With the new Apple TV+ series Swagger starting to stream tomorrow with the first three episodes of the ten-episode series, I recently spoke to O’Shea Jackson Jr. about making a series inspired by the life of NBA superstar Kevin Durant. On the show, Jackson Jr. plays a former star player who’s now a youth basketball coach and follows what happens when one of the top-ranked youth basketball players in the country (Isaiah Hill) joins his squad. What makes this series worth watching is that it’s just not telling a Disney version of what happens, instead focusing on the real world obstacles young players face on and off of the court while pursuing their dreams of becoming the next NBA star. In addition, it pulls back the curtain on what coaches go through to try and keep top rated talent and how money can influence everything.
Swagger also stars Shinelle Azoroh as Jenna, Jace’s mother who is determined to chart NBA success for her son; Quvenzhané Wallis as Crystal, a top young basketball player; Caleel Harris as Musa, the team’s glue and point guard; James Bingham as Drew Murphy, a player from an affluent part of town; Solomon Irama as Phil Marksby, the enforcer for a rival team; Ozie Nzeribe as Royale, a sub-par player with a wealthy dad; Tessa Ferrer as Meg Bailey, a former basketball player and coach for a rival team; Tristan Mack Wilds plays Alonzo Powers, the grassroots division leader at a major shoe company; and Jason Rivera as Nick, a player from Puerto Rico with the drive to become the best player in the country.
During the wide-ranging and fun interview, O’Shea Jackson Jr. talked about why he wanted to be part of Swagger, what he learned about youth basketball, if he was nervous to sign onto something that could run for a number of years, why he set an example on set for the younger actors, and more. He also talked about being part of the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Den of Thieves 2, why he loves Ingrid Goes West, when he might work with his dad Ice Cube, and more.
O’SHEA JACKSON JR: I run into you a lot, man. So how you doing? Good to see you.
COLLIDER: Very nice to see you. Congrats on this series. I'm four episodes in, and the best compliment I can give you is that, I do a lot of interviews and sometimes I don't continue a series after some episodes. But I am going to finish this season, because it was real good.
JACKSON JR: Nice. Solid.
I'm curious where it goes and I want to see.
JACKSON JR: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I got a bunch of questions for you and a wide variety. So let's jump in. What the hell has the last year or two been like for you? Because I remember when you started with Ingrid Goes West, and you're just hoping to do a little acting. Now you're jumping from cool project to cool project.
JACKSON JR: It's really been a fun ride. It's had its difficult days. People don't realize that when you're an actor and you wrap, you're unemployed for them couple weeks and you're just waiting for the next thing. But it's just about being smart. I've been lucky to have a bunch of passion projects reach out to me from... Of course, starting off with a passion project with Straight Outta Compton. But every role that I wanted to take after that was just to show versatility. I wanted it to be different from the last, and that blessed me with Godzilla. I got to nerd out on Kenobi recently. So, yeah, it's been a blessing. It's just about keeping your head down and pushing forward and you'll end up where you're supposed to be.
If someone has never seen anything that you've done, what do you want them to start with?
JACKSON JR: Straight Outta Compton will always have that place in my heart. Because, literally, without the events of that movie, I don't exist. So it's key, key part in my life. But I think it's still Ingrid Goes West. It holds a place in my heart because that was my first step on my own. That was my first one, I'm like, "All right, we need to make the decision of, are we going to do this? What type of actor are we going to be?" And stepping out, showing people that I wasn't a one-trick pony, and really standing on my own. So Ingrid Goes West, that's fun.
Long Shot would be another good one. You know, me and Seth, that dynamic duo, needs to happen again. And Swagger has pulled a lot of emotions out of me where I'm starting to look at my career differently. Not only as a performer, but as a person. The topics that we speak on with Swagger, they hit close to home as well. So I'm hoping that there's not a lot of people who haven't seen my works, but if I had to choose, it'd be those.
Yeah, also Ingrid Goes West is a really good movie. I asked your dad this before, and I've asked you this before, when are you and your dad going to do something together, playing father and son?
JACKSON JR: You know, he's so busy. I barely know the guy. No, but yeah, we know it has to happen. We know it has to be perfect. I think the biggest thing right now is us figuring out whether it should be comedy or dramatic. It's a rare thing to be able to be on camera sparring with your old man. It's just such an amazing opportunity, that we're definitely going to seize that moment. Right now, I'm just trying to get my box office numbers up, so that way when the project happens, they got to pay us both well. Oh, yeah, it'll happen for sure.
Also, people love seeing your dad yell at people. It's like a thing. I'm sure you know that.
