We chat with the rising star about his acting origins, and what’s to come from the new season of his hit show.
Since appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at 14 years old, Delante Desouza felt destined to become an actor. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Desouza found a mentor in the late great Robert F. Chew, who aided in sharpening the craft and enhancing the passion of the budding actor.
Fast forward to present day, Desouza is set to appear in the second season of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, returning as Michael Cooper. The hit show, produced by Adam McKay and also starting the likes of Quincy Isaiah and John C. Reilly, is an ‘80s set, LA-based depiction of the historic rise of The Lakers. First appearing in episode four, Delante’s character was a scene stealer quickly became a fan favourite, and is now poised for a big role in the forthcoming sophomore season.
We caught up with the rising star to discuss his acting origins, his relationship with Robert F. Chew, and what expect from the new season of the show.
Watch the trailer for the new series…
Read the exclusive interview…
Who and what inspires you in your creative output?
The actors that I look up to inspire my creative output. I grew up watching actors like Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington, and Donald Glover, so those are the examples I follow for my creative work and direction. Every time I see them grow and evolve and challenge themselves as actors, it inspires me to do the same and continue my growth as an actor.
What first drew you to the world of acting?
Back when I was in high school, I was looking for an after-school program to join and my cousin recommended that I check out the Arena Players, a community theatere that he was going to. I didn’t know what acting was at the time, I just knew that I watched television and there were people who were on it, and they were famous. I had no concept of acting, character, roles, or anything like that. However, when I visited the theatere and did my first scene, I instantly fell in love with acting. I knew it was something that I was passionate about and wanted to pursue as a career from that point on.
How did your upbringing affect your outlook on success and creativity?
Growing up, my parents barely made enough money to get by, so anything I wanted I had to work for. I truly believe that anything you want in this life can be obtained, you just have to put in the work required to get it, and the more successful you aspire to be, the more work that is required for that success to come to fruition. In a similar vein, because I didn’t have a lot growing up, it also forced me to think creatively outside of the box from an early age, which has blossomed into the creative spirit that I have now.
Talk us through your experience and relationship with the great Robert F. Chew?
Mr. Chew was my first acting teacher back at the Arena Players and was the first person to inspire me to pursue acting as a career. He had already finished The Wire at the time and was the acting coach at the theater for the younger children. Over the years, Mr. Chew nurtured and challenged me as an actor in order to bring forth my talent through the productions I did and characters I played. He wanted the absolute best for me and for my craft and even up to his final years, he dedicated himself to nurturing young talent like me. Without Mr. Chew, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Talk us through how you first became involved in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty?
Sure! Back in 2019, I was living in Baltimore, Maryland, and I was scrolling through Actors Access (a website where productions post auditions for actors). I happened to see a project posted on the site called Showtime. I clicked on it, and I saw that they were looking for someone who was 6 feet or taller, could play basketball, and resembled Michael Cooper. I matched up pretty well to those requirements, so I submitted myself just on a whim. A few days later I got a request from Francine Maisler, the Casting Director, to send in a self-tape.
I taped a couple scenes from the sides I was given and sent in a video of me playing basketball. Within a couple days, Francine had reached out to set up a Skype meeting with Adam McKay and all of the producers for Winning Time. At the meeting, me and Adam just chatted casually for about 15 minutes or so, then a couple weeks later, HBO sent over the offer and it’s all history from there, haha.
How was it coming back for the 2nd season? What’s been different about the experience?
It’s been great coming back! It’s always fun shooting a sports show, especially a show centered around such an incredible franchise and era in the NBA, and getting to do it twice is a blessing. Things are a lot more streamlined this time around, which means that we were able to do things like shoot much more basketball in a shorter and more efficient timeframe, so this 2nd season is much more action-packed than the first!
Explain to us what the show is about and what it means to you? Winning Time is about the origin of the Showtime era of Lakers basketball. We see that the Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss wants to reinvent how people experience basketball and the NBA, as he drafts Magic Johnson, one of the most stylish, entertaining, and prolific basketball players to ever exist in the league. The show follows the creation and evolution of the Showtime Lakers dynasty as the team, led by Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, will eventually go on to win five NBA championships and transform how the game of basketball is played.
I was always a Lakers fan growing up, as I came up watching Shaq and Kobe, so the Lakers has always been a team that is near and dear to me, and being able to be part of such an iconic moment in sports history is a dream come true.
The cast is incredible, how was it working with the likes of John C. Reilly?
It was fantastic! John is so focused and locked in on set when he’s working that it’s really interesting to see him when he steps into his character. Because most of us are used to seeing him as such a great comedic actor, it’s really surprising to see how focused and locked in he is when he’s in a dramatic role like Dr. Buss. The entire cast as a whole (Adrien Brody, Jason Segel, Jason Clarke) all were wonderful to work with and just incredible people as well.
What would be your dream role?
I always say that my dream role is to play a superhero! If I got to play a superhero, I’d retire from acting (just kidding, haha!) Cartoons and comic books were a huge part of my childhood growing up, so it would be incredible if I got to live out my superhero fantasies in a movie.
What are your goals and interests outside of acting?
Outside of acting, I’m an avid gamer! I like playing Fortnite, Diablo, and Apex Legends currently, haha! I also geek out about tech. I built my computer from scratch just to also play video games on that too, haha!
I also enjoy working out, playing sports, and watching movies, TV shows, and anime.
What else is to come from you?
I’ve got some ideas for film and TV projects that I’m cooking up that hopefully will see the light of day somewhere within the next year! We’ll see what happens!
