10 Things about Tosin Morohunfola
You’re originally from Chicago and there’s quite a few phenomenal actors from there. When did you first decide to get into the industry as an actor and how did you get your start?
Well actually, believe it or not, I was raised in Kansas. I’m a midwestern kid who was into acting from as little as I can remember. Always doing church musicals and school plays. Then, after doing local theatre in Kansas City, I moved to Chicago to do improv comedy with my college friends, and just ride the wave. But I quickly booked some Chicago theatre work and at the same time started co-starring on tv shows like “Empire” and “Chicago Med”. I was in Chicago for 4 years and that helped me transition from theatre to film exclusively before I moved to LA. It was a really fortunate sequence of events.
But I have to give a big shout-out to theatre, in general. It’s only because of the YEARS of doing long-endurance marathons of 2-hour plays that I think I feel so comfortable honing all that craft into the few brief moments of on-screen time that I get. It’s kinda like all those years of theatre gave me a short-hand to tap into in my process and craft.
What’s funny is I never had big Hollywood dreams (even though my parents did, haha). I really just wanted to tell powerful stories and I was fine with doing that in theatre. But as the messages I wanted to spread got BIGGER, the medium started growing LARGER too. So first, I started producing my own theatre in college. Then my own films.
Plus, I’ve always had GREAT peers who and talented collaborators. Sometimes I would just mention a story I wanted to tell and they would enhance it and then offer to help me produce it. (That’s that midwestern kindness for ya.) And then, every project that we put together ourselves and produced from the ground up drew me deeper into the craft. And to this day, I still collaborate, with many of those actors, comedians, improvisers, filmmakers, and writers.
Your parents are from Nigeria, a rich culture, especially on traditions. What was your experience like growing up and how did you affect your career choice?
My Nigerian parents raised me and my brothers with strong principles, mostly born out of the church. We were always taught to put school-work first; and that discipline was the most important of the values. Especially because we were being raised in rural Kansas for the majority of our childhood, so we were always just about the only black family in town. That isolation and uniqueness really required us to know ourselves. Who we are. And what we wanna do with the privilege we have.
I’m grateful to have parents who were always supportive of their kids being in the arts. We did marching band and theater and church musicals. They would ask us not to curse as much, but otherwise they loved it all… even if they didn’t expect me to make it my profession. And as much as they would’ve preferred we all embrace the “respectable Nigerian-approved careers” like doctor, lawyer, engineer… I was the black sheep of the family. So they were gradually accepting of my acting hobby as a legitimate career path.
At first, they really wanted me to have a “plan B” in college. But one day, I just told them “Mom. Dad. Plan B is to reinforce Plan A.”
Which actors body of work has had a profound effect on your career and which ones would you like to work with, given the opportunity?
So so many. Sterling. Regina. Mahershala, Lupita, Kaluuya, Cheadle. Jamie Foxx and Will Smith when I was growing up. And of course, the G.O.A.T., Denzel. There’s just so many legends who have inspired me and still presently do.
But lately, I’m more focused on writer/directors. I’d love to work with Jordan Peele, Ava DuVernay, Christopher Nolan. And on the other end of the spectrum, Judd Apatow comedies definitely had a huge formative affect on me and my sense of humor. (I’m always squeezing improv into my comedy films, when I can. Haha). But oh my God, if I could work with prime Dave Chappelle or Key & Peele, that would be a comedy-dream come true.
As a filmmaker, who in the business would you say has had more of an impact on how your produce your films?
Aside from all those names, I said above, I’d have to also include my dear friend and current producing partner, Kevin Willmott. My first film ever was a zero-budget space race comedy called “Destination Plane Negro” that we shot shortly after I graduated from the University of Kansas (where Kevin taught). I learned so much from that year-long, guerilla-style filmmaking process and it really showed me what’s possible and how to make something out of nothing. I was the lead character so it taught me leadership on set too. And most importantly, I observed Kevin’s ease and expertise in story-telling. We immediately had a kinship and he really has been looking out for me ever since. After he won his Oscar award for BlackKkKlansmen, he put me in his next film, The 24th, and now we’re producing my first feature together: The Pulpit.
But even going further back, Kevin is an activist-storyteller, and his film’s always have strong, thought-provoking social commentary. I admire that, and I seek to emulate that kind of edu-tainment in my work. So I also started producing short films; first, in protest. I felt strongly motivated by the BLM movement of 2014. In the wake of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin’s murders, I felt compelled to start to tell stories that affirmed our Blackness, our lives value, and criticized systemic racism, especially from law enforcement. Which is how my first short, “On Sight”, was born. You can watch that film online for free now too.
What themes resonate with you the most with your writing and filmmaking and why?
In addition to the social Justice themes, my writing centers on stories of empathy, awareness, and seeing the human as hero. I made a short called “Endowed” that was a parable about fatherhood and our collective potential when we’re born into this world. I love to make really traumatic, unflinching stories still end in hope. We need that.
Currently, you’re on the STARZ series “Run The World”. How were you first introduced to the show and what made you want to jump on board?
Well, first of all, I just loved that the series centered on Black women! Then, as an actor, I lit up when I saw that the character was Nigerian-American. I immediately wanted to audition, because it’s not often that a character so specifically targets my exact lane of experience. My character and I are really similar. We’re both very strongly principled. We both come from big, pushy, loving Nigerian families. We both fuss over jollof rice and Iyan. My character, Ola, is a doctor. My dad is one too. There’s just so much of him I aligned with. Even down to my real last name, which actually contains my character’s name (MorohunfOLA).
