So often when Black men have to play roles on TV, we're either the noble savage or we're completely a savage, and there's no nuance.

We're always trailing, as far as the amount of roles that are written for us and the films that are being made that have black characters in them. I don't know if that's going to change.

I've been doing this since I was 10 years old, inhabiting different people and playing different roles.

I imagine it was much different in the 1970s. That was the Renaissance for black actors, albeit in blaxploitation movies. There was a much greater preponderance of work then than there is now.

I understand what's it like to work all week and on Friday night just want to go and leave your brain at the door, buy some popcorn and be thrilled by something.

We believe that it really celebrates the definition of what an ensemble is all about. I mean there's 74 of us.