Rick Fox joins OWN’s “Greenleaf” as the character, Darius Nash, a reporter. Tonight, Wednesday, March 22, his character make a series debut. It’s a new role for the former basketball star. “I have had microphones stuck in my face and articles written about me in and out of my professional career. My careers have been covered extensively and closely. Now I am the media. I care about what happens in this town. And as I go about covering the Greenleaf empire and all the relationships that are entangled in the town through the church, I am the truth seeker. I want to share with my readers the facts versus opinions. It may ruffle some feathers and upset some people but I am simply delivering the facts,” Fox says of his character.
The retired NBA star was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round, 24th pick overall, of the 1991 NBA draft. In 2000, Fox hit a critical three pointer in the 4th quarter to help the Lakers’ final rally as they won the game and the NBA title, Fox’s first. In 2001, the Lakers secured their second straight NBA championship, and their third in 2002.
What was the shift like going from athlete to actor?
“Being a beginner again and starting a new career at the age of 35. I have actually been an actor for 22 years. I started acting when I was playing in the NBA. I have been acting since 1994. It requires practice and the same diligence I used to become an NBA champion. It requires long hours of practicing and honing the craft. As you want to get on the field and play the game in this business you want to get on the set with great directors, storytellers and other actors … those opportunities weren’t falling out of the sky everyday like they were when I had to put on the uniform and play the game. It requires patience, humbling myself and being a beginner again,” says the University of North Carolina graduate who earned his bachelor’s degree in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures.
In 1994 Fox appeared in the film Blue Chips as a member of the Texas Western basketball team and his acting career has been in full swing every since, with a few breaks.
“It’s a second career and knowing that it was something that I was passionate about as long as I got on the second career track, the second path,” he says of acting. “[I knew] if I did it correctly and respectfully, maybe 10-15 years down the road, I’d have an opportunity like I have right now. It’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of a great show from the top to the bottom when you start with Oprah, OWN and Lionsgate, the cast, and the showrunner, Craig Writer, Clement Virgo, and the cast Merle Dandridge, Lynn Whitfield, these are established people in the entertainment industry and now I get to be a part of the team. It only took 22 years but it went by quick.”
The “Greenleaf” season two premiere on Wednesday, March 15 delivered 2.6M. The series ranked as Wednesday night’s No. 1 cable telecast in W25-54 and African American women. In addition, the series ranked as the No. 2 scripted series cable telecast on Wednesday night in total viewers.
Here Fox tells the first thing that comes to mind when he hears these brand names:
Oprah Winfrey: “Mentor, leader, visionary. She clears the way. She has a clear voice and a strong message. She wants to uplift and she wants to challenge but then she’s just so talented. She’s full of energy and never settles… wants excellence, demands it of herself and those around her. It just comes down to it that’s she is inspiring.”
Lynn Whitfield: “One of my joys of having a 22-year career is to finally be able to step on a set and be opposite someone like Lynn Whitfield. She’s someone whom I’ve known from afar and she’s close to Vanessa [Williams], my ex-wife. I’ve watched her work, have been a fan and admired her work for years. You get into your career and then one day you find yourself on set working with one of your idols.”
Merle Dandridge: “How blessed am I. I have been the captain of a team before. But, when you’re at the head of a show, it sits on your shoulders to set the tone, day in and day out, set the temperature, leaning forward and keeping everyone in tune and in sync and yet you still have to carry the weight of the show emotionally. In your second season, you have a new cast mate walk in, you have to bring him up to speed and maintain your excellence. She has done it. Over the course of the time, I have seen her and watched her work. I didn’t know her personally but I have watched her in plays and seen her on TV. At the root, there’s just so much character, professionalism and the craft is just abundant. The selflessness and the way she is just so open and easy to work with. It’s a gift to find someone and to be on set with someone who’s that amazing.”
“Greenleaf” takes viewers into the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch. The series stars Merle Dandridge, Keith David and Lynn Whitfield. It airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
