In the next episode of the CBS comedy series The Unicorn, entitled “It’s the Thought That Counts” and directed by Matthew A. Cherry, things get very real, which leads to a very honest discussion about racial injustice. When Forrest (Rob Corddry) gives a water gun to one of Ben (Omar Miller) and Michelle’s (Maya Lynne Robinson) children and they’re left to take it away from him, it becomes a moment that everyone can learn from and learn to understand each other better.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actor Omar Miller talked about the need to address what’s happening in society and why difficult conversations are important, how well-intentioned people can unknowingly end up on the wrong side of things, what the atmosphere on set is like, and why this project pushed him outside of his comfort zone. He also talked about how he came to be a part of The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, doing both 8 Mile and Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and his desire to strive to be the best actor in the world.

Collider: This episode addresses some serious subject matter in a very effective way. How was it to find that balance of tone, tackling a very serious subject on a comedy?

OMAR MILLER: We’re not trying to bring people down. What we are doing is addressing what’s happening in society. We got the word that we were getting renewed and with that, the writers called us and they said, “Hey, we’re interested in thinking about what you guys are interested in.” And at the time, George Floyd had just been killed and millions of people around the world were taking to the streets to protest inequality, police brutality, and so on and so forth. And so, I said, “Hey, we’re in the middle of two crazy crises and sea changes.” You can feel the change, when people want to recognize and address issues, all over the world.

One of the writers spoke up and said, “It’s interesting, I’ve been feeling the same way and I have a device that I think could work well with that.” And that was the device of the water gun. It was awesome. It speaks so much about the network and about the show. You have a diversity of writers, a diversity of directors, and a dynamic cast, all of which come into play. That’s what happened, and it was great. I’m really with the way that we tried to address the issue. We don’t beat you over the head, but these are conversations that are happening or need to happen, all over the world, right now, especially in the United States. You’ve gotta have these hard, uncomfortable conversations.

And I think it helps for people to see other people having those conversations.

MILLER: Right. There are a lot of well-intentioned people. They’re trying. They wanna be on the right side of things, and sometimes they think they are on the right side of things, but when you voice your opinion, you realize that maybe you weren’t on the right side of things. I really appreciate the show putting the weight of this conversation on myself and on Rob [Corddry]. I really appreciate it.

Did you and Rob Corddry have conversations about how you wanted to handle this episode?

MILLER: All of the adult cast was on the Zoom where we requested this, so he was already hip. We’re also saying, “We asked for this, so we’ve gotta deliver.” It’s not like you can ask for it, and then be confused when it takes place. I’m really excited about it now. It says a lot for the network to allow the showrunners and everybody to tackle this stuff from real life and address the issues that we have.

When you do a show like this, that all really comes out of a place of love, whether it’s the love of family or the love of friends, what sort of atmosphere does that create on set? If fans of the show got a glimpse behind the scenes of you guys filming this, what would they see?

MILLER: The process, right now, is very difficult and interesting because of the COVID protocols, so what they would see is, as fun as the show comes off, when you watch it, it’s even more fun to make. That’s the main thing that they would see and also be surprised about because we are actually having a good time. The majority of us have some version of one or two degrees of separation because we’ve worked together. Rob and I worked together on Ballers for the last five years, Rob and Michaela [Watkins] have played husband and wife, this is the third or fourth time, and Walton [Goggins] and I did Spike Lee’s war epic Miracle of St. Anna together in Italy. That’s actually how we got to know each other. It’s a situation where you get to work with people either know or have grown to know. We’re all respectful of what we’re trying to do. The intention of what you’re trying to do is important, and our intention of what we’re trying to do with the show is clear with one another. So, in that, if you were the fly on the wall, you would see a lot of jokes. You’d see a lot of funny stuff happening that doesn’t make the show.

We have such a talented cast, and a lot of people have that talent, so we have to figure out how it best serves this story in this platform. Being on a half-hour comedy on HBO is a different animal than being on a half-hour on network TV. The format matters. We’re all trying to make sure that our comedy and our storytelling fits the medium and the audience. It’s hard and it’s a challenge, but one that we welcome. In my opinion, it elevates the quality of the actual material. We have good writers and good material and we’re able to deal with the challenge of being on network TV, with no cussing and no this or that. It puts you in a good position to really flex your toolbox and figure out what’s in there.

I love this ensemble because it’s so fun to watch you guys together. You’re all very different and you come from very different backgrounds, and I would imagine you approach work in some different ways. Is it fun to experience how that comes together?

MILLER: Some people, like Maya Lynne, have a theater background. Rob and Michaela have comedy backgrounds. There are so many different ways that we’re all learning about each other and it really does help that a lot of us have worked with each other. The intention of the comfort of being with one another goes a long way into the work process, but it’s certainly been a challenge this go around.

When this show originally came your way, what was your first impression of what this could be and what its potential was, and how has that played out, two seasons into it?

