'Mike' Star Russell Hornsby Talks Playing Don King, Trevante Rhodes, and Tyson's Disapproval

Image via Hulu

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.