Simeon Daise is a big fan of the hit series All American on The CW, and now that he’s part of the cast as he’s playing the role of Jabari Long, he realizes the show was meant for him. PopCulture.com recently caught up with Daise for an exclusive interview, who revealed how he landed the role of Jabari.
“To be honest I auditioned,” Daise exclusively told PopCulture. “This was the end of 2020, December, literally. And I remember the audition came through and I read it when I was a fan of All American already. The show is like, it’s addictive. But then I read the audition and I was like, “Oh yeah, this is mine.” Yeah. I know this character. He reminds me of some people where I’m from. So we had a Zoom call audition. I did the audition two days later they were like, “What’s his availability?” And then we closed the deal.”
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Daise made his All American debut in Season 3 and has appeared in five episodes so far, including the most recent episode that aired in December “Prom Night.” With the cast being together since 2018, Daise said that it took some time to get adjusted.
“I am not going to lie, it was a little weird because naturally the cast was already established, but just the way the show runs, you got to catch their flow,” Daise revealed. “The production runs in a certain style, everything isn’t set in stone. So you kind of got to come to feel it out and feel your way as you go. I think it was beneficial because they worked my character in slowly. So I got a chance to build a rapport with Daniel [Ezra] and Taye Diggs. Because that’s who my character was introduced around. So I started working with them and when I got a feel for how the show was run, they started slowly working me into the cast and I started realizing, ‘Okay, this is the formula for how the show is run.’ It’s dope though. They were very open and welcoming, when anybody, once they start seeing you more, it’s like, ‘Oh, hey, oh my God. Yeah. I know who you are…’ But it’s a great show.”
After being on a two-month hiatus, new episodes of All American return on Monday night. And based on how things ended before the hiatus, it looks like fans are going to be in for a treat. “So we picked back up last episode where Spencer might potentially get expelled for taking a rap for some of his teammates, Jabari included,” Daise explained. “So this next episode, I can’t give away too much, but this is the follow-up of Spencer’s future actually. Is he going to risk it all? Is he going to lose his dreams? Is he going to continue to live in his Superman complex and take the rap or are things going to turn out differently? So this is what we find out in the next episode.”
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