Beyond that, I just loved the people. I was so drawn in by our creator Leigh Davenport and both our legendary Showrunners. But most importantly, my love-interest Amber Stevens West is just amazing. She’s the person I work with the most and she’s such a generous and nuanced actor. And a great person. Even from the chemistry read audition, I knew that I wanted to work with her and that I’d enjoy it.
On the show, you play the role of Ola. What can you tell us about his personality and which aspects of his character that you enjoy bringing out on screen?
Okay, so I may be biased, but Ola is a good man. Straight up. He’s loyal, he’s hard-working, high-achieving and passionately loves his fiancé. But I will confess, Ola also has some “wrath” to him (which I loved tapping into). We saw some of that at the end of Season 1. But that anger is outweighed by his capacity to love. The man is flawed… but he’s aspirational still. And what I love about him is that we rarely get depictions of Black men as upstanding in this way in media and on television. So, getting to play a man who excels and has great character, is both an honor and a much-needed bit of black representation.
Yeah, I definitely see myself and Ola. We’re really alike. Like… I hold myself to a high standard, and those around me. And if people let me down, I get really disappointed. We’re definitely similar in that way. And… ya know how some people—when they get mad—are unhinged or dangerous. That’s not Ola. When he’s betrayed, he gets hyper-verbal and contained and precise. And I do that too. Like a disappointed Dad.
What we know about Ola is that he was supposed to marry Whitney, and then she dropped a bombshell on him. What happened and what can we expect from Ola as the season progresses?
It’s gonna be a ride! For most of season 1, my character was a loving fiancé to Whitney. I really enjoyed getting to just be fun and in-love. But in that final episode when I found out about the betrayal, I LET LOOSE on her. Season 2 takes a turn. After pouring out my heart, we break up the engagement. So I have to pick up the pieces of myself and figure out if I’m really done with her or not. Can I forgive her? Does I even want to?
I need to quit speaking in the first-person. hahaha. Ola has to reconcile with his resentment towards his Whitney. He needs to figure out what’s really important and if he’s really willing to let this relationship die, just because she made a mistake. He’s gonna need some reflection and perspective. … but in the meantime, he’s gonna have to learn how to date again. Because the man doesn’t know how to be single anymore and it’s gonna be a hilarious watching him try. Hahaha.
Thus far, you’ve had a variety of roles. What type of characters do you often gravitate to play on screen?
I think I gravitate towards very commanding characters. I tend to play high status, if that makes sense. Even when I’ve been cast as “thugs” or “slaves”—characters that society typically looks down on—I always tend to elevate them. I look for the nobility in their being. There’s always a dignity to them. Like my characters from “The Chi” and “Black Lightening”. Even the most ruthless characters have a heart somewhere down in there, and once I find that, then I know I can make a layered performance. And I hope I displayed that, (although sometimes my characters don’t live long enough to show it. haha. )
I just love to play dimensional characters. In the HBO show I’m currently on, (“Julia”), because I’m a Black lawyer in a period piece, there’s definitely some ingrained perceptions about gender roles that I’m dealing with towards my romantic interest. My character wants to be both a stereotypical “man” and a “gentle”man at the same time. And that itself, is a really interesting internal life to explore, and interrogate… and also dignify.
I remember my role on “Love Is” was particularly challenging, because the character was in denial to himself about who he was, his sexuality. And that denial really ripples throughout his entire self-perception. So the way he overperformed masculinity was fascinating to me. I tried to really dig into that and explore it. That’s probably one of the most three-dimensional roles I got to play.
So I guess I like to do a little bit of everything. As long as it’s dimensional. haha
When it comes to fashion, which designers and brands appeal most to your personal sense of style?
Every time I show up to the Run The World costume shop, I am BLESSED with the best looks. So when I think of great designers and brands, I immediately think of my show fits. In Episode 201, our designers Patricia Fields and Tracy Cox got me wearing the smoothest silk Dolce & Gabbana shirt with 3 tigers on it. I look like a boss in that top, for real. There’s another look I have in the show with a tan turtleneck and a red/green/tan jacket on top from Jay Kos and I loved that look so much I BEGGED them to let me keep it. And they did!
In my daily life, I WISH I dressed as fly as my characters on camera do. I’m usually wearing matching sweat suits or Fabletics, because I work out a lot. But I will say I have a green Gucci jacket that I treasure too. It’s kinda symbolic for me, since it was the first expensive piece of clothing I ever really bought after getting some real industry success and financial stability. But outside of that, I learn the most from my costume designers. And what they fall in love with, I tend to too.
We look forward to seeing how things develop on “Run The World”. What other projects do you have coming up in the near future?
I’m currently in development and funding for my first feature film, “The Pulpit”. The film combines all my favorite themes because it’s about a heroic pastor from Kansas who starts getting death threats for her inclusive preaching. So she has to fight for her life AND challenge the broken systems that sometimes enforce prejudice and helped cause the threats in the first place. It’s a crime thriller.
We’ve still got a ways to go, but when that film is finished, it’s gonna be my proudest project ever. So stay tuned for that one.
Oh! And I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk about this, but I’m gonna. There’s a new Taylor Sheridan spin-off that I’ve been working on and it’s amazing. I can definitely tell you I’ve been riding a lot of horses. Tapping into my Kansas roots to make me a cowboy! It’s definitely been a new and exciting skillset. And I play a really crucial part of the story. In the series, the main character, Bass Reeves, is dedicated to the law. That’s the only way he views justice. And my character comes along to challenge all that. As a Black man in America, we know better than to think justice always goes hand-in-hand with the law. And I think my character knows that truth too.
So all I’ll say is this: Not all criminals are created equal… and this is one cowboy you don’t want to mess with.
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Photo Credits: Beast Williams + Tosin Morohunfola