One of these things is true. Firstly, Lennix, deeply devout to this day, was once on the precipice of priesthood. The second is that he helped former US President Barack Obama with public speaking. After all, he’s got a deep baritone voice with a commanding presence, the kind that would make you stop what you’re doing and pay attention.
Truth vs hype
It’s a little-known fact that Lennix quit Quigley Preparatory Seminary South at 18 to pursue acting. To this day, his faith and passion intermingle. “I try to bring a certain amount of that discipline I had when I was in the seminary [to my work],” says the 53-year-old Chicago native. “That is to enlighten, engage and to make people think and reflect.” He compares spirituality with performance, believing that “we’re concerned with spirituality whether that be in the relationship with God or just in knowing the nature of humanity, which is what theatre does. I think there’s some commonality there”.
On the other hand, his association with the former president has been a big fat hoax that was blown out of proportion a few years ago. In 2013, Chicago radio host Eric ‘Mancow’ Muller stirred up quite a stink when he claimed that the actor declared he was hired to teach Obama how to be presidential. In fact, people have been championing Lennix to play him in a future biopic. While that pipe dream might never see fruition (the actor has publicly voiced his displeasure of Obama’s policies), you can see the African American actor’s charisma in The Blacklist .
On screen
Th e NBC crime thriller has recently wrapped up the fall half of its fifth season, due to return to air in early January next year. In his longest running television gig, Lennix plays Harold Cooper, the assistant director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division who later heads the FBI task force bringing in criminals on the blacklist. “I think its chief recipe for the intrigue, the very circumstance of the story, is fascinating,” says the actor, talking about the premise of the show.
His co-star James Spader plays Ray ‘Red’ Reddington, a former agent turned most-wanted criminal who helps bring in the bad guys. “The last thing is the action, we fold in a lot of action, car chases and gun shoots. It’s compelling and fun to watch, kind of old-fashioned TV in a modern world.”
For four seasons, The Blacklist has taken a procedural approach, capturing criminals while exploring the main characters’ stories. The chuckles have been few and far in between. But Lennix promises that the latest 22 episodes have a marked comic skew. The sneak peek online reveals plenty of banter, including dialogues such as, “Like deep-fried butter I am unhealthy and yet irresistible” delivered in classic Spader deadpan. Don’t expect slapstick from Lennix though, he believes he’s supposed to bring the gravitas and seriousness to the table. But he admits that “it would be funny if we had to break into a government building to save something but we actually had to break the law to do it. I’d be happy to see stuff like that”.
Up and coming
While we hope that The Blacklist sees many seasons to come, Lennix will continue to moonlight on Showtime’s Billions where he guest stars as Frank Sacher. The actor is deeply passionate about broadening black representation onscreen. He’s recently produced and written Revival , a musical with an all-black cast about the gospel according to John the Apostle. “I am also working on a Shakespeare film on the life of Henry IV and it’s set in the urban area of Los Angeles, which should be coming out soon,” he says, talking about H4 . As for dream projects, while Lennix wants to pursue film production full time in the future, he won’t be averse to portraying legendary musician Duke Ellington or deputy US Marshall Bass Reeves, a great law enforcer in the 19th century.
The Blacklist airs on Star World & Star World HD on Sundays at 9 pm.
