This rising star is just getting started.
The very first time I saw Jerod Haynes, I knew he would be a star.
Per a friend’s recommendation, we met back in late 2013 when Jerod came in to audition for my MFA thesis film “Blame.” The minute he read those lines, it was clear he was meant to play the role of this young father at a crossroads: Either turn his son into the police for raping their neighbor or delete the only evidence of the assault on the teen’s cell phone.
Despite the tiny budget for our 6-day shoot, Jerod never treated it like an amateur student film. Like a true professional, he came to set ready and delivered a beautiful performance filled with complexity, empathy and rawness. Everyday, I looked into that monitor and was blown away in awe. And having watched his work over the years, whether it’s on stage or on-screen, Jerod is truly a force.
Now five-plus-years later, the Chicago native is starring in his first TV leading role in NBC’s “The Village.” On the drama, he plays Ben, a New York City police officer living in his parent’s Brooklyn apartment complex where his neighbors are more like his family. The more obstacles they all encounter in life, the more they grow together. For Ben, he is also juggling a lot—the death of his son, his mother’s battle with pancreatic cancer and falling in love with Ava, an Iranian immigrant who ICE wants to deport. That, and Ben is helping raise her son Sami.
No doubt, the meatiness of a role like this is exactly what Jerod was made for.
HelloBeautiful recently sat down with the rising star to talk about NBC’s “The Village,” being an African-American man playing a police officer and how therapy has helped him become a better actor and human being.
HelloBeautiful: You were an athlete and then you became an actor. How did that happen?
Jerod Haynes: I played basketball and even left college early to pursue it professionally, but my agent stopped answering my phone calls. [Laughs] So that dream never happened and I found myself stuck on my sister’s couch depressed. One day I Googled “depression” and it said something about acting classes, so I approached the Acting Studio Chicago. But I couldn’t afford the classes, so they worked out a barter system. I would take out the trash and do other things around the studio to get free classes.
Soon, I realized that I really liked acting, so I took even more classes and auditioned for some plays, got guidance from people in the business and kept going with it. I started to see that as the window for basketball closed, another one opened.
HB: OK, so I’ve had the privilege of directing you before, and listen…there were so many moments on set when I was looking into the monitor and was like “Damn, he’s really good.” At what point, did you realize that you were good at this?
JH: Kellee, I’m still trying to figure that out! [Laughs] Honestly, sometimes I wonder if they are like, “What is he doing here? I want to say that I’m good, but that’s all subjective. But here’s what I do know. I enjoy this and I am just seeking to get better at it.
HB: You have the ability to dig so deep within yourself with your role as Ben and in any supporting role you’ve had, like when you were on “Chicago Med” and your wife died and obviously “Blame.” You like to cry on-screen. [Laughs]
JH: Ha! You know, this work teaches you who you really are. And learning who you are is the toughest task you can be given, because you see the good and the bad. You see your flaws up close and you really begin to understand what your triggers are, especially when the scripts require a high level of emotion and thoughtfulness.
I started therapy and began learning why certain things affected me and what tools I need to have to work on them. Listen. Therapy works. Also, being able to articulate what and why something affects me in a scene has helped as an actor and as a man. I can read a scene and identify quicker with it and what it requires emotionally.
HB: It’s so rare to hear a Black man speak so openly and positively about how therapy has improved their lives. Thank you for this, we need more to speak up.
JH: Well, I wasn’t always that way, I won’t lie. But I got to a place where I kept hitting a ceiling and finally had to ask myself what was the worse thing that could happen by going to therapy?
HB: Right, like the worse is that you get better?
JH: Exactly. And like I said, it works.
HB: Shifting gears to “The Village,” what drew you to this role?
JH: I remember reading the script and feeling like there was so much humanity in it. And in these times, we are seeing a lot of isolation and silence and people holding on to grudges. Yet, here is a story about this group of neighbors who try to understand each other and be there for one another.
We all have a commonality of pain and that brings us together. You’re wounded, I’m wounded, so let me help you heal and vice versa.And these neighbors need each other’s help and can’t do it alone. Given how divided this country is right now, I was drawn to this story. “The Village” is the show we need now more than ever.
HB: One of the main themes of “The Village” is about connection and building family. Is the same way on and off camera, especially with Frankie Faison and Lorraine Toussaint, who play your parents?
JH: What you see on the show mirrors the relationships we have with one another in real life. I’ve learned so much from Frankie. Lorraine is so nurturing, Dominic Chianese gives me so many jewels, Warren Christie is such a leader, Michaela McManus is the heart to everything and Grace Van Dien is a warrior. That, and Moran Atias is going to give you her best. And Ben Ahlers, who is a new addition, is a great dude.
This is such a tight knot group, which with a TV cast isn’t always the case, but for us, this was pretty organic.
