Morris Chestnut is Miami pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, Jr. He has the uncanny ability to see what others miss. This can be attributed to a specific condition he has that causes him to look deeper. In the first episode of “Rosewood.” his mother played by Lorraine Toussaint of “Orange is the New Black” fame urges him to investigate the death of one of her prize students. What ensues is a journey through Miami searching for answers and clues through the eyes of a pathologist.
Lorraine Toussaint who plays Chestnut’s mother on “Rosewood” joined rolling out at the Roosevelt Icon Theatre for a screening in Chicago, Illinois to discuss “Rosewood” and how she feels about the new series.
Thank you so much for speaking with us. I have always wanted to ask if you are Haitian.
I am not Haitian; however, one of my grandparents is Haitian and the other is from Martinique.
What is exciting about this new role you have?
It’s an exciting show because it is both procedural and a family drama, a modern black family drama. It contains all the complexities that our modern Black families face. We have adult children, and what is that relationship to our moms and our dads in our community right now. I have a gay daughter in the series; that’s still taboo in the black community. I’m excited about this show because we are really tackling issues that we don’t normally address in the family aspect, and the show is just fun. It’s in Miami; it’s hot; it’s sultry and sexy. Morris is my son but my God he is a healthy looking young man. I think the ladies will appreciate that. It touches a lot of really different types of tones; it’s really complex. It’s a fun show.
What do you want the audience to get from it?
I want them to have a good time. Each show has a beginning middle and an end, but it’s also an ongoing family drama. That story does not get tied up each week and I think our audiences are really going to lock into some of those characters.
Do you think the perspective of this show is more universal, or is it more centered around black culture?
We are a universal people who happen to be black, who happen to stand and see the world through a very particular perspective at the core, but those differences are small compared to the universality of who and what we are. We all want the same thing. I’m a mother in this. I love my family. I’m a fierce loving mama. There are fierce loving Italian, Asian and Brazilian mothers. There are fierce loving mothers all over this planet that will identify with me. We have arrived at being universal.
So, this isn’t just a black show?
Oh hell no!
“Rosewood” premiers on Sept. 23 on Fox; check your local listing for times.
