russell hornsby a/k/a eddie sutton

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Interview "5 miles up with russell hornsby" (and don't forget to watch GRIMM monday nites 10pm Russell co-stars in it )

Season Two of the NBC series "Grimm," which kicked off Monday night, will see Hank Griffin (played by Russell Hornsby) coming to grips over an encounter with an otherworldly creature. As for the actor himself, he’s got calm down to a “sweet science,” especially when it comes to traveling. As for those pesky creatures? Well, they should know in advance – Hornsby’s packing a Fijian war club.

What’s the thing you never fail to pack?
A toothbrush, my iPod and portable Bose speakers. Music gets me through lines, waiting for luggage, bumpy bus rides, waiting to check-in, as well as helping me to relax and unwind after traveling or sightseeing. In the morning, it gets me moving and in the proper frame of mind before hitting the streets.

Do you bring food on the plane?
Oh yes! Dry salami with crackers and Brie. I also make my own trail mix with almonds, cashews, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, carob chips and coconut.

Window or aisle?
I used to be an aisle. Then I started noticing my wife, who travels more extensively than I do, always going for the window, which got me hip to window and we started fighting for it. Now we flip for it.

Carry-on or check-in?
My wife and I travel so much now, even internationally it’s carry-on. We’ve gotten traveling down to a sweet science. We inspect each other’s bags – “You know you don’t need that extra pair of jeans. Last time you brought three pairs and only wore one.” The reality is, you don’t want anything holding you down. You want to be quick and light on your feet.

What’s your idea of the perfect vacation?
I prefer a mix of traveling and vacation. The perfect blend starts with traveling to a city or country to sightsee, explore and to get engrossed in the culture, food, people and atmosphere. Then, leave two or three days as a buffer at the end to go to a nice hotel or resort to lay back and get centered before returning to home and work.

Tell us about a vacation you’ve taken that’s come close thus far.
The most fun trip my wife and I took was to Venice. We weren’t yet married, so we were in that pre-marital bliss, traipsing around the city streets, stopping for a kiss, a dip, trying to find some love in the afternoon in some secret honeycomb hideout.

What’s on your playlist?
I always have Kevin Sandbloom; his rendition of Sade’s "Is It a Crime" beats the band. I’m in love with that song "Falling Slowly" from the soundtrack Once, and a song from Hootie and the Blowfish called "Let it Cry."

What's the most unusual souvenir you’ve ever come back with?
A one-of-a-kind Fijian war club that I got to watch being made over the 10 days we were in Fiji.

Ever try a food that you wished you hadn't?
Tripe. I was told it tasted like chicken, which, after taking a bite, made me ask, “Have you ever tasted chicken?”

Favorite hotel/resort?
We’re part of the Starwood family. My wife loves staying at the W anywhere. I’m a fan of boutique hotels where every room has its own theme.

Biggest regret you've ever had while traveling?
Rushing through sites and not taking time to absorb all each city has to offer. Another regret – not buying a piece of art when I should have. I’ve learned not to second guess, but to go ahead and buy it because I may never get back to the place where I found it.

The one thing you're willing to splurge on above all else?
Eating what’s specific to a region for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It doesn’t have to be a top-notch restaurant. I’ll eat off a cart or truck. For example, when my wife and I were in Vietnam recently, we ate pho (noodle soup) every morning for breakfast.

Where would you take someone visiting your hometown?
In my hometown of Oakland, I’d take them up into the Berkley Hills – the Wildwood Trail. It’s a very peaceful place where you can sit, talk, and look out over the city.

You only get one more trip in your lifetime. Where will it be?
Either the Egyptian pyramids or Great Wall of China. They’re fascinating to me because of their magnificence and scale, and that they were built without sophisticated equipment and has stood the test of time. And, from a standpoint of being African-American, saying my ancestors had a hand in that is beautiful to me. It lets me know that anything you set your mind to can be accomplished.

Awesome interview! Thanks Candygwen.

ur welcome

I love russell and his new show.. Grimm is fantastic....!
I haven't missed an episode

ditto diva. i haven't either!

Like me some Grimm

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When you meet Grimm actor Russell Hornsby, the first thing that strikes you is the warmth which seems to surround him like a blanket. He doesn’t keep it to himself though. He seems to want to gather as many as possible beneath that blanket. He’s very tall, very handsome, and looks you dead in the eye when speaking or listening to you. He makes you feel like you matter.

I recently had the pleasure of being able to chat with Russell and I can tell you that this is a man you want to spend time analyzing all the things that mean the most to you. He’s a pretty deep thinker and very serious about his work as well.

