Don Cheadle Talks His Role in ‘Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist’

hi Don Sophia soda with the Nerds of color I'm a big big fan of you in your work and it is a real honor to be speaking with you today thank you for your time appreciate you I'm about to really disappoint you I I know you won't I know you won't you definitely didn't disappoint me in the show your performance was incredible and we're going to be talking spoilers up until episode three the premiere episodes so towards the end of that episode we see your character finally given the opportunity that he's been asking for as a detective which was very notable for me what do you believe this investigation will teach him in the long run like how did you play that what the lessons are going to be I think it's one of those you know it's like the the the Chinese curse may you get what you wish for you know he thinks it's what he wants and then he realizes that oh this is not all that it was cracked up to be I don't really have the power you know what I mean do I really have a autonomy I still have got to tow the line for you and kind of play this game where he's you know vilified by the community that he's trying to protect he's you know an outsider everywhere he goes he's not respected like he wants to be at the department so it's just one of those you know unenviable places where he's got to navigate all of these different politics and all of these these different situations that I don't think he anticipated going into it and he genuinely wants to protect and defend the innocent you know can you talk about that sense of morality especially with this particular crime I mean it is such a twisted web I feel like the story well he's you know JD is a very throwback kind of a a guy in some ways and in other ways he's very Progressive and again I think that's what it is is he's having to navigate all these things not only in the case that he's dealing with but in in his own personality about you know how do you show up and and how do you do your job and still uh keep keep your Center and I think he's up against it through this whole show it's it's it's very challenging I mean spoiler alert what happens in the last three episodes I think you wouldn't anticipate from the beginning for him yeah I feel like the story The the more you go into it just continues to be fascinating and it keeps you on the edge of your seat and I'm curious for you since it is a true story did you do any specific preparation or research before taking the role since he is an actual person well I think uh just to parse I think it's it's based on a true story I mean this is isn't a documentary we're not doing fact of course it was the inspiration for it I mean it's something that peacock's like say based on a true story um because you know we're not we again this isn't about isn't doing factual uh things although this character thing in the beginning says it perfectly yeah hey in in I my movie I started out the same way but yeah this is these are characters that are inspired by these characters but yes JD is a real guy and it was great to have the opportunity to look him up and to see interviews with him and to you know read uh statements about him and other people that knew him um and that's always fun to do when you're playing a character to to to go to the source and the source is this real real guy and um I I was always trying to you know that was a big job we all had but me as playing the character really trying to make sure we kept that and we were we were as true to that as we could be inside the construct of the of the series that we were making is there a smaller detail that maybe helped you whether it was just something you learned or something in his transformation like when you were getting the costumes on like something small that the audience might notice or you know but you when you were playing him informed the character well I think you know with with a show like this a period piece all of those production design elements are really things that help ground us you know the the lighter that you have that you imbue with a certain you know significance something that it says to you like where did I get this who handed this to me why is this thing important to me you know your car the car that he drives is like oh when did I get this just telling having all of this sort of background that you do for yourself like to your point the audience may never even it may never even come into uh it's never a plot point it doesn't you know know have anything to do with the story necessarily but I think all of these things and all of these these things that actors like to to to have these tactile reference points that give us you know build our character out and help us create who these people are are really helpful and we were very lucky to have these designers that you know from the costumes to the to the cars to the props you know to the sets uh all of these things helped to put us back into this uh this time period and and and ground the whole thing well Ken confirmed that you did not disappoint I led speaking with you and it was really a pleasure thank you for your time again appreciate thank you thank you like you talking about the things that you like to so I invite you to the no in full color you see me the hardies persec [Music]