If you know Chris Redd, you know his cousin, Trey. In many of his comedy skits, Redd reflects on his admiration for Trey growing up. He retells stories in his latest comedy, Why am I Like This?, where he asked Trey to be a part of his hustle: selling drugs.
“I could sell water to a whale,” Redd pleaded in his, “Chasing Dreams,” segment… then later admitted he was not cut out for the job after a series of embarrassing moments: commuting from the suburbs to the hood on the train, forgetting the, ‘up,’ in, “Imma f*ck you up,” during his first intimidation, and farting after getting throat punched in the middle of a convenience store— just to name a few.
Fast forward years later, and while Redd still isn’t cut out for the life, he sure can act like he is; the actor and comedian appears in season four of the crime drama television series Power Book III: Raising Kanan as Early Tyler. Raising Kananfollows the life of Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis) the simultaneously loved and loathed main character from an early age, forging his own path in Queens’ Jamaican drug industry after separating from his nefarious and reckless mother, Raquel Thomas (Patina Miller). Tyler is connected to neighborhood rival, Unique, play by Joey Bada$$, in a string of events that lead ultimately to Tyler saving his life.
“Saving Unique… that influences 70% of the season. Having that demon alive again… sets off a trail of events,” Redd reasons. “There are some [other influential moments] that I can’t say yet.”
“You are who you are,” is the focus of season four, seen through the dynamic character development forced to take place by Unique’s relentless need for revenge. And it couldn’t have come at a more disruptive time, with each season three plot line being put to rest: Kanan’s drug trade is finding its stride, while Raq, Lou (Malcom Mays), Marvin (London Brown), and Jukebox (Hailey Kilgore) were seemingly granted a fresh start away from enemies, the feds, and their own personal conflicts.
The characters in Raising Kanan are unapologetically themselves– and whether they leave a positive or a negative impression is up to the viewer and at the discretion of the plot twists happening consistently within the show. Redd weighs in on his thoughts about Tyler’s role in the series– Spoiler Alert: he loves his character, which only further elevates the acting performances in season four.
“I love that he’s a hustler, I love that he can hustle with anybody,” said Redd.
And the only thing he dislikes?
“I hate that he don’t shower. He’s so dirty. Every episode you see, he oily, he comes from the garage and just sits down. Like, take a shower playboy, why are you so dirty all the time?”
Even though Redd can’t stand how dirty Tyler is, that didn’t stop him from completely diving into the character. The directors had the details of his presentation explicitly defined, even lining Redd’s nails with fake actor dirt to put the finishing touches on Tyler’s “dirtiness.” You didn’t even know there was such a thing as acting dirt, right? Neither did I.
“See. That’s an exclusive right there. I didn’t tell everybody that,” Redd says while laughing at my surprise.
His presentation wasn’t the only thing that took some getting used to. Redd is still exploring the drama scene; figuring out how to convey different emotions, roles, and stories. As a comedian, he has a script, but can improvise off-script if content comes to him in the moment. However, a comedy show is run completely differently than a behind-the-scenes television set. Redd acknowledges the dedication and genius behind the screenwriter’s script; a few words here and there lead to a plot twist further into the series or a specific phrase could completely change the course of a character’s dynamic. That, in and of itself, was a shift for Redd.
Not only is the delivery of the lines an adjustment, but so is the response. During his normal sets, the audience’s laughs, hoots, and hollers are the validation Redd needs to keep going. Behind the scenes of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, there is no immediate laughter and there’s barely any comedic relief. It’s a drama.
“I walked into this project knowing that it was a different animal and that my natural comedic instincts weren’t going to help me in this world like that,” said Redd.
Therefore, Redd not only had to trust himself within his acting capabilities, but he also had to rely on the teachings and validation from different mentors on production, specifically director Mario Van Peebles standing as his voice of reason, reassurance, and realness.
“When Mario Van Peebles is like, ‘That was good,’ then you can believe it, you know what I mean? Cause then, he’ll tell you when it’s bad too, so…” Redd admired.
And just in the way that the people behind the scenes of Raising Kanan set the pace for an enjoyable dramatic experience for Redd with their kindness and expertise, his light-hearted, energetic approach was much appreciated on set. People appreciate a funny person in the middle of drama set; it’s comedic relief from the tensions of the messages they are trying to convey to the audience. Being able to learn from, root for, and laugh with each other amidst the intimacy of a shared project– that’s special. It creates a familial bond and comfort; definitely better than the Thomas family themselves, considering the callowness, drug wars, and manipulation witnessed throughout the plot of Book III.
And after Chris Redd left the Power fans and franchise with such a powerful performance in his role as Early Tyler, his enthusiasm is still high as season four continues to be released– so high, that he wants the audience to feel it at the same levels.
When asked what words he wanted to leave fans, Redd said, “Watch the damn show y’all! Watch it and watch it again. watch it and watch it again, and say Early Tyler is the best.”
I promised him I’d quote that verbatim.
New episodes for season four of Power Book III: Raising Kanan are released every Friday, on the Starz app and streaming platform.
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