‘The Chi’ Takes One Final Bow

By: Victoria Uvumarogi | Photography by: Leilani Foster

No one really knew how far it would go. Not at first.

When? Chi Premiering on Showtime in 2018, it stood out as something truly different: a drama rooted in the humanity of Chicago’s South Side, created by Lena Waithe, a talented writer who grew up there and wanted to change the narrative about her city. The cast believed in the work, and hoped for the best, but when something is different, you never know how it will be received. are they Did Know the realities of show business.

“I think after the first season, I thought, OK, I have to start looking for another movie. I probably have to start playing a tour, another album,” says actor Jacob Lattimore, recalling the early days of filming. ChiWhere he played the role of Emmett. He further added, “I think as actors we always have to be open to change.”

He didn’t have to do that. After eight seasons, they’re still here.

The fact that the series has reached its eighth and final season is beyond any imagination. But for co-star Birgundi Baker, who plays his partner Keisha, she envisioned greatness.

“I knew it was going to be long term. I used to say to Hannah all the time, ‘I want to be a series regular,’ because I saw something very special, but I couldn’t dream of eight seasons,” she says. “It exceeded my expectations, but I knew it would be a really good moment.”

“I was unsure,” admits Hannah Hall, who plays Tiffany in the series. “I was really happy that Chicago was being shown on screen… I thought it was very special, but I didn’t know that. Just knowing and understanding how TV works, but I remember Jacob actually made a joke by saying ‘Six seasons, six seasons!’ And I really remember being like, ‘Six? I don’t know.’ But here we are—eight!”

Latimore, Baker and Hall, in their ninth outfits for our digital cover shoot, talk about the show’s debut on a stage in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood. They’re just a few of the cast members present who were there from the beginning, and were lucky enough to be there to the end, as the series is set to take its final bow starting May 22 on Showtime and Paramount+.

He is joined by Luke James and Jason Weaver, who joined the series in Season 4. His characters have been important. As for the latter, the famous singer and actor had actually been a part of the series since its initial productions, when it was still a pilot and he was set to play the troubled, grieving character Ronnie. But before getting the green light the pilot had to be re-shot with a different lineup of actors – Hall was one of the only ones to survive.

Weaver says, “That character Ronnie at the time, even though I was able to play him, I think he wasn’t believably for me. But Shad was for me.” “And to give Lena (Waithe) credit, when I got the news that I wasn’t going with the original pilot, she called me probably about 20 minutes later and said, ‘Hey brother, I know this is crazy, but you know this business.’ I’ve been in the entertainment industry for over 40 years, so I know how the game is going. And she said to me, ‘When I get this show up and running the way it needs to be run and I tell the kind of stories I want to tell as it relates to this, I’ll come back and get you.’ And of course, he actually did it.”

This kind of determination from Waite, to create opportunities for the talent she believed in, runs throughout the series and is a key part of why it lasted so long. When central character Brandon, played by actor Jason Mitchell, had to exit the series at the end of Season 2 following serious allegations about Mitchell’s behavior on set, Waithe relied heavily on her cast to lift him up. He expanded their stories. That decision allowed the audience to watch all the characters grow up in real time. It also helped the actors grow as people as they rose to face the moment.

“I had some experience as a teenager working with some experienced actors, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith and the number one guys, the leading guys. And I’m absolutely fine, I’ve already got a good blueprint of what that means. And I just wanted to set the example of knowing your lines, being on time as much as possible, and trying to sharpen it every year,” says Latimore, whose character was an immature sneakerhead who got to work faster than expected. Had to grow up, to be a business owner and responsible father and father figure. He felt it was his responsibility to show the welcoming, joyful spirit that truly defined the set after Williams’ firing. “I was trying to get to my call time an hour early, trying to get to the trailers early, saying hello to the caterers and trying to beat the PA there. I would try to make all the guests feel welcome because it could create a stigma like maybe our set wasn’t safe and that kind of made me feel like, no, our set is safe.”

This change allowed Baker to grow as an actress. Her character, Keisha, would have one of the most important storylines of the series, including being kidnapped, raped and pregnant, building a blended family with Emmett, forming an unexpected sisterhood with his ex-wife, played by Hall, and welcoming a daughter at the end of Season 7.

