‘All American’: Antonio J. Bell Discusses Khalil’s Good News and Where His Relationship Stands With Amina (Exclusive)

The newest episode of All American saw Khalil getting some good news in regard to the gangbangers that were going after him and Antonio J. Bell spoke to PopCulture.com about what happened.

In Season 7, Episode 10, “Just a Friend,” Khalil was dealing with the aftermath of getting jumped by some gangbangers, including turning to Coop for help and trying to protect Amina.

Amina was away in Baltimore when the whole thing went down between Khalil and the gang, and she didn’t hear about it until she got back. She was upset about what happened and didn’t like that Khalil didn’t tell her. She wanted to help him. However, Khalil told her he wanted to protect her. Even though they aren’t together, they very clearly care about one another. And that relationship is very much the same off-screen, as Bell praised Alexis Chikaeze, calling her one of his ”favorite scene partners of all time.”

“To me, she really represents the heartbeat of the show, at least in the new era,” he continued. “The part ties to everybody in the show. Amina is really the glue. I mean, she’s keeping Khalil up, keeping KJ up. She’s what ties the show to Beverly, off the field, at least. And I think she just represents a friendship. I know there’s some romance and other teasing involved between her and KJ and or Khalil, but more awesome, more than anything, I think just her friendship, I think just her support, I think just the way she really shows up for her friends is really beautiful.”

“And I think it’s rare, too,” Bell expressed. “So that’s one of my favorite things about the character and then just working with Alexis. She’s a phenomenal actress. So it’s been really, really fun to have these moments in these scenes. And we have a really, really dope scene in the locker room about her trying to help Khalil and Khalil being a little bit resistant to that. So Alexis is pushing me in different ways to stretch myself as an artist and find these new moments, so it’s been great.”

Elsewhere, Coop spoke to Ms. Ocia, who is basically the head of the Crips, the gang that has been going after Khalil. She was successful in getting them to back off, and when Amina delivered the good news, it was “a bit of shock, a bit of relief,” Bell said. “I think initially, it’s a bit of disbelief because stuff doesn’t normally happen. So, I think Khalil definitely shines. I think Khalil definitely does have a sense of relief, and he’s overwhelmed as well by that news, which I think is gonna be clear, and so are his actions in that episode.”

Speaking of his actions in the episode, towards the end, Khalil and Amina talked and Khalil kissed her. She immediately pulled back, telling him that she wasn’t looking for anything and just wanted him to be there for her. While Bell didn’t have a good answer because he doesn’t “even know what to expect from that moment,” he said that the two “have been on a roller coaster, emotionally, trying to define their friendship, trying to define each other. And I think that moment kinda shook things up a little bit, and I don’t know if Khalil thought that through fully. And had he thought it through, I’m not sure he would make that choice. So, I think fans can expect Khalil and Amina to be having a lot of talks about what they are and how to show up for each other, and what the future looks like.”

Khalil certainly still has a little bit of growing to do, but considering all that he’s been through, it probably helps to know that he has quite the village supporting him. That includes moving in with Jordan and Layla, which has changed him for the better. It’s also not lost on Bell that it parallels Spencer moving in with the Bakers at the very beginning of All American.

“I think Khalil’s coming into his manhood in this era of living with Layla and Jordan,” Bell shared. “I think him trusting his village, I think him trusting himself, it’s the first time that he’s been apart from his dad, the first time that he’s had to look out for himself, the first time he’s had to ‘be a man’ and make good choices. I think it’s a lot. I think it’s really a coming of age.”

“We got to see more of the scenes, this coming of age thing for Khalil, and I think this era has been a lot and even the callback to how All American began with Spencer moving in with the Bakers and what that home represents to so many people,” he continued. “The house has its own character, is a character on its own. So, I think that’s the line that we have through All American, too, is really beautiful. And the unexpected, too. I didn’t see that coming, showing the team.”

New episodes of All American air on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.