HB: Look, Ben has a lot going on on this show. He is juggling a lot! What do you think are his best characteristics and his worse faults?
JH: Oh, one of his best qualities is that he is willing to empathize with others and see the world not just through his own experiences and perception, but of others. Which I believe is a wonderful thing, but that can also be a curse.
Ben, I think is definitely not over his past, which also motivates some of the current things he is doing, but at the same time he is a good dude who empathizes with a lot of folks. Also, his healing process is taking a while. It’s a journey for him.
HB: You co-wrote and co-directed the indie film “Blueprint,” which is about the affects of police brutality in Chicago. Now you play a police officer on “The Village.” As a Black man living in America, did you have any initial reservations of playing this role? If so, how did you overcome them?
JH: I spoke to a friend of mine who is a Black male police officer about this, because I did have reservations. But he told me that it’s our job to change to narrative. He said that he needed to be the change in his community, his area. It’s like why people go into politics. And I know that it’s not that simple, but I look at Ben in that same way.
He wants to make change in his community too, and no not everyone is like him or empathetic, but he is a man behind the badge that wants to see and create good, and I’m here for that. Thankfully, Mike Daniels and everyone at NBC were also about Ben having layers. Yes, he is a cop, but that’s just his occupation. He also has fears and wants, which were important to me as well.
HB: As “The Village” wraps up its first season, what’s next for you? And what types of roles do you yearn to play?
JH: Obviously, I hope we see what’s happening with a season two, but right now, I am doing a lot of work internally to keep growing as a person. I want to be authentic to myself and I do not want to feel like I’m just making something because of a paycheck. Of course, actors want to constantly, but I want to make sure I’m putting the right material out there.
HB: So The Black Panther sequel maybe? You wanna be in Wakanda?
JH: Uh…yes! That’s a hell of a check! [Laughs]. But for real, I am open to all opportunities. But the goal is to stretch as an artist, explore topics like mental health. I just want to play complicated and layered Black men, representing different facets. He can be the mailman, I don’t care. I just want to take on roles that exist outside of the stereotypes that we’ve seen over the years.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
The Village airs on NBC Tuesdays at 8/7 Central.
RELATED NEWS:
Emayatzy Corinealdi: ‘As Black Women, We Have To Stand Up And Make As Much Change As We Can’
EXCLUSIVE: Tichina Arnold Wants You To Come Visit Her In ‘The Neighborhood’
Related Tags
NBCWe care about your data. See our privacy policy.
The very first time I saw Jerod Haynes, I knew he would be a star.
Per a friend’s recommendation, we met back in late 2013 when Jerod came in to audition for my MFA thesis film “Blame.” The minute he read those lines, it was clear he was meant to play the role of this young father at a crossroads: Either turn his son into the police for raping their neighbor or delete the only evidence of the assault on the teen’s cell phone.
Despite the tiny budget for our 6-day shoot, Jerod never treated it like an amateur student film. Like a true professional, he came to set ready and delivered a beautiful performance filled with complexity, empathy and rawness. Everyday, I looked into that monitor and was blown away in awe. And having watched his work over the years, whether it’s on stage or on-screen, Jerod is truly a force.
Now five-plus-years later, the Chicago native is starring in his first TV leading role in NBC’s “The Village.” On the drama, he plays Ben, a New York City police officer living in his parent’s Brooklyn apartment complex where his neighbors are more like his family. The more obstacles they all encounter in life, the more they grow together. For Ben, he is also juggling a lot—the death of his son, his mother’s battle with pancreatic cancer and falling in love with Ava, an Iranian immigrant who ICE wants to deport. That, and Ben is helping raise her son Sami.
No doubt, the meatiness of a role like this is exactly what Jerod was made for.
HelloBeautiful recently sat down with the rising star to talk about NBC’s “The Village,” being an African-American man playing a police officer and how therapy has helped him become a better actor and human being.
HelloBeautiful: You were an athlete and then you became an actor. How did that happen?
Jerod Haynes: I played basketball and even left college early to pursue it professionally, but my agent stopped answering my phone calls. [Laughs] So that dream never happened and I found myself stuck on my sister’s couch depressed. One day I Googled “depression” and it said something about acting classes, so I approached the Acting Studio Chicago. But I couldn’t afford the classes, so they worked out a barter system. I would take out the trash and do other things around the studio to get free classes.
Soon, I realized that I really liked acting, so I took even more classes and auditioned for some plays, got guidance from people in the business and kept going with it. I started to see that as the window for basketball closed, another one opened.
HB: OK, so I’ve had the privilege of directing you before, and listen…there were so many moments on set when I was looking into the monitor and was like “Damn, he’s really good.” At what point, did you realize that you were good at this?
