‘S.W.A.T.’: Jay Harrington Talks Working With Friend and Guest Star Taye Diggs for Season 6, Episode 20 (Exclusive)

Fresh off his , Taye Diggs made the jump to S.W.A.T. in last week’s episode. In Season 6, Episode 20, “All That Glitters,” Diggs portrays former Marine squad leader Danny Wright, who asks longtime friend Hondo for help when his daughter goes missing. Not only did Diggs guest star in the episode, but his IRL longtime friend Jay Harrington directed.

We caught up with Harrington to discuss his directorial debut as well as what it was like working with Taye Diggs. The two were college roommates at Syracuse University and have remained close ever since. While the two have previously worked together, this time was different since Harrington was on the other side of the camera.

“For 30-something years, we’ve been friends, going all the way back to college,” Harrington shared. “And we’ve had moments of working together before, but this was certainly the most. We didn’t have any camera time together in this episode, but I was there all the other times and got to… We had a shorthand, same with Shemar and the rest of the cast, but definitely, there was a shorthand that exists; I didn’t have to worry about talking them through ideas I had and listening to the ideas they had.”

This recent episode of S.W.A.T. is the first time that Jay Harrington’s directed, so having Taye Diggs guest star makes it extra special, as Harrington says, “But to work with Taye, it was fun. It was a trip because we go all the way back to remembering when we were studying. And he certainly has had his successes over the years. And to have this moment was awesome.”

However, even so, Jay Harrington never imagined that they’d be working like this, with him directing an episode that Taye Diggs is in. He shares, “No, not like this. We even did a joke back in college. Our senior night, we did a skit where we pretended to be a late-night talk show. And he was the host, and I was the guest, and we were pretending to be in the future. So that was always a thought. But was it the idea that it would be a network show that I’m on, that I’m directing? No, that was never in the cards.”

Now that Season 7 of , it’s possible Taye Diggs could return for another episode. Since he didn’t get to actually be on the screen with Jay Harrington, it would be nice to see the two of them act alongside each other. Though either way, the episode was one to watch, and it was special in more ways than one. Maybe this could at least open up the opportunity for them to work together more often, even if it’s not on S.W.A.T., so fans will j just have to keep their eyes open for anything.