“I talked to Lena and the team and they told me I would be moving on to Season 3 and I was just ready,” says Baker. “I was ready and grateful for the opportunity to be more relatable and I was even more excited that the story was so meaningful. I felt the timing was perfect because I’ve always wanted to be a big part of this Chi And if I had been like this from the beginning it wouldn’t have been the same. The timing was perfect.”

A similar opportunity came to James thanks to Waithe, whom he had known in the past. This time was also absolutely right for him.

“My show at that time, starWas canceled and then I think a week later I got a request to audition for (Trig) chi. I asked God for a challenge to do something different, something not musical, something outside my wheelhouse. I was ready. I was ready and willing and then this role came up and I jumped right in,” he recalls of stepping into Trigg, a gangster turned man of men. ”I just saw an opportunity to expand my horizons and as soon as I did, I sent out the tape. I mean, I think three days later I got a message from Lena thanking me and saying we were going to have a great trip together and it was going to be elaborate. This is going to be a beautiful experience. Before I was on this show, I thought it was huge. It was talking about what needed to be talked about, not talking about what would get the crowd going. So, I was interested to be a part of such a drama and yes, it changed my world forever.”

Of course, it also changed the way people viewed Chicago. After years of the “Chirac” label, Waithe, the cast and crew set out to show the full breadth of the city. For true South Siders like Hall and Weaver, that mission was personal.

Hall says, “We do a really good job of showing Chicago culture. It’s a lot of Chicago-coded things that we do, like block club parties, skating rinks. Those things are very indigenous to us and what’s special to us in our culture.”

Weaver says, “I think one of the things that Lena is able to do successfully as a proud Chicagoan and another writer that she’s able to do is really tell the true story of what we experienced growing up. And what we know is community, what we know is family, what we know is cookouts, what we know are block parties. Yeah, violence and gangster stuff is like an element. It’s a part about the city. There is, but it’s not the whole story.”

This is ultimately a human story. As Vet mentioned, any character can be dropped off in a city near you. James, who hails from New Orleans, certainly found himself in familiar territory.

“I’m from New Orleans. I mean, you can change the name of it and call it No,” he says. ”I learned a lot about Chicago, and I learned about Throughline that we are very similar and I mean, if you think about The Great Migration, we are all very similar tribes. And so, our festivals and so on are exactly the same. So, I think that’s why it resonates. It may seem specific to others, but it’s universal to all of us and that’s what makes it such an intense show. “If you ride, it crosses the line.”

Spectators will be able to take one last ride chi As the team behind it bids a triumphant farewell to the next 10 episodes. In conversation, the show’s players warmly explain how they will miss the attractions of filming in the city – the food, the “boats” on the water in the summer, and the colorful and dedicated extras on set every day. And they’re honest about how they’ll miss the stability that a long-running TV show brings. But there is no bitterness with sweet. They are confident that the story their great leader Waite has entrusted them to tell is complete and enduring.

“One thing I can take away from this show is an even deeper appreciation for the diversity and complexity of the black community. I have never supported the theory that black people were a monolith. Chi “I’ve learned how different we are and how we can learn from each other, especially as a black man myself,” Weaver says. “I get a lot of black men who come up to me on the street day after day and talk to men’s groups and talk about mental health. And this was something I had never discussed with my friends before and I had never focused on, even when it came to examining myself internally. And that’s one of the things that the show has inspired me to do more, is to do more self-examination and reach out to my brothers and ask them, ‘Hey man, how are you feeling? are you ok? Do you want to talk about something?’ Because not only have I seen it have such a positive impact on the characters and their development, but I’ve actually been interacting with community members who have told me how it has made such a positive impact in their lives. I am very grateful.”

credit

Photographer: @lelanif
Production: @allworthypeople
Talent: @lenawaithe @jacoblatimore @hannahall @wolfjames @birgundi_baker @itsjasonweaver
Stylist: @newheartnyc
Hair: @takisahair
Makeup: @alovethepro
Special thanks: @paramountplus
Summary
Editorial Director: @ghostwritervic
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