Hosea Chanchez – Getting Into the Game

Q) What are the current projects that you’ve been working on?

A) Right now I am working on my very first series, which is “The Game” on the CW network.

Q) Please tell us the premise for your show “The Game” and about your character Malik Wright.

A) It’s a great show that is executive produced by Kelsey Grammer and Mara Brock Akil from “Girlfriends.” We have some of the most amazing writers that I’ve come across in a long time. The show stars myself, Coby Bell who was on “Third Watch,” Tia Mowery from “Sister Sister,” Wendy Raquel Robinson from “The Steve Harvey Show” and Brittany Daniels from Little Man and White Chicks. The show is about the lives of three football players and their women, one of them being the son and the mother (who is also his manager). Malik, is a forty million dollar quarterback who came from nothing into this large amount of money. It happens a lot with the NFL, where guys come from lower means and their able to come into this big dream and make a lot of money. They typically have agents and a lot of times they are their mother or the people close to them are agents or managers. Then there is the aspect of the husband and the wife, where you have the MVP of the team who is in his 30’s. It’s a young man’s game and he’s a married guy whose wife is Caucasian. She’s a really hot wife and you see that a lot in the NFL, black guys dating white girls who end up becoming her wives. There is friction between her wanting him to stay in the game and him maybe feeling insecure because he might be on his way out due to the younger players on the team. Then there is the aspect of the rookie who is a third string wide receiver and he doesn’t get to play. He’s sitting on the bench trying to get his foot in the game. You just made it to the NFL, but you’re really not in it. The character Derwin (played by Pooch Hall) has a girlfriend (played by Tia Mowery) and they struggle because they both have careers and lives, but one is so consuming (the football league). The guys really want their women to support them because that’s what they feel grounds them. You have all of these different perspectives of football players in the NFL and the lives of the women that are behind these guys. It showcases the conflict that happens with themselves and the relationships with these people. It’s a comedy and the great thing about it is that the executive producers are a great mixture of comedy with drama. It’s not a slapstick comedy, but it’s the type of situation where you have a heart to the story. It’s drama with a heart to it. There is a purpose to all of these characters and there is not one situation that outshines another.

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

A) I have always loved Kelsey Grammer. I met him a long time ago, before I even moved to California. I was a crazed fan of him and his work. He’s a funny guy! This pilot season I had gone out for just a couple things. I read quite a few scripts, maybe around fifty. Out of all fifty of them, there was only one script that I actually thought that I could see myself working on the show for six years. If it is done right, I could see myself doing it for seven to eight years (or however long). The others weren’t necessarily bad, but they just weren’t fresh. This was a fresh concept and was a whole new world that no one had ever tapped into. Everyone knows about basketball wives and basketball players because it is a more mainstream sport. Football players aren’t necessarily socialites yet or are in your face as basketball players can be. I thought this was a great concept and had a great team behind. I thought great magic could be made from this.

Q) What is your most memorable moment from filming?

A) We’re only three episodes in so far. We were doing a week of rehearsals and at the end of it we filmed. We had the network there, the producers and the studio and we did a run through. After we did the run through, the director (Ted Wass) turned to me before we were even done, and said that since we were on our last frame we had to show them what we had to offer. Just before we had finished the last scene, before we got done, he told me, “This is magic. I’ve done countless pilots as a director and this is the best one.” I respect him, in the sense of his work, his directing and how much respect other people have for him. He turned to us and said, “This is the best show that I’ve ever done.” We all seemed like we had been working together for at least five years! Right after that, we the final frame, then the network turned and gave us a standing ovation. It really did seem like we had been working together for five years! It’s been like that every week thereafter. The best moment for me was getting the confirmation about something that I knew was there was actually true. You never know how long these things are going to last, but at the end of the day I know that I have contributed (out of six people) to something that is great, regardless of where it goes. Every day as an actor, you’re not able to be as excited and happy about the work that you do. You never know what you’re going to get, but you have to fulfill that obligation. The best moment was getting the confirmation that I had felt.

