighborhood. How
this stuff thing. So I'm glad Jack nobody ever asked
me about my I'm glad you can't visit me. I'm
(52:20):
Zack weekend. I'm zach weekend. Have me look my boy
Jane came ahead right. People ain't gonna get lit, you know.
And that ship. I watched the wattle. She hadn't fucked up.
(52:52):
I was watching TV. Then TV jumped on top my
fucker't know at the time. Oh my goddamn kids down
on the way started sweating. Then the bitch jumped on me.
(53:17):
I know. One of the mother whint my back flut, bullshit,
you're not. He just pulled the floe backs in and
he zipped the mother what when the put a zip
on my floor so I won't go in the kitchen
no more? Man, Man de Rail on the show too. Yeah,
(53:50):
my god, Peaches you laughing. The teachers are a little funny.
That het me call on Peach some too. Nobody I
think be like, what's something hilarious? It'd be cool. It
seems like y'all y'all got a good relationship that man.
(54:12):
I tell everybody, we like a family outside of Snowfall,
Like we all kick it. We got a group chat,
uh and the old white dudes and should be on
that what the group chat? Yeah, everybody on the it
ain't a lot of old white gude girl like regularly
what about the white put the crack in the neighbor? Carter?
(54:38):
That's my guy. He's dope. He was like a quarter car. Yeah, yeah,
cool he got He did some good great work this
season two. Everybody did. Yeah. I like his character. He
go great a lot of people. It took it. I
think it took him a while to like really like
the Snowfall fans because he said, like obviously he ain't
(54:58):
say it like that. Yeah, but niggas I hate you,
like how we get walk up to him saying I
can't stand he got hate. That's crazy. In the airport
slap before back, he said he would be king. He
(55:28):
boils so far. I played character with my grandson his
birthday because we all we like when we get number
of people hate me. But they ain't crazy. How they
(55:50):
told you you wasn't black enough. Now you're on TV
doing the blackest shit you could possibly be doing. Man,
I was just as local. They just gonna so they
don't see. They just gonna show you that some gotta
put your blessing in the sky. He was tend different
look and just got it. Mean, gotta wrap your blessing up,
(56:15):
make it look like something like give rerap. You gotta unwrapping.
It's a blessing. Ain't like it looked like it ain't
want something, look like it ain't want to rate. But
then what that one thing matter? You can't Jane, what real?
You can believe what I mean? Will here? Don't you
(56:40):
never think that it ain't what? Ain't what it else?
You gotta wrap your blessing up. You put your shting
autos on box. You're thinking some breaks forget something else whatever.
Now that's hard. I just love how you f up
(57:00):
that ship and the story made for a circle. Shure,
you really got the job when you won the monologue. Ship.
True she had that ship happened. It wasn't for that.
Ain't the seeds that's everything happened for either. Hell yeah, Leon,
(57:20):
that's a black ass name too. That's coming from the
nigger named lewis Man. That might be a little spit
off looking name. Cleveland. Y'all callos with the cave. I
(57:42):
shut then up before I get Crag involved with. Then't
got a name like a pastor and defend pass the
thing a little buddy, shut stupid. He couldn't get this
(58:03):
old nigga. You wouldn't hit my story. That's funny, you
know the funny thing. That's all the nigga's name, real
real og names. Black people do. Got some o dass names,
old as fuck, bro Chat, we gotta come getting no
(58:33):
more biblical that. I think it was your name black Isaiah.
You know it's always a mixed nigga name. My zi
ain't ain't not saying like Jesus nephew. Isaiah is a
mixed name. Jesus nigga. You know, name I z Isaiah Thomas,
Isaiah Thomas. That nigga is dark scared Washington long enough.
(59:04):
You are the first. I only need the name the
first one. Okay, watch up again, nigga losing Isaia all
the others. I'm probably the first. Isaiah john john If
(59:24):
you had a phone book right now and being page
in them, why I never met Isaiah john I met
Isaiah Johnson. You gotta get up there in the meet
the old nigga. Name is Zaia. Yeah. I used to
be a passenger, joined the military. I did you do that?
