Everyone’s favorite TV dad, Flex Alexander, is bouncing back in a big way.
The actor, who enjoyed good times in the 1990s and early 2000s as the star of “One on One,” ended up facing some hard times, a financial hardship, that robbed him of both his career and lavish lifestyle.
Fortunately, things have come full circle for the born again Christian, with the support of his wife, Grammy-nominated R&B singer Shanice Wilson, a new show and a graphic novel. Although Alexander’s latest endeavor may seem a bit left field, the Bronx born actor/dancer is showing fans that he is far more than a television star.
Recently, rolling out had the opportunity to catch up with Flex, who gushed about how he came to take on the world of comic books and his hopes for the project. He even dropped a little wisdom for aspiring writers. Check out highlights from our chat below.
What inspired you to take on the world of graphic novels?
I’ve always been a comic book… graphic novel geek. I went High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, so that was our life; comic books, drawing and I just loved to read them: X-Men, Iron Fist, Master Kung Fu. I just loved comics.
So when they [Marvel] began making movies based on comic books, I became even more excited. It was something that I thought would be cool but didn’t know if I would have the chance to. Later on, my friend Angela introduced me to Dave Steward, the CEO of Lion Forge Comics who I originally pitched the project to as a movie, but they didn’t do movies. I then had the idea for a graphic novel and he agreed that it would be a great idea.
So I sent over everything I had, we brought on a few writers and he said “hey, let’s do it.” It all just came together and the whole process has been great.
Tell us a bit about the character in Joshua Run.
Let’s just say this, David Joshua has done some things that weren’t right. He’s not violent or anything like that but he’s a computer-hacker-for-hire who erases student loans, changes people’s grades, parking tickets…
During one hack, he comes across a file in an IRS database revealing a conspiracy to steal natural resources among other things from Africa — to basically trigger World War III. From then on, they’re [FBI] after him.
What is your hope for the project?
You know, I really wanted to see a Black character in a really dominant role, almost kind of like a Robin Hood, a super hero almost. We haven’t seen that just yet — a Black character who is really smart, a genius in this kind of situation. I was a big fan of the Bourne Supremacy series and Enemy of the State — all those governmental-type movies. So I can definitely see this being a type of series similar to those on Netflix.
In saying that, during the 2015 Emmy Awards, Viola Davis urged writers to create more characters for Black actors/actresses to put them in the position to win awards. Would you echo her call?
I mean yeah, I agree with that. We definitely need to create more vehicles for us [Blacks]. We have to, because outside of that, I don’t think they’re being created. And we have a story to tell. We have stories in romantic comedy, drama, civil war films — I would love to see a film about Ancient Kemet and the true African that were there — what they looked like and the genius of Imhotep, the father of medicine, mathematics and science. We have so much history to tell…
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
You have to be persistent and diligent. You’ll hear a lot of “no’s” or “Do you have experience?” but you have to keep going.
Take Sylvester Stallone for example. No one wanted him for Rocky. He wrote that and they were trying to get somebody else to play the role. They were like we love it, but not for you. But he stuck to it.
He refused to be removed from that. He said, “I’m going to do this.” He stuck to it and now look at him. He’s almost 70 years old and he’s got Creed coming out. That’s basically a spin off of Rocky.
So I would say diligence, persistence and don’t be afraid to different things, anything.
Now, you’re a great example of persistence yourself. You’ve hit some road blacks, but now you and your wife Shanice are back on top with your new reality show on OWN. What advice would you give people who have hit rock bottom in this industry?
You’re going to hit road blocks in this industry no matter what. After “One on One,” a lot changed. We [our country] had a financial collapse basically, I had done some things in between but it wasn’t anything that was sustaining. But I just kept hustling. I’m from the Bronx so that’s all I know. So I kept pushing, even through the hard times because I knew those walls were going to be removed.
Now, in a second season of his reality show “Flex & Shanice” on OWN, it appears that Alexander’s hard work has put him back on top.
For more information on Alexander’s graphic novel please visit www.joshuarun.com. Joshua Run officially goes on sale on Oct. 1. In the meantime, fans in the New York area can catch Flex at NY Comic Con where he will be signing autographs on Thurs., Oct. 8 at 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and Fri., Oct. 9 at 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