At the time of this interview, he was working on episode 7 of Grimm. Hornsby does not indulge in spoilers, preferring that people enjoy the journey and the fun and excitement of Grimm. He doesn’t really have a favorite Wesen from the show, however he is deathly afraid of rats. So Mauzherts? Not his favorite. “When I see one I scream.”

We spoke more about Hornsby’s career as a whole, rather than focusing only on Grimm. His profile has him all over the board, from theater to video game voice overs. Russell is known first for his role as police officer Eddie Sutton on Lincoln Heights. He was also “Luke” on In Treatment, and was in films such as Big Fat Liar and Get Rich Or Die Tryin’.

With all this history, I didn’t see “Director” in his background, so of course I asked him about that. “I would like to eventually direct. Right now that’s not, I’m not really motivated in that direction. I’m taking it slow, reading a lot about it, paying attention and watching the process. I want to really fulfill this acting journey. I want to do other theater, I want to do other types of films, and tell other stories, and really fulfill this journey as an actor. I think that I have been exceedingly blessed to work in this business as an actor and especially being an actor of color, even more so. And so I think that I’m here as an actor for a reason. I think that there are other stories to tell that my services as an actor would serve better than if I were to trade this in as a director.”

Russell talked about the differences between stage and screen, and which one he preferred over the other. “I love theater because it’s more therapeutic. It does the most truth-telling. Because you cannot run and you cannot hide. More often than not you can hide in film and television. In theater, even elements of its worst, you cannot hide.”

“And when you’re doing naturalistic plays or contemporary drama or even some period pieces, the level of truth and honesty that you have to come to is scary for an actor. You become the philosopher you become your own therapist because you have to dig deep inside your soul – inside your spirit, and really find out and really rediscover who you are. You have to deal with all of yourself.”

“And I think that’s why a lot of actors have trouble with that. And I think that’s why they are that much more in tune with themselves, because they’ve had to do that discovery work. They had to do that soul searching that a lot of lay people, everyday people, don’t necessarily have to do or choose not to do.”

“And so that’s why I appreciate theater. It can be scary, for the actor and it can be scary for the actor’s family as well, because you’re going through a transition that at times is very hard for a lot of people to face.”

“You’re out in front of an audience,” Hornsby continues, “and it’s an immediate reaction. And you have to become the truth at every moment. And if you haven’t done that work prior to getting on stage, you will expose yourself.”

Russell is still ‘young’ in the business, though decidedly not inexperienced. I asked him what role he’d like to pursue that he hasn’t done yet.

“On stage I would like to continue to examine the works of August Wilson, I think he was one of the greatest playwrights that God ever put breath in. He’s on the same level as Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams and the like. And he’s really exhibited humanity from the African-American perspective. That is important to me. And I want to continue that examination on stage.”

“As far as movies are concerned, I would like to tell those every man every person stories from an African-American perspective. I feel that our stories have not really come to light as we tell them. There is a humanity, because we are Americans and this is America, there is humanity in our cultural specificity. And we haven’t been able to continue that examination in a way that is honest, in a way that is at a very high level.”

“So that’s what I would like to do. So whatever that character is, whatever those stories are, that remains to be seen, but it’s one of those things where you know that character when you read it, you k now that story when you read it because it leaps off the page and it climbs inside you.”

“And the stories are there. I have a stack of scripts from friends that are stories that are that. But you need the money, you need backing, you need support. And when this show (Grimm) gets to a level where I’m a household name and people ask you what you want to do, I could say ‘well listen there are ten scripts right here let’s choose one.’”

Russell goes on to say, “I’m expected to be a vessel in the story telling. I feel that there are a lot of writers who are under appreciated and who are not seeing who can tell that story, and me be a part of it.”

So what is the one thing that most people don’t know about Russell Hornsby? “I’m a deeply passionate person who feels a great deal for people who are being wrongly treated in this country and in this world. I feel deeply for the ‘have nots’, for the ‘least of these’, and I try to put that pain and that passion into my work. And that’s why you want to get those opportunities again in my opinion from where I stand to tell those stories that are culturally specific to who I am, so that I can take the stories of my people, whether it be historically or whether it be present day, and the ‘least of these’, and put them on display so people can understand that there are others out there who are going without. And I feel deeply for those folks.”

And there you have it folks. The reason you can’t help but be drawn to this man.

Russell’s character on Grimm, Hank, has had to evolve since last season, with the discovery of who Nick really is. It’s interesting to watch Russell change with the character. He;s definitely a talent that still has much to show the world as well. We’ll be looking out for him.

Grimm returns to Friday nights beginning tonight, so be sure to tune in. The episode is titled The Good Shepard and airs in its regular time slot, 9/8c, on NBC.

another write up on russell. too long to post, but here's the link:

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Thanks Candy... I just think Russell is soooooooooooooo darn handsome

ur welcome! me too!