Source: Crystal Obiukwa / The Morning Hustle
We had the chance to tap in with Snowfall actor and rising star, Isaiah K. John who shared with us how the Snowfall team has been working hard to deliver a series that would continue to make John Singleton proud amid his untimely passing. The 26-year-old actor talked about his what’s next for him after the hit series ends, his relationship status and more.
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See below for a transcription of the full interview.
Headkrack
Let’s jump welcome into the morning hustles a dude who has been killing it for many seasons on one of the biggest shows on FX is Leon as you will get to know Isaiah, John, you’re
Lore’l
obviously there was something that was super tragic and sad John Singleton passed away. While y’all were middle are just beginning out with no foul, you know, and Walter Mosley took over, is there a difference between the two running the shows or whatever the case? Or was it that there because I know they were, they were really close, is it seamless now.
Isaiah K. John
Um, so our showrunner and executive producer, Dave, and John, he’s like our head writer, as well. And he was working side by side along with John when John was alive. So I feel like and I tell people all the time, like John, the people that are in position now have been in position before, so we all have just have like, where John wants to take the show. He loved this show, he was so proud of this show. He’s so proud of it. He really trusted us as actors with these characters. Because he told us so much about each one of these characters. So um, yeah, he put a lot of people in position and I think we’re fulfilling his, his, what he what he wanted for you might be
Lore’l
over exceeding, I’m telling you, I don’t hear not one person. They anything negative about snowfall. I’m not gonna lie here some negative things about power, sometimes.
Headkrack
The snowfall quality is very consistent.
Isaiah K. John
Thank you. That’s what we strive for. And that’s what John pushed for, like he was very particular on like, even what actors he wanted to hire for even the smaller roles in the show, like he was very hands on with that process. And they’re still very picky with who they choose. Well, because we want to keep that quality going.
Headkrack
Yeah, as I said, John, they say all the time that success is when preparation meets opportunity. I mean, think back, you know, when he was growing up, right? What things prepared you for what you’re doing now, was there like a particular job? Was it like some stuff you went through in school?
Isaiah K. John
Oh, yeah, for sure. It was a few things. I spent most of my years acting training. So I consciously made the decision that I want to pursue this at 13. But most of those years throughout like my teenage years, was just training with different coaches traveling to like New York, LA, and just just really training in different areas to build my own method on how I wanted to like go after like certain characters. And prior to booking snowfall, I was a janitor. So that taught me a lot of patience. Because you have to have patience in this industry. Like everything just doesn’t happen quick. It does for some people, but for some people it doesn’t. So that’s really prepare me in that way. So I had a few things to prepare
Lore’l
Me! I love to read that because it’s it showed that you weren’t afraid to work hard, because I read that you actually got the role and barbershop and while you were doing that, you still worked as a janitor, you never said I made it. Let me quit. You know how somebody paid
Isaiah K. John
me $900 That was gonna pay for anything. Like I had to go back to work. But it was interested in because they put me in the trailer for the movie. So I’m like at work mopping floors. And then people at the gym where I was working at and looking at the TV, like, how were you on TV and you hear like, you should be doing something else. I’m like, you don’t work like,
Lore’l
Oh, I think that right? It’s like, it could be one thing and they automatically think you’re a billionaire. To put them on that you’re gonna have. But you’re still grinding. You know, you also had a Netflix movie that you did. So what’s next beyond snowfall?
Isaiah K. John
Um, right now just been talking to my team and we’ve been strategically trying to see where I want to go because now I’m at this interesting point where I’m known for snowfall. I did other projects, but snowfall was like my stamp. And so now my okay, I don’t want to obviously get typecast into the same role again. So we’re really starting to be strategic on what I do next. I’m looking at like, I really want to be a part of the Marvel Universe. Just do like another deep drama. I love telling real story. So it has to be a real story on my go to action route but either one of those I’ll take that Marvel
Headkrack
route could be a pleasure, for sure. I know. This is Radio and you listen to this, but kid is in shape. Like that. What do you say? Like you know, it wasn’t time to quit your job after you did? Shop. When you knew it was time to quit your job. How did you go by
Lore’l
Now? I’m still a janitor.
Isaiah K. John
I think about it sometimes. Um, so like, I told the lady who owned the gym I told her you know, obviously she was pursuing acting. But when I went to LA for my chemistry with Damson, I didn’t tell her that I was going to LA I just said, I won’t make it for like three days because they flew me out for three days. It was three day process. So if I didn’t book I would have had to come back within three days. So once I flew in the second day, we were there, did the chemistry and that whole day was a long process. But once I booked in, it’s like okay, you can quit your job. I caught I was like, hey, so I actually went to LA audition for this TV show and I got it so I won’t be able to make it So you can’t go back we had to film the pilot so I was I can’t make it she’s I don’t know she was excited she it was it was love cuz I always let her know like what I had going on so it was cool
Lore’l
I think we were just a little surprised that you came in here with an accent that wasn’t British nowadays there’s a lot of actors out there that you know are from the UK and you work tightly with one damn Idris and he just got clown not too long ago by one of his icons in his mind and that will be done though. Now who is somebody that will hurt your soul? If they tried to kind of clown you like that that you may have looked up to in this industry?
Isaiah K. John
Honestly, anybody because to me, it’s like I tried to show so much love so anybody clown me I’ve like I’m not like for what like it will hurt my feelings like anybody really. But I have a few actors. I look up to costume sales, one of them Leonardo DiCaprio. From the older generation, Marlon Brando is like my favorite actor. So yeah, it will definitely hurt myself for sure.