JACKSON JR: Yeah. It's part of his makeup. What people don't know about my dad is, he laughs way more than he yells. The only thing that my dad, I think, seriously yells at on a continuous basis is probably the Raiders and the organization in general. But other than that, yeah, my dad, he loves to laugh. He just loves to have a good time. He's great. He tells jokes every time we speak. It's just, he loves to have a good time. And that's the dad I know. People say I'm Ice Cube's son, but Ice Cube is his own thing. O'Shea Jackson is my dad, and O'Shea Jackson likes to laugh.
I totally get it. Last time I saw you, you had some cool sports memorabilia. I know you're into that. What have you recently bought for yourself? Or been given?
JACKSON JR: I bought myself a 2020 Los Angeles Lakers championship ring, because I play too. I give my all to that team and I felt like I deserved it. Shout out to Jeanie. And I also bought myself a Dodgers ring too. Just to remind people that Los Angeles was in charge of sports during the pandemic.
First of all, I'm riddled, just riddled with envy. And second of all, I don't even want to know what those things cost. I can't even imagine.
JACKSON JR: Yeah. That's why I got to keep working. Trying to get that Swagger season 2, baby.
I have a lot of questions for Swagger, and we're about to get there. But I am curious…what's the story with Den of Thieves 2? Is that actually happening?
JACKSON JR: Yeah, it's happening. I've already started prepping for it. I was just in Ireland filming Cocaine Bear. Greatest title ever. But yeah, I was in Ireland, and they got me a trainer. Lost 15 pounds in 28 days. We're on pace for next year for me to be right. Getting my superhero body. So, when you got the right shape, your numbers go up, too. So I'm going to be alright.
So you've read the script. This is really going?
JACKSON JR: Oh, yeah, it's going down. Christian... Den of Thieves was Christian's baby. I don't think he... Christian Gudegast's the director and creator of Den of Thieves. I don't think he knew that it was going to become what it is. You hope that, but now we're going into a sequel. He knows that he has to give the people what they want. So we'll see. I can't wait for people to see what he has me doing.
Hence, the reason you have a trainer.
JACKSON JR: Yeah.
Jumping into Swagger, how did you actually get involved in this project? Can you talk about the genesis, how it came together for you?
JACKSON JR: It's actually a funny story. I was supposed to be a different character for Swagger. I met with Reggie Rock, who was really... the major piece on why I wanted to do this was just talking with Reggie. Hearing what type of man he was and what he represents as a creator, as an artist. I really wanted to be a part of Swagger to be able to work with him. I was supposed to play this other role. But the agents might've pushed a little too hard in some detail, because Apple was like, "Yeah, sorry, bro. We out." So I definitely was heartbroken for a while and I was actually on the press tour for Long Shot when I got the call. The agents were like, "Hey, guess what? Swagger's back on the table." And I was like, "Well, how is it back? What is it, a season 2?" They're like, "No, a situation happened and they want to offer you a new role."
When they told me that it was Ike, I knew it was going to be a hand-in-glove fit because there were so many things that I and the character shared. Before I was an actor, I was coaching my little brother's basketball teams. Ike, in the story's, about to have his first child and all the nervousness that goes into. He has a little girl, and that's the exact same thing I was going through at that time. So it was really hand in glove. I knew that when you get a role like that, that speaks so close to home, all you got to do is breathe into it and let things happen naturally.
Also, you are a sports fanatic. So it's not, I mean, this is like...
JACKSON JR: Talking basketball all day? That's easy.
What did you actually learn making the series about youth basketball and what goes on behind the scenes that perhaps you actually didn't know?
JACKSON JR: You know, I'd always been aware of the shadiness of...any time you're dealing with kids and money is involved, you know it's usually some shady business behind there. So I was always aware. But I was excited to be able to put my own stamp on getting this story out here of what's happening to these kids who stopped being looked at as what they are, which is young men and women. And they're looked at as pawns in some situations, you know, dollar signs. They're bargaining chips. It's a shady business, but most businesses are. But nobody at that age, the age that this is happening to these kids, should have to deal with that.
Were you excited or nervous to sign on to something that could go for multiple years?
JACKSON JR: A little nervous. It was my first time with a series. I needed to know exactly how long I'm signing my life away. It's a real hard question to ask yourself. Also, will Kevin Durant like me because of how obsessed I am with the Lakers? Is this going to be a problem? Is this going to be an issue, Lakers in five? But it's exciting. It calls for new things from my repertoire. It's growing with the character. You always hear about these actors who are on these long series and how much they're attached to their character and watching them grow, watching them make mistakes, watching them triumph. When you do films, you still have that arc, but you get to stretch it over a longer amount of time and it'll call for some new tools of yours to be sharpened.
I would imagine that you were the number one on the call sheet. If not number one, you were number two, depending on the day. I don't know how it goes. But you are the one that I think the young cast is looking towards for guidance on how to be when you're on set. Did you take on that responsibility and show a lot of people who maybe haven't done as much work, this is how you need to do this?