MILLER: When I first read it, it made me a little uncomfortable, but that intrigued me because it got me out of my comfort zone. I actually lost one of my brothers, so the subject matter of dealing with grief and loss and figuring out how to move forward in your life, mattered to me. I said to myself, “Well, this show can either be great in the pilot and then turn into something terrible, or it could turn out to be something really special.” So far, I’m probably more proud of this than anything that I’ve done on television. I started in movies, and halfway through, the industry flipped and I started to do more TV. I’m so proud of this show because everybody can watch it, and I love that. I personally believe that’s actually how you affect people. There has to be a universality to what it is that’s going down, and I love that. To this point, I am happy with what the show has become.

Is there anything that you’d like to see with your character, that you haven’t gotten to do yet on the show?

MILLER: I plan on being on this show for years, so there’s all sorts of stuff. There’s a lot for the writers to come up with. I’m not worried about telling them how to do it. They’re doing a great job, so far.

Is there anybody that you’ve worked with previously that you’d like to see guest on the show?

MILLER: There are so many of my friends, that it would get me in trouble to name just one of them. There are a whole lot of great actors that could come on the show, just because one of us has worked with them. People are really pumped up about Natalie Zea on the show, which is great.

When you started out as an actor, what was your hope for what your career would be, and if that younger you saw where you are now and the journey that you’ve gone on, how would he react to the career that you’ve had?

MILLER: My goal was to be great. I was always interested in being the best actor in the world. That was a real goal for me. I grew up going to the movies and watching TV, and loved it. I had so much admiration and respect for the people that did it, on the highest level. So, I was in college and stumbled into this career. Once it became my focus, I wanted to be the best that I could possibly be. I also saw it as a way to see the world. In that sense, if younger me could see older me now, he would be very satisfied with what has happened. I’ve gone around the world on the studios’ dime and I have been loving every minute of it. I got to do stuff where I represent the values and the culture that I grew up with. I was just really cautious. My whole career, I was always really concerned about being in a box. I never wanted to be the stereotype, and I feel like I’ve done a decent job at being able to get away from that.

How did you come to voice Finn for The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special? What does it mean to be a part of the Star Wars universe?

MILLER: Lately, the heavens have opened up and I have been blessed with a bunch of voice-over work, and I am not complaining about it. For the longest time I would audition and audition, and I could not get a job doing voice-over. I probably had 1,500 auditions before I actually booked something. For me, the LEGO thing came about when I was doing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and, around the same time, that young man John Boyega had decided that he didn’t have time or didn’t want to do the voice of his character in the movies for the cartoon. And so, I was like, “All right, I’ll take that.” They brought it my way, and I couldn’t have been more with it. So, I started off doing just a voice on a different piece, and then this special came about and I did that. A lot of it was filmed during the pandemic, so there’s been a lot of voice-over recordings going on in people’s closets. This has been a very interesting, different process.

When you get to do things, like voicing a character in the Star Wars universe or voicing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, does it help keep you feeling like a kid?

MILLER: It’s surreal. It is absolutely surreal. I used to sing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song for the cartoon, on the bus on the way to school. It matters to me. When I see that, I’m like, “Wow, this is my life. This is crazy!” What that does is really rejuvenate and refresh everything. It makes the actual difficulty in the grind of making projects a lot easier to stomach. This is hard work, but for the most part, people just see the glamorous part because they see the finished product. But make no two ways about it, making movies and making shows is a very difficult thing to do. When I get to do things like this, it rejuvenates me.

You were in both 8 Mile with Eminem and Get Rich or Die Tryin’ with 50 Cent.

MILLER: I guess you could argue that the first screen test went well. We did 8 Mile, and nobody knew what that was gonna turn into what it turned into. I was actually talking to Evan Jones recently, who played Cheddar Bob in the film. We actually lived together during the filming of the movie, and we were talking about what that experience was like. It’s so difficult to make a good movie, and beyond a good movie, to make a generational film, which is what the movie turned into. And then, most of those same guys were the guys who produced Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and we ran it back. I prefer 8 Mile, if I’m comparing the films, but every movie you make does something different.

On top of the movie, it also spawned a hit song with “Lose Yourself.”

MILLER: The guy just did it eighteen years later at the Oscars, and it still slaps. That’s good evidence of the quality of the song. It was a memorable period. We were all young people. If you look at that cast, there was a lot of talent in that movie. That song gets people going. It’s an inspirational song, when you listen to the lyrics. I’ll never forget the first time I heard it. We were on set and Em was in his music trailer. He opened the door and said, “Hey, come in here. I need you guys to hear something.” He was trying to make a song that fit into the film. It’s easy to take that stuff for granted because artists like that are so great that you think, “Oh, yeah, of course he had that.” No, he made that during the filming of the movie. It was just such a crazy experience. I’ve been blessed with so many once in a lifetime experiences that nobody gets to do.

The Unicorn airs on Thursday nights on CBS.