Back in 2019, Diallo Riddle owned the summer. At that time, he had both Sherman’s Showcase and South Side on two different channels at the same time. It was a testament to the hard work he’d been putting in, and I was glad we got to capture that time. Yassir Lester is on his way to owning summer 2021, with Season 3 of Black Monday (of which he writes and acts in) and Season 2 of Duncanville both premiere on Sunday, May 23. Lester plays it humble and honest, telling Complex “had I not been writing or didn’t also have a main career as a writer, I probably would have just been doing nothing.”
It’s that honesty, grounded much in reality, that draws me to Lester. We spoke last summer for Watch Less, and I remember us not really talking a lot about what he had going on but what was going on in the world and his thoughts about it. In our latest conversation, we do more of the same, but because Lester was actually working through the COVID-19 pandemic, he shares a lot about what it is like being a working writer-actor in 2020. He also teases some info on what he wrote on this season of Black Monday and his next moves.
How you doing, man? How you been?
I’m good. How are you?
Doing good. Just being busy. I know you know about busy. You have two shows premiering on May 23rd.
Yeah. But that’s just the way it got scheduled. It feels more like “Hustler’s Ambition” than it actually is. It just happens to be that way.
Does that make May 23 stand out, something you’re hype about, or is it just another day?
Here’s what I’ll say: Either people are unimpressed, or it’s just like homies, you know what I mean? It’s definitely something that is exciting. I’m not going to pretend that way. The timing of it isn’t cool but at the same time here’s the thing, if anything, it’ll be me celebrating for the people being like, “Wow,” you know what I’m saying?
We spoke last summer, about a year ago. I was going to ask what you’ve been doing, but it looks like you’ve just been working the whole time. Last year, the conversation was, “How are you getting through quarantine?” Now I’m talking to people from Snowfall and actors like Omar Dorsey, who was working on Queen Sugar and the Aretha Franklin Genius series at the same time during quarantine. And now everything’s just coming out because people were able to stay hustling, like you said earlier.
Yeah. Again, it’s a little different for me in the sense that if acting was like my main hustle, that might’ve been a little bit harder because truth be told, [with series] like Duncanville, voice acting isn’t as demanding. You can go in and just do whatever for however long you want. But for Black Monday, had I not been writing or didn’t also have a main career as a writer, I probably would have just been doing nothing. I’m thankful in that regard that God, the universe kept me busy, because I know it has been hard for people.
I feel like it Black Monday was one of the shows early into quarantine that returned for an entire new season, airing in May and June. Was it just non-stop, “All right, we’re immediately going to start writing Season 3 immediately after”? Did you get any break time at all?
Oh yeah, I got a break on it, but I was still working. I wrote on that NBC sitcom Kenan in the meantime and just like a few other small things. But the Black Monday stuff, just the ins and outs of the TV industry, like sometimes they just make you sweat it out and wait for the last second then say like, “Okay, you’re picked up again. You have to start like a week and a half.” And you’re like, “Wait, what?” That’s what happens with that show each time. It’s never really like a, “Hey, you’re coming back.” Perfect example: My brother is a writer on Black-ish. They just announced it was the last season, but they know pretty much when they’re coming back, what the timeline is, all that stuff, where we don’t, we just come back. We were rushed into this season, and not in a bad way, but it was just more like, “Hey, this is when you guys have to be on air.” Had a COVID thing shut us down we wouldn’t have made our air date. That’s how close it’s been. On top of the fact that so many of the actors on the show, myself included, are on other shows, so there’s scheduling all that stuff. It’s really interesting, but yeah. I know I’m not answering directly your original question.
It sounded scatterbrained as COVID pandemic time could be, honestly. (Laughs) It’s the perfect example. Did you become a Zoom master throughout 2020?
I know people are like, “I can’t wait to get back in front of people.” And I’m like, “I do not want that. Not even in the slightest.” I want my time with people to be spent having fun and this idea that you have to be around people and not have fun seems so insane to me now.
I think people are getting wrapped up in the idea of, “All right, everybody’s getting their shots, take the masks off.” But not realizing that it’s still going to be a process to get back to normal. You can’t just bounce back.
Right. There’s this weird thing that’s happening where everyone’s assuming everyone’s vaccinated.
When you’re working, how often are you having to get tested?