Lore’l
When people call you Leon out in the street because you said you do want to step away from like, ever being typecast. And I know some people like Omari Hardwick, he said, when they call him ghosts, he gets upset, you know, does that bother you? When people read? It doesn’t
Isaiah K. John
bother me because I understand it. This is where you you were introduced to me as I get it. Well, I can’t knock you for that. You know, I can’t expect you to do your research and just say, okay, that’s Isaiah, John, like, I just received his love like, it is what it is.
Headkrack
When you when you look at the show, it’s like a lot of good people will get caught up doing bad things. And there’s also a lot of bad people. So from a person who’s been on the inside as the character Leon, Isaiah, who in your opinion has been the, the most villainous person in the history of snowfall Franklin,
Isaiah K. John
for sure is the villain. He’s a villain. He’s, he’s destroying the community as a villain. But we like what? Like what snowfall does is we humanize these characters. So you fall in love with the person and you kind of oversee their actions. So it’s like people love Franklin, despite the fact that he’s destroying the community. Absolutely. Right. You know, like, so we don’t even look at it. Like that was like, Oh, we love Franklin St. Like, but in reality, he’s destroying the whole community. He’s tearing families apart.
Headkrack
Did you put Franklin over read his read as well? Obviously,
Isaiah K. John
well, of course. Hey, well, he’s a he’s a culprit, you know, like, you know, he’s feeding into it. Of course, like he’s the main culprit, but, um, I think from like, I our storyline, like the South Central storylines. Definitely, Franklin for sure.
Lore’l
So you’re not wrapping it nothing. Because I feel like a lot of actors these days have also the thing and they wrap in, strictly like I like that though. Finally, an actor that’s an actor
Isaiah K. John
I love. Like, literally to the point. I don’t watch a lot of things because I’m like, I really care about the craft of acting for sure. And I don’t watch a lot of TV. I watch a lot of movies. I like to study movies and and like, just real theatrical actors. So yeah, I studied how about
Lore’l
your love life? What’s going on? Are you single? Are you Oh, yeah, Mary, how long you been married?
Isaiah K. John
At the end of the year be three years.
Lore’l
So is that um, because that’s rather new since you’ve been on snowfall? I would say two or three years has anything changed with the ladies going crazy? It doesn’t change.
Headkrack
I love it, man. So you’re a jack of all trades, but and you’re in the Hall of Fame as it relates to iconic people who have gone to Afro Afro knowledge Isaiah John. The fro Alright, so we’re gonna swipe and you gotta tell us if you’re gonna identify who these froze belong so you think again? I’m gonna do I think my fail. I think I think you got this. Who’s froze this?
Isaiah K. John
I’m done a little Chris here.
Headkrack
That the correct answer, sir is ludicrous. Like
Isaiah K. John
I wasn’t. Ah. Oh, what’s that dude’s name? He’s a Cleveland son is he’s a junior. It’s not a Junior.
Headkrack
Junior. He’s just to do you like step kid? Yeah, I don’t know. Enough. About this one.
Isaiah K. John
Um Oh, no. Jennifer Lewis.
Headkrack
From a similar coast, but that’s really really. I this was gonna be tough because we go way back with it.
Isaiah K. John
Come on. You got it? Right here. Really? I should know that. Yes. It’s I want to say Morgan Freeman.
Headkrack
Well, I know why you would go with that. But it was. Okay.
Isaiah K. John
Okay. Okay. Okay. Last one. That’s gonna be ice cream. No, that’s nice. Q
Headkrack
Oh, If you get this wrong, they gonna kick you out the fro listen,
Isaiah K. John
they might have to, because honestly if it’s somebody obvious and I feel the legendary actually I wanted to say Eazy E but I think that’s kind of cliche because everybody say like, oh your mommy ease I didn’t wanna say
Headkrack
yeah Loki this one might be the hardest one of it all
Isaiah K. John
oh lord
Headkrack
what was going on in his world during the time when his picture was taking paint that picture
Isaiah K. John
so I think that was middle school. Oh, my hair was like down my back really? Yeah. I think I was just into like listening to rock music skateboard and at the time, I was a completely different person for sure.
Lore’l
Like you lucky a white boy now that I’ve been listening to Gabrielle Marlon Brando. I’ve never heard of blackmail act. But I liked that. Because I do feel like so many people are. It’s like the same thing. And then we start to kind of see similar things. But in order to have a variety, you know, you have to open up your mind. So I think that that’s super dope. Yeah, for sure. I feel like I love white boy here.
Headkrack
Say you do a phenomenal work man. Even though you’re surrounded by evil on the show. The good that you’re doing man speaks volumes. Yo, man, listen, if something happens to you, we write we write which
Lore’l
I do want to ask you one last question. You know, there’s a lot of people that say things when it comes to movies that I have or shows that have black actors, they say sometimes it’s a lot of slave movies, it’s drug movies. Do you feel like a show like snowfall, even though it is showing the history of somebody that we already are familiar with? Do you think this is adding to hurting or this is something that’s necessary,
Isaiah K. John
I think is necessary and is different. It’s not like a pointless drug show where it just comes out of nowhere. It’s not based on true events, you just telling a story that you’re making up, but the fact that snowfall literally is telling a story that’s a part of our black history. Like it’s something that was very traumatic in our culture. I think that’s what makes it different. It’s not coming out of thin air and just trying to entertain people with drugs like we’re telling how the black community got destroyed in Hades like that’s completely different. So I think there’s a purpose behind it. And a lot of other drugs stories have no they’re just entertaining. It did
Lore’l
learn how to cook crack while you were filming now.
Headkrack
Yo this is an amazing show. You guys are doing amazing work. Be sure you tap in and check out snow for FX you also go watch it on Hulu if you miss it when it comes on Wednesday night at a million o’clock. Oh man red eyes and everything. You want to follow you Mr. John Where did it go?
Isaiah K. John
Everything is “Isaiah K. John” y’all. Thank you!
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