JACKSON JR: Yeah, you definitely, when you're working with people who are starting their careers, you want to set an example. You can never look at a group and just command yourself, "Oh, well, this is how you should do it. I'm the leader," and all that noise. They'll just reject you. Especially, my young bit of ruffians that I worked with on this. It's something that they have to see and put you there. If you're leading by example and you're leading them down the wrong path, you're doing nothing but a disservice to all those who do love the film industry. Because there's a lot of talent that we have in this cast, in our young performers, where they could be great. So you got to start off... If you're going to be great, you got to start it off the right way.
The day before our first day of work together, we lost Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant died, literally, the day before we started filming. Anybody who knows me knows what type of influence he's had on my life. He was my hero. It's hard to do a show surrounded by basketball and not think about Kobe Bryant. Kobe would always lead by example, first one in, last one out. You got to be prepared to do the work. Always do the work and don't let anyone outwork you. That's my Mamba mentality that I tried to bring on set, and losing my hero just fueled that even more.
Yeah, that was a terrible day. And if I remember correctly, it was a Sunday.
JACKSON JR: Yeah.
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One of the cool things about this show, is that it's going to show a lot of young people who are actually playing basketball, what really goes on behind the scenes without preaching to them. You know what I mean? Like showing the money side, showing the corruption, showing all the BS, if you will. I guess, could you talk about that? That it's hopefully going to be an education for some people.
JACKSON JR: Yeah. As an actor, you want to be a part of things that motivate. It may motivate you to do something like speak with loved ones more. Or motivate you enough to where you focus more about your business and what's happening to you, what things to look out for, what red flags to notice. And yes, I hope that Swagger does that, because there's a generation coming out.
Athletes are getting better every four or five years. The numbers that they get and they produce are getting even bigger. So it is important for people to understand ways to protect themselves. I hope that Swagger motivates this young generation what to look out for, who to have in your circle, how tight that circle really needs to be. And just all around building a suit of armor to have for yourself when you deal with the real world out there away from home.
I, obviously, as you may or may not know, am a Star Wars fan. There is no way that I am not going to sit here and ask you a question about Kenobi. But I know you've got to be careful with your answers. I'll just say, were you a Star Wars fan going in? Was this one of these things where they called you about Kenobi, you're like, "Are you effing kidding me?"
JACKSON JR: Yeah. I was watching Star Wars before I came down here right now. I'm a real big Star Wars fan. I had auditioned for Lando for the Solo film, and when I didn't get it, it crushed me. I was like, "You know what? I quit. I'm going back to being a writer. I'm done." I was filming Swagger, and my agents were like, "Yo, we need you free in the next two days, noon." I'm like, "All right." They're like, "Just listen. You want to take this meeting." So I took it and it was Deb, Lord Deb. Shout out to Lord Deb. Deborah Chow. And she gave me an opportunity of a lifetime and it's a... God, I can't wait to talk about it so bad. I want to talk about it so bad, but I know Mickey probably still has my phone bugged, and I just love my family.
I really, really cannot wait to talk to you about it. Can you tease? Were you able to touch and use a lightsaber? Are you allowed to say it?
JACKSON JR: All I'm going to say is, I really am a fan of Ewan McGregor. That's my boy. And my man, Kumail. Kumail is my dog. Kumail's really been a major motivation for me when it comes to getting in shape for Den of Thieves 2, because of just how jacked he got for Eternals. Yeah, he's got his line open for me, any questions that I need. Yeah, he's got an action figure now, because he's in the Eternals. I'm going to need that. He said he'll give me a good price for it. So we'll see how that goes.
I got news for you. When you're in Star Wars, most likely you'll also be an action figure. This is something I think you can talk about, though. They use this really cool technology, The Volume, when you're making Star Wars. I wanted to know, what was your reaction working with The Volume technology? What impressed you? What was cool about it?
JACKSON JR: What's so crazy about The Volume is, you really forget. After a while, you forget that you're just in this studio. The scariest part about it is when they turn it off. Because you'll be sitting somewhere, some cave in the middle or whatever, you got background on the volume working around and you get so engulfed in the scene that when they turn it off and the entire room you're in just goes white. It's kind of like a Matrix moment, when he visits the architect. It was a crazy experience.
It really would've saved a lot of people back in the day to have that type of technology. I could just imagine, filming on location in these... No disrespect, but these terrible places. So it definitely saved a lot of man hours.
It's hard to explain the feeling that it gives you walking in there. The abilities that it brings as filmmakers, it just gives us so much that normally you'd have to be playing pretend on a green screen. Or just, "Okay, this looks like this," and getting terrible descriptions. Yeah, it's a time-saver, it's a lifesaver. And God, somebody, please give me more Star Wars jobs.