Hello and welcome to the Scene 2 Lakes Podcast and I’m your host, Valerie Complex. Sorry I didn’t post anything last week, but the Sundance Film Festival was relentless and couldn’t release an episode in time.
Today’s guest is To Star Jalyn Hall.
By the age of 15, Hall had already built a following as a fan favorite on the wildly popular CW series All Americanswhere he played Dillon James since 2018. He transitioned to film and provided a groundbreaking portrayal of civil rights icon Emmett Till in MGM/Orion Pictures’. To, which hit theaters in October. The film, a biographical drama written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu, also stars Danielle Deadwyler and Whoopi Goldberg, who also produced the film. It tells the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Deadwyler), an educator and activist who fights for justice after the 1955 lynching of her 14-year-old son Emmett.
In addition to ToHall recently wrapped production on the new Disney+ series The crossover. Based on the Newbery Award-winning bestselling novel by author, poet and educator Kwame Alexander, the drama tells the story of 14-year-old basketball phenoms Josh (Hall) and JB (Amir O’Neil) Bell. The boys grow up on and off the court as their former pro baller father adjusts to life after basketball and the matriarch mother finally gets to pursue her own dreams. This ambitious and emotional family drama is told entirely by Josh through his lyrical poetry. Alexander, Damani Johnson and Dee Johnson executive produce with George Tillman Jr., Bob Teitel and Jay Marcus via State Street Pictures (Hair salon, soul food) and LeBron James is also an executive producer.
Hall knew by the age of 4 that he wanted to entertain and act. He didn’t know what it was called, he just knew he wanted to do it! His mother noticed he was serious and decided to enroll him in acting workshops in Atlanta, where they were from. Hall remembers being so excited to wake up and go to class and couldn’t wait to learn new techniques and improve his skills. After a few years, his current agent spotted him at one of the garage’s talent shows, and the rest is history.
In this episode, Hall and I talk about how we met Emmett Till and how he created the character, how he worked with Deadwyler and Goldberg, and how he continues to thrive.
Source: Deadline
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
