“The show is all comedy … but it allows me to be a straight man especially with Kevin as the main man,” said actor Leonard Earl Howze about his role in the CBS series “Kevin Can Wait,” which airs on Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET.
Leonard went into acting wanting to be a dramatic actor but it was comedy roles that gravitated towards him.
“When I first came out of school I envisioned myself being much more dramatic. One of the tools they taught is versatility,” Howze said.
That training allowed him to be whatever type of actor he needed to be. That versatility garnered him a role in the film “Barbershop,” where he played a Nigerian named Dinka. He also starred in Netflix’s “True Memoirs of an International Assassin,” “Antwone Fisher” and “The Lone Ranger.” It was in his role on “NCIS” (Season 8) that he learned perseverance.
“I got to see what Navy life was like doing ‘Antwone Fisher.’ I learned patience and perseverance. I got firsthand training,” he said. “[Acting’s] not for everybody. My faith keeps me grounded. My belief is what God has for me is for me. I can’t stop.”
Leonard did not stop he even takes on roles in independent films such as “Live Cargo” with LaKeith Stanfield and “Brave New Jersey” with Erika Alexander.
“I am happy to say I am in a more dramatic role in the film ‘Live Cargo,’” Leonard said. “I did it two years ago and it’s just coming out.”
His role in “Kevin Can Wait” is that of Officer Goody, best friend to Kevin James’ character Kevin Gable, a former police officer. James is the creator of the series which is in its second season.
“I’m a series regular coming on every week,” Howze pointed out about his character. “‘I’m learning from him. I’m taking notes. I was a big fan before the series. is project gives me a lot more exposure. Last season we were #1 as a new comedy.”
Learn more about the series “Kevin Can Wait” by logging onto www.CBS.com/shows/Kevin-Can-Wait.
In other news, Amazon Prime Video is a streaming online video network offering subscribers a long list of movies and series, such as “Patriot.” “Patriot” is about intelligence officer John Tavner trying to prevent Iran from going nuclear. Actor Jay Abdo, a Syrian actor, plays Cantar Wally.
“This part in ‘Patriot’ is a great opportunity for me because it’s timely,” said Abdo who starred opposite Nicole Kidman in “Queen of the Desert” and with Tom Hanks in “Hologram for the King.” “It’s a good television show, good script, good material and wonderful pool of talent.”
The hourlong series premiered in 2015 and also stars Michael Dorman (“Wonderland”) as John Tavner, Terry O’Quinn (“The West Wing”) as Tom Tavner, Kathleen Munroe (“CSI:NY”) as Alice Tavner, Aliette Opheim as Detective Agathe Albans and Kurtwood Smith (“That 70s Show”) as Leslie Claret. It is currently airing its second season.
The “Patriot” series was created by Steven Conrad and is executive produced by Conrad, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, Gil Bellows and Charles Gogolak, Marc David Alpert is producer and Amazon Studios is co-producer.
“I like to play controversial roles,” Abdo said. “Multi-dimensions … It’s a great role. I went to school to study acting. I know what it’s all about. I’m wearing this character. I’m interested in a wide range of roles. My character [in ‘Patriot’] happens to be a nice person, but I enjoy playing the villain because I want to go to that world in art. I first started acting in 1988. I enjoy it so much, the difficult ones that require challenges.”
You can log onto www.Amaon.com/Patriot/dp/b017apuy62 for more information about the upcoming episodes.
Eunice Moseley has an estimated weekly readership of over 1/4 million with the Pulse of Entertainment. She is also a Public Relations Strategist and Business Management Consultant at Freelance Associates, PRSA and is Promotions Director (at-large) for e Baltimore Times. www.thePulseofEntertainment.com.