Disclaimer: This interview was conducted on July 11th; before the SAG Strike was implemented.
Isaiah Hill is living out two dreams at the same time.
Hill stars as Jace Carson on “Swagger,” an Apple TV+ series from Reggie Rock Bythewood loosely based on the life of NBA star Kevin Durant. For Hill, playing the high school phenom is something of a dream come true.
“Jace has a lot of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant in him,” Hill said. “Those are the two people that I like, begged my mom to buy me those sneakers in the store. I had to get them every time. Those are my two guys. They’re my heroes.”
A native of New Jersey, Hill clearly loves and has a talent for basketball. But working on “Swagger,” he’s taken a real liking to acting as well. He recently signed with Agency for the Performing Arts (APA), and said he hopes to follow in the footsteps of actors like Michael B. Jordan.
“That’s the guy who’s paving the way for somebody like me,” Hill said.
Rough Draft Atlanta spoke with Hill about working on the latest season of “Swagger,” about how he hopes to balance basketball and acting moving forward, and more. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Season two of “Swagger” just premiered. The first season was your first big acting role – How was it coming back to set with a little more experience under your belt this time?
Isaiah Hill: Oh, it felt a lot better this year. I really just wanted to take ownership of where I was at [with] the role. My director [Reggie Rock Bythewood] … he saw me as a star as soon as we met. He initially found me on Instagram, and this year we just wanted to show people that I can really do this, and I have a lot of range.
What was it like when you first met him?
Hill: It was funny. I was really happy to just be there. I walked in with that gratitude for the opportunity I had. I feel like that went a long way with him, already knowing my profile, because I got 100 people to tag me under Gina Prince-Bythewood’s [a filmmaker and the spouse of Reggie Rock Bythewood] post for the casting call. I involved my community in that, and it was really a joke at first. Honestly, All my friends used to laugh about it, and call me [Kevin Durant], like – yo, you look like KD.
I said, tag me under this, and I laughed – I put the laughing emoji! But once I told my mom, it wasn’t a joke anymore. She told me, yo bro – you playing! They’re asking for an African American male over six feet that can play basketball? I mean, you better go take that! I just heard recently that when I got Gina’s attention, she immediately told Reggie and was like, I think this is your kid. You know, you never know what kind of effect you and your community can have.
That’s awesome to get that kind of look from Gina, as well. She obviously has experience casting basketball players, with “Love & Basketball.”
Hill: Yeah, Gina has the experience. But I really could have got discouraged by the post, that ended up going to a wide spread of followers. Coming from a basketball standpoint, being an athlete, it was easy to get discouraged and say – why acting? You know, why act and do the fake thing when I do the real thing already? You know, all kinds of stuff. But I get to do what I love on and off screen, and push certain things I want the culture to have with the game.
You played basketball before you were cast in this show, and I read that you were still doing basketball in some capacity after the first season. But at this point, what are you looking to do in the future as far as basketball and acting?
Hill: Well recently, I just signed with APA – dope agency. They have a lot of heavy hitters in the acting game, and music. So right now, I’m definitely pulling those entertainment strings. But I also work out every day of the week, and I want to show schools that basketball is really a part of me. I don’t want them to think I’m too big-headed to join a team and have a cause bigger than ourselves. Any day I get to play basketball is like a blessing. You know, they think I’m getting money, and I can’t join a college team. But right now, I’ve also been offered a few roles recently, so you kind of have to see how it plays out. It’s a question I ask myself constantly. But what I do is try to keep my foundation in check and just keep hooping no matter what.
What initially drew you to this Jace as a character?
Hill: I want to say the description was a 14-year-old phenom living with a single parent – man of the house. It was a lot like what I was going through, or just had been through. I’m two years older than Jace – I like to call Jace my little brother. He’s kind of helped me connect with my inner child and relearn some things, and learn some things better, from a broader perspective.
But you know, initially – come on, now! My favorite player in the NBA is KD. Of course I wanted a one-on-one, or to get in the gym with my guy. You know, just be a part of telling a story that’s based around his life – get some free sneakers [laughs]. I’ve crossed a few of those off my bucket list, so, you know, I feel like it’s amazing. Everyday it gets better.
You said Jace has helped you learn some things. What sort of things have you learned by playing Jace? Can you elaborate on that?
Hill: I’m wanting to have a cause bigger than myself. The swag is in the gratitude, the gratitude you have for each moment of the day … I mean, if we really honor our 24 hours that we have in a day, that’s where the swag comes from, where you see people become great.
I learned a lot about loyalty. Being Jace Carson on the screen makes me look at my family and my responsibilities in a different way, in a stronger way. I taught Jace all he knows on the basketball court, but we all are like Jace Carson in a way, you know? We’re underestimated … I find a lot of confidence, I find a lot of things that resonate with me in Jace’s story.
As far as acting goes, are there any particular types of roles you’re looking to take on in the future?
Hill: I’m looking at nostalgic stuff. I’m looking at sci-fi stuff. I really like extra dramatic roles – they taught me how to fake cry, so don’t make me stop now. I ain’t gonna lie, I don’t cry as well as some of the other actors.
It’s probably kind of tough to learn.
Hill: I swear to God! You really have to charge those batteries throughout the day, figure out what you want to cry for. You know, and once you get to crying, it’s like they say cut – and you have to go all over again.
I really just want to show my range as an actor. Nostalgic roles, science fiction, utopian, just all that kind of stuff. Animation – I just want to use my voice and my image in any positive way possible.
What else? I feel like I’m missing something. There are certain roles that I like, but I don’t want to get into them. I don’t want nobody stealing my ideas [laughs].