Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins

Reggie Dinkins Stars Way & Hall Talk Family Atmosphere, Authenticity

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' Precious Way & Jalyn Hall on joining the NBC series, creating an authentic family atmosphere, and more.

If there are a few things that The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins stars Precious Way (Days of Our Lives) and Jalyn Hall (All American) learned is to embrace the moment and be as organic to their performances as possible, especially when they're surrounded by such veteran talent of Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander, and Bobby Moynihan and under the guidance of creators Robert Carlock and Sam Means, who are sitcom royalty given their success on 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live, Mulligan, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The mockumentary follows the title character, a disgraced former NFL player, played by Morgan as he's trying to mount a comeback, enlisting the help of struggling director Arthur Tobin (Radcliffe), who chronicles his past successes and his attempt at redemption with Reggie's ex-wife/agent Monica (Alexander), their son Carmelo (Hall), fiancé/influencer Brina (Way), former teammate-turned-roommate Rusty Boyd (Moynihan). Way and Hall spoke to Bleeding Cool about how they embraced the family atmosphere Morgan nurtured on set, the invaluable advice they received from Alexander, and any additional inspiration for their respective characters.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Stars Precious Way and Jalyn Hall on Bringing Bringa and Carmelo to Life

BC: What intrigued you about The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins?

Way: Everything [laughs]. For starters, these incredible writers are so good, and it's such a gift to work on good writing in Hollywood. Also, Tracy Morgan is a genius. Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan, Daniel Radcliffe, Jalyn Hall. Everybody and all those incredible talents in one place working on great writing, like what more could you ask for?

Hall: It's amazing.

Was it hard not to get a little starstruck with such veteran talent around?

Hall: I think we embraced it, to be honest. Going into a project, you want to have a sense of professionalism, but they broke that ice themselves in a way, starting from the first table read. Tracy's so big, inviting, and genuine. He's like, "What's up y'all?!" Like we're family. I like calling him "Pops" on set, and he calls me "Son" on set. To be honest, he calls us all family, and it's easy to admire somebody for what you've seen them for, but then it's a completely different admiration when you get to know them for the person that they are. That also applies to Bobby, Daniel, Erica, and everyone.

Was there anyone in your life, aside from the writing you tapped into, who helped you play Brina and Carmelo?

Way: Ooh, for Brina or any role that I do, I always start with music, because I love music. When I start to work on a character, I start a playlist, and I'm like, "Okay, what does she listen to? Who are her favorite artists? What does she like about those artists? What sticks out to her?" Because it translates into things that have happened in her life, so for Brina, it started coming together. I started playing Beyoncé, and I'm just like, "Ooh! She's feeling it. She wants that limelight. She wants to be bossy, and have that female empowerment," then I grew from there.

Hall: Indeed. It was a little easier for me to fall into this character because a lot of it is me portraying a genuine teenage boy. I'm one of those [Way laughs], so all I really had to do was take from my everyday life, while also just molding it too, the background and the conditions that Carmelo lives in, and that was seamless in a way. The beautiful, amazing, and intricate fleshed-out writing we have on the show only made it that much easier.

Were there any takeaways you had from being around your co-stars, in terms of learning the process of doing TV work in general or about being in the business?

Way: I would say how everybody is so true to themselves. They're so true to their art, living freely, and bringing whatever they have that day to the role and the work, and I really admire that. I learned from that, and that's a big takeaway.

Hall: And we've learned from Erika to be deliberate, calculated, but mostly dedicated to the work that you want to do and the vision you bring to life. Not to compromise due to any outside influence.

The premiere episode of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is available on Peacock, with new episodes resuming February 23rd and releasing Mondays on NBC through April 13th.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!