Well, I film between four and five days a week. Right. I have to get tested every day that I’m at work plus an additional day in between, so like if I work on a Friday, I still have to get tested on a Sunday before I go in on Monday. And then because of COVID, our schedule actually changed because an actor on a different show who was coming to our show may have potentially gotten exposed on the other one, so there’s just this huge thing. Now our weekends are actually Sunday, Monday. And I have to get tested either on a Sunday or Monday before I still go back in. The one thing I will say is that I don’t think I’ll ever miss having stuff up my nose ever again.
In conversations we were having with people last year, the idea of the writing of TV and movies specifically during a time of a pandemic, whether it was Malcolm & Marie or whether you’d hear about certain shows like All Rise, where they basically wrote COVID-19 into the show, they had the plexiglass. But even then they were still shooting certain ways. Because you’re getting tested a lot, was the shooting process changed a lot during a time of pandemic? Does it make it a little easier?
Absolutely did not make it easier. Here’s the thing and here’s by nature talking about anything that has to do with filming is a bit of a champagne bottle. I don’t want to sit here and be like, “It’s so hard.” When people are like, “I’m a teacher,” like being a teacher is harder. But [I have] to say that we, the actors, the people on the cast of the show, when we’re shooting, our masks are off in our pocket. The moment they yell cut, masks go right back on, we have to stay in a special area. Everyone is in space shields plus their mask except for the camera department because they have to put their eye on the viewfinder on the camera.
But besides that, between every take they’re wiping things down, they’re sanitizing our hands, it’s wild. I’m saying this is clearly as champagne problems, I’m not being a maniac, but even like dumb things. I think this is most jobs, but it’s like when you’re like, “I’m going to grab a little snack for a second.” It becomes so much of your day because there’s so much downtime. It weirdly gives you a little more clarity.
Now, that being said, I would say the dopest part of it is that I do feel like people are a little more focused on what we’re doing in terms of trying to make something dope and real and interesting. Because the only thing to do is make the show and it’s like we are all a little more in it. And maybe I’m only speaking for myself, but I do think that also because of the workarounds we had to make, there’s a more interesting show to be had. I love the show anyways, but you’re forced to do different things.
I noticed that in Season 1 and 2 of Black Monday, you have one episode where you’re the sole writing credit, but I couldn’t find any writing credits for Season 3. Are there any episodes that you wrote by yourself for Season 3 of Black Monday and if so, can you talk about any of the things you did to try and bring more of those interesting elements into this season?
I wrote a sole episode, which is going to be Episode 4, and then I co-wrote the finale with a few of the other producers. In my sole episode, there’s a party scene and it’s like, “how do we do this and make it feel like a party and enjoy this occasion?” But you can’t have 50 extras like you used to. It’s not possible, so there’s a workaround for that that still came out cool. Same thing for the finale. It’s another celebration, and it’s like, “All right, well, we literally cannot have people here, so what is the way to do this?” Hopefully, they come across as interesting and creative choices that might’ve helped sell it.
Have you gotten back into doing stand-up?
I’ve done a few outdoor shows. I’ve done a few Zoom shows, and the Zoom thing is great. It’s just a different thing. You just have to know that. But I also know in my heart, the reason I did stand up was pretty much for immediate gratification. I like to know if a joke works or not. You don’t necessarily get that on Zoom, so that part of it is a little bit harder. But I say all of that to then say like, look at some point, I either just have to make myself comfortable with the idea of being back indoors or I’ll have to stop doing stand up. And it’s just like, I’m not going to stop doing stand up for the time being.
It’s more about just taking the plunge. Maybe I’ll start by eating at a restaurant and seeing how I feel. And then that’ll kind of gauge if I’m ready to hop back in or not. But, as of right now, it’s mostly just outdoor stuff.
Do you have film aspirations?
I did write a script, I can’t really show my hand yet. It looks like it’s going to get made, so we have some interesting actors, famous actors attached. Hopefully, we’re shooting it by fall. I wrote it. I’d be co-directing with my brother, Isaiah Lester, and hoping it happens and it’s fun and cool and weird. And I’m excited about it. So, we’ll see what happens, but hopefully, in the next few weeks I think we’ll have our answer, so. But yeah and if not whatever, maybe I’ll create a TV show.
For the time being, I’m just like if I get an idea, I just follow the idea. I’m not like, “I need to make a TV show or I need to make a movie.” You know what I mean?
That’s the true hustler’s mentality.
Yeah. Right. Oh, gosh.
Duncanville returns for Season 2 on Fox, while Black Monday is back for Season 3 on Showtime, both premiering tonight, May 23.
