Image via Hulu
Russell Hornsby is finally showcasing the depth of his acting skills in Mike.
Hornsby was cast in the Mike Tyson Hulu biographical series as Don King, a boxing promoter who was heavily involved in a portion of the former heavyweight champion’s career. King became a controversial figure in the sports world, and even his relationship with Tyson ended in a legal dispute. Mike explores Tyson’s relationship with King, who took on the role of managing the boxer’s career following his mentor Cus D’Amato’s death. Tyson later filed a lawsuit claiming that King stole around $100 million from him while promoting him after he was released from prison in 1995, and they eventually reached a $14 million settlement in 2004.
Prior to taking on this role in Mike, Hornsby has acted in films like Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Fences, Creed II,The Hate U Give, and recently on the 50 Cent-produced Starz series BMF. The actor feels like this part was his opportunity to show the world his acting range and that he too can play larger-than-life characters like King. “For so long in my career, I fought so hard telling people I can do characters. I can play the good guy, the bad guy, the funny guy,” Hornsby tells Complex. “So finally, people will feel confident in entrusting me with these kinds of roles.”
The chemistry between Hornsby and his costar Trevante Rhodes, who is playing Tyson, flows easily when they appear together onscreen in the Hulu show. King not only managed Tyson’s career for a while but he was also part of his team, and together they lived a lavish lifestyle thanks to the boxer’s success. Both Hornsby and Rhodes underwent a physical transformation to play these roles, with Hornsby donning King’s trademark hair, his suits, diamond chains, and his energy.
When asked about working with Rhodes, Hornsby said he quickly realized that he didn’t have to babysit the actor, and according to Hornsby, Rhodes delivered an “award-worthy” performance. And he’s right. Despite some obvious flaws in the show, like the lack of the heavyweight champ’s involvement and that it heavily relies on the 2013 TV special Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth directed by Spike Lee, the performances make the show worth watching.
Oftentimes biopics or miniseries like Mike are made after the subjects have already died, and if they are alive, they take part in the project. Both King and Tyson were not tapped in to help with (or paid for) the project, and Tyson recently shared a statement denouncing the show and Hulu.
Hornsby says he didn’t speak to the boxing promoter before taking on the role, but he’s at peace with the work he did on the limited series. “You do feel a great immense amount of pressure. But at the same time, the pressure was alleviated pretty quickly because I knew what was in my heart in terms of how Russell was going to approach Don, and I didn’t have any agenda or any kind of ulterior motive,” Hornsby says. “I’m looking to draw out the essence of who the man is. And I don’t look at him as a hero or a villain. I look at him as a man.”
Complex caught up with Hornsby ahead of the Hulu show’s premiere, and he talked all about becoming King, working with Rhodes, and what he thinks about Tyson opposing the show. Check out our full interview with the Mike star below.
First of all, congratulations. I think your performance on this show is some of the best work I’ve seen you in. How are you feeling about this project and being a part of it?
I’m very proud to be a part of the project, actually. I grew up a fan of Mike Tyson and grew up a fan of Don King, and I felt honored to have been selected to play the role. For so long in my career, I fought so hard telling people I can do characters. I can play the good guy, the bad guy, the funny guy. Everybody’s like, “Oh no, no. Russ, it’s fine. You can play the doctor. That’s cool,” or, “Just play the cop.” So finally, people will feel confident in entrusting me with these kinds of roles. So I felt honored to be a part of it, but also honored that somebody felt that I was good enough to give me the role, to give me the opportunity.
Did you approach this particular role any differently?
Yeah. I did, because it’s a character. Some would even say a caricature. He’s an archetype, and he’s based on a real-life person who’s still living. What I did is I looked at Don King from the inside out. I asked myself, what was it about Don King? What happened when [he was] growing up in Cleveland? Him being a numbers runner, him sort of working for the mob. How did that influence the way he spoke, the pitch of his voice, all of those things?
When I started, I started to look at the music. Music plays a big role, especially in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. And even into the ‘90s. Whatever the music was, that’s where we got sort of our swagger, how we walked, the energy, all that. Music informed all that. So jazz was a big part of the ‘50s, the nightclubs, everything like that. And I think that informed his cadence, the pitch, the tone of his voice. And so that’s me working from the inside and then building out on top of reading the biography, and watching some YouTube clips as well.
Acting in biopics is so tricky, like you said, especially when the people are still alive. Did you feel pressure at any moment? Did you talk to him before?
I didn’t get an opportunity to talk with Don. It just wasn’t the time. You do feel a great immense amount of pressure. But at the same time, the pressure was alleviated pretty quickly because I knew what was in my heart in terms of how Russell was going to approach Don, and I didn’t have any agenda or any kind of ulterior motive. The saying goes, “There is no right. There is no wrong. There is only truth.” So that’s what I’m always in search of. I’m not looking to comment. I’m looking to draw out the essence of who the man is. And I don’t look at him as a hero or a villain. I look at him as a man.
The show also explores the financial issues between King and Tyson. What was that like for you to portray and to tell that story? Do you hope that Tyson helps younger athletes be more aware of their finances and the people they have around them?
Yeah. First, I found this construction, that I discovered, this analogy, that it dawned on me. I was doing an interview yesterday, and they asked Trevante about his relationship with Cus versus his relationship with Don. And it dawned on me. I said, “Well, you know what? This is Empire Strikes Back.” They send Luke to the Dagobah system to go be taught by Yoda, right?