JH: Kellee, I’m still trying to figure that out! [Laughs] Honestly, sometimes I wonder if they are like, “What is he doing here? I want to say that I’m good, but that’s all subjective. But here’s what I do know. I enjoy this and I am just seeking to get better at it.
HB: You have the ability to dig so deep within yourself with your role as Ben and in any supporting role you’ve had, like when you were on “Chicago Med” and your wife died and obviously “Blame.” You like to cry on-screen. [Laughs]
JH: Ha! You know, this work teaches you who you really are. And learning who you are is the toughest task you can be given, because you see the good and the bad. You see your flaws up close and you really begin to understand what your triggers are, especially when the scripts require a high level of emotion and thoughtfulness.
I started therapy and began learning why certain things affected me and what tools I need to have to work on them. Listen. Therapy works. Also, being able to articulate what and why something affects me in a scene has helped as an actor and as a man. I can read a scene and identify quicker with it and what it requires emotionally.
HB: It’s so rare to hear a Black man speak so openly and positively about how therapy has improved their lives. Thank you for this, we need more to speak up.
JH: Well, I wasn’t always that way, I won’t lie. But I got to a place where I kept hitting a ceiling and finally had to ask myself what was the worse thing that could happen by going to therapy?
HB: Right, like the worse is that you get better?
JH: Exactly. And like I said, it works.
HB: Shifting gears to “The Village,” what drew you to this role?
JH: I remember reading the script and feeling like there was so much humanity in it. And in these times, we are seeing a lot of isolation and silence and people holding on to grudges. Yet, here is a story about this group of neighbors who try to understand each other and be there for one another.
We all have a commonality of pain and that brings us together. You’re wounded, I’m wounded, so let me help you heal and vice versa.And these neighbors need each other’s help and can’t do it alone. Given how divided this country is right now, I was drawn to this story. “The Village” is the show we need now more than ever.
HB: One of the main themes of “The Village” is about connection and building family. Is the same way on and off camera, especially with Frankie Faison and Lorraine Toussaint, who play your parents?
JH: What you see on the show mirrors the relationships we have with one another in real life. I’ve learned so much from Frankie. Lorraine is so nurturing, Dominic Chianese gives me so many jewels, Warren Christie is such a leader, Michaela McManus is the heart to everything and Grace Van Dien is a warrior. That, and Moran Atias is going to give you her best. And Ben Ahlers, who is a new addition, is a great dude.
This is such a tight knot group, which with a TV cast isn’t always the case, but for us, this was pretty organic.
HB: Look, Ben has a lot going on on this show. He is juggling a lot! What do you think are his best characteristics and his worse faults?
JH: Oh, one of his best qualities is that he is willing to empathize with others and see the world not just through his own experiences and perception, but of others. Which I believe is a wonderful thing, but that can also be a curse.
Ben, I think is definitely not over his past, which also motivates some of the current things he is doing, but at the same time he is a good dude who empathizes with a lot of folks. Also, his healing process is taking a while. It’s a journey for him.
HB: You co-wrote and co-directed the indie film “Blueprint,” which is about the affects of police brutality in Chicago. Now you play a police officer on “The Village.” As a Black man living in America, did you have any initial reservations of playing this role? If so, how did you overcome them?
JH: I spoke to a friend of mine who is a Black male police officer about this, because I did have reservations. But he told me that it’s our job to change to narrative. He said that he needed to be the change in his community, his area. It’s like why people go into politics. And I know that it’s not that simple, but I look at Ben in that same way.
He wants to make change in his community too, and no not everyone is like him or empathetic, but he is a man behind the badge that wants to see and create good, and I’m here for that. Thankfully, Mike Daniels and everyone at NBC were also about Ben having layers. Yes, he is a cop, but that’s just his occupation. He also has fears and wants, which were important to me as well.
HB: As “The Village” wraps up its first season, what’s next for you? And what types of roles do you yearn to play?
JH: Obviously, I hope we see what’s happening with a season two, but right now, I am doing a lot of work internally to keep growing as a person. I want to be authentic to myself and I do not want to feel like I’m just making something because of a paycheck. Of course, actors want to constantly, but I want to make sure I’m putting the right material out there.
HB: So The Black Panther sequel maybe? You wanna be in Wakanda?
JH: Uh…yes! That’s a hell of a check! [Laughs]. But for real, I am open to all opportunities. But the goal is to stretch as an artist, explore topics like mental health. I just want to play complicated and layered Black men, representing different facets. He can be the mailman, I don’t care. I just want to take on roles that exist outside of the stereotypes that we’ve seen over the years.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
The Village airs on NBC Tuesdays at 8/7 Central.
RELATED NEWS:
Emayatzy Corinealdi: ‘As Black Women, We Have To Stand Up And Make As Much Change As We Can’
EXCLUSIVE: Tichina Arnold Wants You To Come Visit Her In ‘The Neighborhood’