In reverse? People know what You're gonna go ahead them
two weekends a year was ill? Trust me? Steve Case
(59:49):
sleep to night. Hey man. This episode is sponsored in
part by cocaine the same time this used to make crack.
They didn't give us none, but we did use some
of the money. No, this was this was the Actually
this was prop cocaine from the set of Snowfall and
(01:00:12):
No extra track to Still No, No, you try to
sell it. I told you he was some snow The
nigga there on the TV show shipping two birds the
corners is hard? What's up cat? When you see La
(01:00:38):
back to the British accent. At first, it was um
like the first time I like heard it was after
the first table read, so I'm thinking he from you know, America,
like he talking to American accent. And as soon as
we've done everybody, you know what I'm saying, saying naked eyes,
he whip out this London accent. I'm like, well, I
(01:01:03):
was confused black like he got me around all his
UK HOMEI so there ain't nothing to me now. But
when we used to do a tour, like we used
to do a tour, so we will film the season
and then go on like a nationwide tour, just hit
automated cities, and every time they were, they were they
were show the first episode and they would do a panel.
(01:01:26):
As soon as he opened his mouth in every city,
every black woman in them theaters was screamed like they
never heard a UK accident before in their life. They
probably ain't heard when the real life he says hello
and they go crazy. I'm like, hello, now we got
(01:01:46):
the sauce Hello, but I heard it's like that fun
so over there, I gotta go, oh yeah, I got
it's crazy. It's crazy because damned to be trying to
he be trying to do the Atlantic accent every time
(01:02:07):
he do. I ain't doing he like, ain't got damn. Yeah,
it's funny. Yeah, that accent crazy, it's crazy. Yeah, got appreciate.
They're gonna tell you say something. We'd be like say something.
(01:02:29):
They're gonna tell you to say something that you know
what I'm gonna say? Bis what sahi to be? They're
(01:02:55):
gonna get you them cookies though, ain't they biscuits? Cookie? Yeah?
So they sausage cookie? Yeah the way that sounds. So
what they call the cook and I will not be
participating in the if they cast biscuits with sausages don't
get configured can start. But they call them on business cookies.
(01:03:22):
So what they call the cookie a biscuit? So what
you mean, nigga says, no, no, not that you don't
what what you mean to asking what do they call
the biscuit? Then? What the nigga? That's a scone? A scone?
(01:03:43):
This nigga have, man? Why you explaining ship in him?
You know what the nigga no scone? Uh, we got
them over here, but they got them different over there.
To say, it's like, yeah this UK people help me out.
This nigga' for the UK. He had to there's a
(01:04:05):
nigga from a zone. When you have you have, motherfucker,
you can be wrong either way. Dawn Show called them
bitches gone or bit scotted. Maybe they just say pastry
(01:04:31):
my knigg Strew Strew strud Strew goes like. They don't
say line. They say que crumpet, like what we call
a line. You gotta have money to have crumpets. Nigga.
Everybody don't get to eat trans can be okay, it's
not a hor it's a whole fucking shit. We live
(01:04:53):
in Atlanta. We got music and music. They're not human now.
I do had one theory that I believe. I believe
Memphis is Egypt, though think about it. They got pyramids,
everybody got gold to and tattoos. They speak their own language,
(01:05:16):
and them niggas be gangster walking. That's in the hieroglyphics.
See he won high motherfucker green with you damn show.
Just in case you wonder what we're doing, we are
now showing you just how important having an eighty five
South show app is. Because you was watching this show thinking, oh,
(01:05:38):
they did finally put the ship back on YouTube. They
was listening. We weren't. We weren't on that appy five
dot com, Foka dap. You got an hour for free.
We gave you what you wanted. Now give us some
subscriptions to the app fifteen eighty five dollars a year.
Shannowighty five dot com, eighty five South Show, Get the Apple.
(01:06:01):
See this is what they don't know. Really three dollars,
but adjusted for inflation is a low. Get the app, man,
stop bullshing, were out of here, man,
Hosts And Creators
DC Young Fly
Karlous Miller
Chico Bean
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