What happens is something pulls him away from his training so he’s not able to complete his training. So in the midst of having to leave Yoda, à la Tyson and Cus passing, and not really have an opportunity to complete his training with Cus, whether it be from the physical standpoint or the mental standpoint or emotional, he’s introduced to the Dark Side. Because he didn’t complete his training, and for other athletes that could be school. That could be how we’re reared, how we’re raised, all of those things. You get plucked because you’re a man-child in the promised land if you will. You get taken away because you have to go get a job, à la leaving school early, all of those things. And so the business, the industry, if you are not prepared, is the Dark Side, Vader, or some would say Don.
Mike wasn’t equipped to go up against the Empire, whether it be emotionally, physically, or mentally. He wasn’t prepared because he hadn’t completed his training. It’s almost like if Cus lives five years longer, he gets to see him become heavyweight champion of the world, and just has a little bit more care with him, where I think we might have met a different man. A different man might have evolved out of that process. It is important for athletes, it is important for entertainers to complete their training, whatever that training may be. Whether it be school, whether it be some kind of program, you have to complete it through to the end. You can’t skip steps in life.
You mentioned Trevante. How was it seeing him transform into Mike? And how was it working with him on this?
It ended up becoming an honor. I’ll say this. I’ve been doing this a long time and doing it professionally for a long time. I didn’t know what to expect when I was going to be on set with Trevante. And I said this to him, there was a moment when we did our first scene, where I could tell, as a veteran, that Trevante was ready. He was prepared. He was enthusiastic. So I realized that we could then go to another level.
I realized very quickly that I wouldn’t have to babysit nor would I have to, as the actor, pull back the reins because, “Oh, I got to tread lightly because he or she’s not ready,” which happens a lot. Because he was ready and prepared and I was ready and prepared, we could get this work, and these scenes to a higher level. I just have to commend him because I thought his work was brilliant. I do believe that it’s award-worthy. I think that he should be proud. I also believe that the industry should really take note when you’re looking at the kind of work and the craftsmanship and the transformation that Trevante did.
What do you hope that fans of Tyson, and people who perhaps aren’t too familiar with his story, learn about him through the series?
Well, I think that we have to begin to look at his story at that time through a 2022 lens. What do I mean by that? We all have a better understanding of racism in America. We have to understand misogyny and where it stems from. We have a better understanding and appreciation for feminism; for rape culture, for what we call toxic masculinity, where it stems from, but where we can properly place it, right, that we didn’t have in yesteryear.
What I’m ultimately saying is I’m hoping that we take away the assessment of judgment on Mike Tyson or Don King, and not to celebrate nor diminish who he was or what he did, but to have understanding. My hope is that we begin to have a nuanced conversation about what was. Know that we’re not here to offend anyone, but we’re going to tell these stories and deal with these topics. Let’s ask how and why these things happened. So I’m hoping that audiences ultimately come with an open heart and an open mind. They say when we open our hearts, we open our minds.
That’s really what I’m hoping for, and that they withhold judgment and just watch it, and then say, “Okay. Hey, I need to talk to somebody about this. This is interesting. I didn’t know about this. I didn’t know about this Ray and the Robin Givens of it all, and everything.” And again, his childhood. We have to look at and really say both Mike Tyson and Don King were made by America. They’re a product of America in this environment and what America expects from Black men, and what they expect from their athletes, especially when we’re talking about patronizing. This is all supposed to be entertainment. What they were doing in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s is they were putting Black men in a place—“You go here because you’re here to entertain.” Even the likes of Don King, especially. So what you end up doing though, you self-exploit.
Tyson opened up about not being involved in the series. As an actor, how did you feel about his reaction, but also do you feel like celebrities not being involved in their own biopics allows for more honest storytelling?
Well, first, with regards to sort of Tyson’s disapproval, I think he has every right to feel that way. But at the same time as the artist, as both speaking for both myself and Trevante, we are artists, but we are also feeling people. I don’t think that you could have cast two people, two artists, more right for their roles for this time because we’re empaths. We are leading with our hearts, so neither one of us is looking to exploit.
My hope is that it still won’t diminish his pain and his anger, but we hope that he’ll feel that we’ve honored him in a way if he does in fact choose to watch it, or that his family or close friends or what have you, who may watch, will say, “Hey man, I know how you feel, but they did all right. They tried to honor you.” A person has every right to feel how they feel. Now, I think that if you can get somebody to be a part of their biography or firsthand, great. If you can’t, that happens as well. This is part of the business. You can’t please everybody and everybody’s not going to be happy. We have to take the crooked with the straight, quite honestly. This is the world we’re in. It may change and it may not.
What did you learn about Tyson’s story and even about King that you didn’t know before you worked on this project?
Well, I kind of knew it because of the man that we’ve begun to know over the last five to 10 years. Sort of post-career, the one who has his own podcast. But what I’ve discovered is that the man has an immense heart, and he is still a child at heart. Not in a juvenile way, but he is a feeling person. I really got that sense in getting to know him over the years, about how he was raised, and how he grew up, but there was still always that child inside.
Because he was a boxer, because he was a fighter, he actually had to keep the child down and put the fighter on top. They had to develop that because he was so innocent and so loving, and that’s still in him. It’s been beautiful to learn more about that Mike Tyson then versus the things that I thought I knew about him. You realize the empath, the lover of people and birds and things, animals, that’s the purity that’s inside him, and that’s what I really appreciated and loved.
The first two episodes of Mike are now streaming on Hulu.