Q) Why should viewers tune in to the show?

A) It’s situation comedy, but it’s a fresh take on comedy. It still gives you heart and soul, but it also gives you the dynamics of comedy. It draws you in. It’s fresh and new. It’s innovative and it’s some of the best people in the business conspiring to give the world what they feel is good TV. I think that as a consumer myself, I watch television and go to movies. I am always searching for something that gives me some sort of satisfaction. There are a lot of things out there that aren’t gratifying. You turn on TV and now we have about five or six channels with shows that air through the night and you still just can’t find anything to watch.  Nothing leaves you satisfied anymore and the good shows are all gone. They’ve been on for eight years and moved onto a new era of TV. There is a lot of reality television and other things. There is just not good quality of TV anymore and you have people here that are presenting great quality TV to the public. Plus, you have three very attractive guys and three very attractive women. It’s not in an unrealistic sense, we all just know who we are. We all know what we contribute to these parts and this world so it makes for a great show.

Q) The show premieres on October 1st. How do you plan to celebrate?

A) I’ve been trying to figure that out for a couple of weeks. I am going to probably do something really big. I don’t know. I’ve been actually celebrating for a long time now! 

Q) What made you want to be an actor?

A) When I was younger, the fondest memory I have is Will Smith on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” He was what I considered to be a star. I thought that Will Smith was the best representation for an African American man on television. It was very wholesome and funny, yet it still made you part of the situations that were happening in these peoples lives. When I was little, my grandmother had a record player and it was one of the old ones that was a whole unit. It almost looked like a TV could have been inside it because it was that big. I remember when I was little, she used to put me on top of the stereo. Back then, they had microphones that could connect to the stereo and you could sing along to a record. I was probably around six years old and every time someone would come to the house, my grandmother would put on Al Green or Marvin Gaye and I’d sing along to the music. I’d get on top of the stereo and dance. I figured, that was what I wanted to do when I was young. I would entertain, make people laugh and have a good time. When I got older, I’d act up in school. I thought it was okay to be a clown, like Will Smith was on his show. Then, one day, I realized that maybe I could make a career out of it. I thought maybe I could actually do what makes me the happiest for a living. I went to college and thought I’d better stick to what I know best. My mom owns businesses and I thought I should just stick to that. I tried college for a while and realized it wasn’t where I wanted to be. I took a chance and moved to LA. Originally, what made me want to be an actor was my grandmother. Ever since I was six years old, I started it. Also, I watched a lot of TV shows and that allowed me to realize that my gift for entertainment could actually be channeled that I could make money off of and that it was something I could do for the rest of my life.

Q) You’ve done many guest spots on various shows. What show would you most like to appear on?

A) The shows I would have liked to make an appearance on are no longer on the air. I would have to say that the show I am most intrigued with now is, once again, done by Kelsey Grammer. His show is “Medium” with Patricia Arquette. That is a great show! It’s one of my favorite shows on TV. Also, I’ve been a “CSI” fan since day one! Actually, I came really close to being on the show, but it didn’t work out. I would love to do a heavy drama with a good plot and twist. I’d like to be a part of the main story line and play a character that would challenge me.

Q) What do you do in your spare time?

A) I do a lot of reading. I try to read a couple of books a week, small paperbacks. I love to read. I am reading (and I read this book over and over again) The Alchemist. It’s sort of crazy, but every time I read it I get something different from it. I also an avid reader of The Bible. I love the stories and just the revelations of it and the world. Otherwise, I write music and I am trying to get into producing. I also write screenplays, too. I paint, as well. I picked it up and I am trying to work on getting into a sculpting class. Anything that allows me to be creative is what I tend to do in my spare time. From time to time, I hang out with my friends because with everything going on it’s very rare.

Q) What is your latest obsession? A book? A movie? A sport?

A) Hands down, it’s XBOX. I am a little bit obsessed with it. I have one in my dressing room and that’s all I do. I read my lines, too, but it’s also all about the XBOX. Also, recently, I have gotten into working out. It’s a release and an outlet.