No such problems for the ladies however as Morris Chestnut turns to TV
|||No stranger to playing medical characters, Morris Chestnut now joins the world of heroic TV pathologists in Rosewood. Debashine Thangevelo reports
ALMOST 26 years ago, Morris Chestnut braved the acting industry when he starred in one of the episodes of Freddy’s Nightmares. Not long after that, John Singleton’s Boyz n The Hood came along and big and small screen offers started trickling in.
Over the years, he became a staple in romantic comedies and dramas: Two Can Play That Game, The Perfect Holiday, Not Easily Broken, Think like a Man and The Best Man franchise. At the same time, he has explored action thrillers (Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, G.I.Jane, Half Past Dead, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid).
He also maintained his footprints in TV, whether it was for a short stint (Bones, ER, American Horror Story, Nurse Jackie), or as a protagonist/key character (V, Legends).
And his physical attributes lent themselves beautifully to every role; tall, dark, disarmingly gorgeous with that square jaw and, well, a perfectly-sculptured torso.
Personality-wise, he is quite unassuming.
And that’s coming from someone who met him in person. He was in South Africa in 2013 to star in a movie that was tentatively titled Asylum Down. It was to be a joint effort between Uzanenkosi Mahlangu (the creator of Intersexions) and a US contingent comprising producer and director, Samad Davis, and executive producer, Tarek Stevens.
However, nothing more has been heard of the project.
Meanwhile, life has gone on for the actor-cum-producer, who is now in Rosewood.
It seems like a cross between Body of Proof and Brooklyn Taxi, in that it seamlessly amalgamates the two worlds.
Chestnut is cast as Dr Beaumont Rosewood jr in the crime drama. Unlike his roles in ER and Nurse Jackie, this time he works with the dead.
On whether those earlier roles helped him get more comfy with this one, he says: “On Nurse Jackie, I was a guest star. With this particular role, the dialogue and the workload is so much more intense – so it doesn’t really help that much.”
As for bagging this series, he says: “I was on another Fox 21 show, which is the cable version of Fox, and they sent me a script and said: ‘Listen, we’re thinking about doing this show for the network and would you consider this role?’ I read the script and fell in love with it and said I definitely would.”
Of course, every protagonist has a back- story. The more complex it is, the more enigmatic the character becomes. However, the writers decided to go against the grain with Rosewood. Rather than have him haunted by a weighty past à la Crossing Jordan, they have made him attractive in an he-stops-to-smell-the-roses kind of way.
Chestnut adds: “Basically, Rosewood is an eternal optimist and always tries to encourage others to see things from that perspective. He has a lot of health issues; he was born very premature and has had a few near-death experiences. So he truly appreciates life. So whenever he walks into someone’s life or they walk into his, he tries to get them to enjoy it a little bit more.”
Most of his scenes are with Jaina Lee Ortiz, who plays Detective Annalise Villa. She off-sets his cheeriness with a no-nonsense and no-time-to-smile attitude. However, her detached disposition has a lot to do with her grieving for her late husband.
And he has Lorraine Toussaint cast as his on-screen mum, Donna.
The 47-year-old couldn’t hide his awe of her, saying: “Lorraine is incredible and I love, love working with her. She’s an incredible actress. And every time we have a scene together, I have this connection with her.
“I have had an incredible time working with all the actors on the show. They are strong actors and they are professional. Also, everyone can do drama and comedy, and blend the two.
“Our casting director has done an incredible job of getting some of the guest actors to come in and really knock it out the box.”
TV is heavily populated with characters similar to this (Silent Witness, Rizzoli & Isles, Bones, NCIS) – so what makes Rosewood stand out?
Chestnut offers: “I think we have some great characters and actors on the show. The writing keeps everything fun and exciting. It’s a good blend of drama and humour. I think that helps.”
In the meantime, he is maintaining his stronghold in movies.
“I’m not sure when Rosewood is coming out in South Africa. But I have a thriller (When the Bough Breaks) with Regina Hall and this newcomer Jaz Sinclair (Paper Towns fame).
Oh, and he is also shooting The Best Man Wedding.
In the meantime, he is the man in Rosewood – and he is loving it!
Rosewood, Universal Channel (DStv channel 117), Mondays from 8.50pm.