actor Isaiah Mustafa An in-depth look at his role as John Sampson in the new Prime Video series, fork. In the interview, he talked about his chemistry with his co-stars Aldis Hodgehow he prepared for his role, which included stalking real detectives in Washington, D.C., and the challenges of portraying a grounded, complex character.
The conversation explores how the show addresses real-world issues like police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement, delving into character relationships in greater depth than previous film adaptations. Mustafa also discussed the emotional impact of Alex’s tragic past, the intense action scenes, and how the actors kept a lighthearted tone on set. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For the full interview, watch the video above or check out our YouTube page.
I think what really made the show for me was the relationship between you and Aldis Hodge’s Cross. I love the little things between you and it feels like a real long term friendship. How did you bring that to each scene? Did you guys know each other before filming because it seemed so easy.
Isaiah Mustafa: No, we’ve never met before. I was certainly aware of Aldis’s work, but I had never met him before. We did a chemistry test and honestly, we both said that, we just respect each other. This is how we start working.
And then we never discussed how we were going to portray these characters. You know, you get more comfortable and the opportunity comes up and you can add in some stuff, some little asides that you hear or say that are just things that we might have talked about five minutes before the shoot, we decided to throw it out Go in and see what happens.
But a lot of it is great writing by the author Ben Watkins and his staff. They really understand that these two characters are brothers and they need to talk to each other like brothers so that you can really feel the connection between them.
As an actor, there’s always a scene where at the beginning you’re like, “I can’t wait to do this.” But then, as the scene gets closer, you’re like, “Oh no, I really have to Do this.” What is that scene in this show like for you?
Isaiah Mustafa: We didn’t get the script until a week ago, but I don’t want to give too much away, but there was a scene where I had to be very close to someone. I’d never done a scene like that before, so, for me, it was just me wanting to make sure that I was being very respectful when I was shooting that scene.
So, yeah, I just thought, ‘Okay, let me make sure I do this the right way.
What do you need to prepare? Whether it’s in physical training or forensics?
Isaiah Mustafa: I try to stay in shape so the body parts aren’t that difficult. And I’ve played a detective before, but he wasn’t realistic, he was a werewolf detective, so there wasn’t much investigation. So, this time, I really had to get inside the detective’s mind, and the best way to do that was to talk to the real detective.
We had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. before filming and hang out with MPD, the Metropolitan Police Department and their detective divisions and get to know those detectives. We spoke with at least a dozen detectives to get a real sense of what it was like to live inside and walk in their shoes.
We interview a forensic psychologist who, like Alex, understands the inner workings of a detective. What they take home, what problems they encounter, when they can’t take it, just leave the job at work and take it home with them.
We had a very personal conversation with a detective who shared some very personal things with us that gave us some insight into what it’s like to be a detective on the job and to experience tragedy. That had such an impact on us that when we talked about these things on set, it made the job easier.
This is an action-packed series filled with strong emotions. How do you guys get away from a long day on set?
Isaiah Mustafa: I drink boba tea, that’s my recommendation. I actually sometimes command it to set.
No, honestly, it’s an interesting combination. Although the subject matter may be a little scary or graphic at times, no one is upset. We tried to make sure there was some lightheartedness and that we were laughing. There’s always someone on set doing something interesting, whether it’s the cast, crew, everyone is trying to keep everyone’s spirits up.
We have a really fun crew in Toronto who are really fun and great to be around. Our photographers, just thinking about some of the things they would say to us. This is exactly the kind of friendship you want in the workplace.
Was there something about Cross or action and adventure that attracted you to this particular role?
Isaiah Mustafa: I guess I just got lucky. I’m usually drawn to stories, but in this case I had a great storyteller, Ben Watkins. And then I also have Aldis Hodge, I mean you know his job, you know how good he is. So, I was lucky enough to have those two things in front of me.
I really tried my best, got the job, and it worked.
