Emmy-Award Nominee Dulé Hill Takes Center Stage on Hollywood at Home with The Creative Coalition
Los Angeles, CA (December 14, 2023): The talented Dulé Hill, known for his remarkable performances and undeniable charm, graces the virtual stage of this week’s Hollywood at Home with The Creative Coalition. Hill, an Emmy-Award nominee, opens up about his incredible journey in the entertainment industry, sharing captivating stories that will bring listeners behind-the-scenes of his most captivating roles. In this episode, Hill takes us back to where it all began, reminiscing about his first Hollywood acting gig on the iconic series “The West Wing.” With his signature wit and infectious enthusiasm, he reveals the challenges and triumphs he experienced while working alongside legendary actors such as Martin Sheen and Allison Janney. Hill delves into his initial reluctance to take on the role of the lovable Gus Guster on the hit show “Psych,” and shares the rollercoaster ride of emotions he encountered while bringing this unforgettable character to life. Beyond the television screen, Hill’s passion for theater shines through as he discusses his deep-rooted love for the stage, offering a glimpse into the transformative power of live performances and the profound impact they have had on his career.
Hollywood at Home is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and more.
Listen now at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychd-with-guest-dul%C3%A9-hill/id1521900273?i=1000638299157
For planned coverage, please link to:
http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast
Highlights from Hollywood at Home featuring Dulé Hill:
How “Psych” almost wasn’t: “Coming off of ‘The West Wing,’ it wasn’t really a choice that…most people would make coming off of a critically-acclaimed show that won so many awards… When the role of Gus came up, my agent was really pushing the idea…and I was like, ‘No, I really don’t want to play a sidekick for ‘X’ number of years… When I read [the script] a second time, I said, ‘This character could be fun if he thought he was the coolest man on earth… if he thought he was Billy Dee [Williams], Denzel [Washington], and Wesley Snipes all wrapped up in one, but everything he did was the exact opposite of that.’ He was a corn ball, but in his mind, he was just so cool… You couldn’t tell Gus that he was not the smoothest man on the earth.”
On finding the fun after conquering the world (of television): “I take calculated risks… When ‘The West Wing’ was finishing, I knew that I did not want to go do another office drama… When you’re going from working with Aaron Sorkin and John Wells and Tommy Schlamme, and your castmates are Allison Janney and Martin Sheen and Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford, I knew…that is the top of the mountain in terms of television…the thing that stuck in my head. ‘Dulé, if you try to repeat this, you’re going to keep searching for this and never really attain that again. So just go a different place. Go do something where you can be wacky and fun. Just do something completely different.’ And, thankfully, ‘Psych’ came along.”
When Martin Sheen taught Dulé the secret Lawrence Fishburne handshake: “I first met Martin… He was there walking in a hallway right outside the Oval Office and he introduced himself. He said, ‘You know Lawrence Fishburne?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Well, years ago, Lawrence and I, we did a movie and he taught me a handshake back then. It was a movie called Apocalypse Now… He taught me a handshake and I’m gonna teach it to you.’ So he [Martin] taught me the handshake, and just something about him doing that allowed me to connect and see…the humanity of him. ‘Yes, he’s Martin Sheen, but he’s also a guy, and a nice guy,’ and that took away a lot of the stress for me or the pressure of the time.”
Allison Janney became family: “She is really one of the loves of my life. I truly adore her. She is so brilliant, so beautiful, so talented, and so consistent, not only on screen, but off screen. And in this town, that is hard to find… I’ve known Allison for 25 years now…[through] times when she’s soaring high and getting Academy Awards, and times where she hadn’t worked in a while. [My son] Levi is always asking about, ‘When are we gonna go by Auntie Ali’s house?’”
“The Wonder Years” expands the lens: “This was a product that I thought was important to put out there, to expand the lens, to show that there was more story to be told… It was my wish that the show would have had a longer life and hopefully, [we] could have done more ‘Wonder Years’ of different cultures and experiences, because, in this country, there really is a magnificently diverse group of people that make this nation as wonderful as it is. And oftentimes, I feel like the lens is too closed off, and the more that we can expand the lens, the more that we can see each other, accept each other, understand each other, honor each other, and encourage each other to be the fullness of who we are.”
More about Hollywood at Home:
Hosted by The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk, “Hollywood at Home” brings listeners intimate portraits, key moments of discovery, and “art and soul” conversations with iconic entertainment industry personalities from the big screen to the boardroom, from L.A. to D.C. Listen now at http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast.
Previous guests include Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), Marlee Matlin (“CODA”), Jason Alexander (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Alan Cumming (“Schmigadoon!, “The Good Wife”), Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Middle”), Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace”), Willie Garson (“And Just Like That…”), Colman Domingo (“Euphoria”), Kerry Ehrin (“The Morning Show”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), Ken Olin (“This is Us,” “Thirtysomething”), Anthony Rapp (“Star Trek: Discovery”), and Alfre Woodard (Clemency, “Luke Cage”), among others.
More about The Creative Coalition:
Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition (TCC) is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization of the arts and entertainment community. TCC is dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance, and also creates award-winning public service campaigns, including #RightToBearArts, to promote the efficacy of the arts. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s President. For more information, visit https://thecreativecoalition.org.
Media Contact:
Max Jordan
mjordan@thecreativecoalition.org
C: 240-506-7913
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