Friday, March 29, 2024

Morris Chestnut: ‘Rosewood’ Star On What Black Male TV Characters Are Lacking [EUR Exclusive]

2015 fox programming presentation

*Season 2 of “Rosewood” premiered Friday night with an episode that series star Morris Chestnut described to EUR/Electronic Urban Report as “hands down our best episode to date.”

“It’s actually an episode that was originally scheduled to air prior to this holiday break, but the network loved the episode so much, and everyone is so excited about it, that they held it til after the holiday break,” he said.

Chestnut plays the brilliant private pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, and when asked what it is about Rosey that viewers have yet to see in a black male Primetime lead, Morris noted the one thing he loves about Rosey is his relationship with the women in his life.

“He’s very optimistic, and he’s extremely respectful, and I’m not saying that these things don’t exist in other black characters. I’m saying what I love about Rosewood is he’s not only optimistic, he’s smart, he’s a doctor, but he respects and leans on his mother and his sister — all of the women in his life. He contributes to their life and they contribute to his life. It’s a reciprocal relationship with every female character in his life. That’s one of the main things I love about him.”

READ RELATED STORY: Morris Chestnut On Why He’s ‘Really Enjoying ‘Rosewood’ Right Now’ [EUR Exclusive]

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Chestnut also explained how he and series creator Todd keep it fresh so that he doesn’t get bored creatively with the monotony of production.

“That’s a difficult thing because it is a procedural show, so I know the basic layout of each episode. We’re going to open the show with a case, we’re gonna solve the case during the show and in between we’re going to have some type of family or friend conflict,” said Chestnut.

“Basically what Todd does do is talk to me every now and again — he gives me an idea of what types of story lines could be coming up, but I don’t ask him for specifics because what peaks my interest…I don’t know what’s going to happen. When I read the script each week, I like to read it like the audience is going to view it. That kinda helps me. It keeps me sharp.”

2016 Rosewood Cast

Chestnut has appeared in numerous feature films and television series, and most recently he served as an executive producer on the thriller “When the Bough Breaks.”

“I want to produce good projects,” Chestnut replied when asked if he believes filmmakers have any responsibility to culture to tell particular stories.

“Do I feel that artists have a responsibility to give back? Yes we do. But I want to tell all types of stories.”

Chestnut’s foray into producing came with two black titles — ‘Takers,” and “When the Bough Breaks” (now available on Blu-ray and DVD) — because this “is the lane” that Hollywood would first allow him to prove his skills behind the camera.

“The thing about being a producer is you have to find your lane and find out what they will accept from you, become successful in that then they’ll let you cross over. That’s just how things have shaped out with my producing career thus far. But I wanna produce all types of projects — good films, good television shows, and yes, I still will maintain a level of responsibility to bring good product to the black audience.”

Tune in to Morris Chestnut on “Rosewood” Fridays at 8/7c on FOX.

 

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