Actor Mustafa Speaks has been on a roll in 2021, landing a vital role on the Spectrum Original series Joe Pickett and coming onboard the fourth season of CW's All American. The former, which is based on the best-selling novels of CJ Box, follows a righteous game warden (played by For All Mankind's Michael Dorman) who must navigate the difficult dynamics of his small and struggling rural town while protecting his family.
Speaks plays Nate Romanowski, an ex-Special Ops soldier who becomes incredibly close with Joe and joins him in most of his adventures. While the first season is based on the two early novels, subsequent ones would surely delve more into Nate's own backstory and growth from later books. In the meantime, his role as Coach Boone on All American is about to get much meatier in the back half of the season now that he's recruited Spencer (Daniel Ezra, A Discovery of Witches).
Screen Rant took the opportunity to chat with Speaks about his preparation for the role of Nate Romanowski in Joe Pickett, his impression of CJ Box's vast literary world, and his hopes for the rest of All American's fourth season.
The first season of Joe Pickett has gotten some really positive feedback. Obviously, the book series is too prolific to expect an actor to read every single book in it, but were you familiar with the novels before signing on for the show?
Mustafa Speaks: Before taking it on, I hadn't read any CJ Box or Joe Pickett, but when I first received the script the character just jumped off the page for me and I fell in love with Nate Romanowski. Then I spoke to the showrunners, John and Drew [Dowdle], about their vision for the series and for the character and fell in love with that.
That led me to CJ Box's series, given that all the source material was there and available to me. Part of my process is making sure I tell the most authentic story, and I needed the source material to do that. I dove into the series and read some of the books, and I fell in love with the world of the series and the character of Nate Romanowski.
How would you describe Nate's dynamic with Joe, because they seem to have a really fun partnership that gets expanded on in the first season as well as over the course of the books?
Mustafa Speaks: The relationship is one where they're purely brothers. They're partners in arms who are there for each other when shit hits the fan. They both recognize something in one another that's very similar, but it's wrapped in things from opposite ends of the spectrum. They both respect and honor that in one another, and they come to be very close. At the heart of it is brotherhood.
Since Nate was a Special Ops soldier, did you do any research or preparation for the role? What was the most surprising or exciting part of the filming process for you?
Mustafa Speaks: All the work that I did for Nate was different than I've done for my other characters. But for this character, he's just so elite. He's a master falconer, he's ex-Special Forces, and he's also a badass survivalist.
I did everything that I could to research what that mindset was like, and what it means to be a special ops soldier. That's a different level of soldier and a different level of being. Not only that, but to be a master falconer speaks to a different level of commitment and stability and strength. I really wanted to get into the psyche of who Nate, but he is also still a man dealing with dynamic obstacles.
With CJ Box serving as Executive Producer, did you get to pick his brain about the character, backstory, or any specific points of interest throughout? And were you able to talk to the creative team at large to bounce ideas of where you're taking the character or how you see Nate?
Mustafa Speaks: That's the beautiful thing about this team: the freedom that they allowed me to create for Nate. I didn't have the guidelines of who the person was in the book, because the person in the book was nowhere near me. He was described as a blond haired, blue eyed white guy. He had a much different experience and background than I did, so I was able to bring my experiences and everything that I am to this role.
This is what they appreciated, and I honor them for being open enough to see that and accept it. Not even just accept it, but honor it to the point where I'm able to perform as that character and have full autonomy to bring all the resources that I do to the character.
What do you find most relatable about Nate, and which aspect of the role is the most difficult to inhabit?
Mustafa Speaks: What was most relatable between Nate and myself was his heart and moral compass. I honored his integrity and truth, and how he's protecting the ones he loves the most at all costs.
The thing that I'm most distant from is the extremes he's gone to in order to survive. I've never been in those situations of violence, especially as a special ops soldier fighting. But I know I can't relate to the things that he has to do to and the decisions he makes. I'm no stranger to surviving myself, but those extremes are something that I haven't gone through.
Given the response to the series and the fact that it's going to be streaming later on Paramount+, are you hoping for a second season? What aspects or book storylines would you like to see Nate dive into?
Mustafa Speaks: Season 1 is based on two books at the moment, which is Open Season and Winterkill. It's a nice medley of stuff in there for this procedure. But what I'm looking forward to is diving into Nate's story, which is Force of Nature, Book #12.
Nate has his own book where you really get to learn about his backstory, who he is, where he comes from, why he is the way he is - with this whole mysterious thing in the background that's very heavy. I'm absolutely looking forward to diving into what that is all about.
To answer the other part of your question, what I'm looking forward to in season 2 is how the relationship continue to develop between me and Joe, particularly with the rest of the rest of his family.
Speaking of Joe, what is it like to work with Michael Dorman on set? How do you prepare for your scenes together and build the chemistry of that relationship?
Mustafa Speaks: It's a dream. It's one of those situations where I couldn't even ask or pray for anything more or different from a cast mate. He's just so real, raw, open and honest. What you see on the screen between us, in terms of the relationship, is honestly a true representation of what it's like off camera.
We rock together, so when we come to work, we know that we're going to have fun and work together. When we're "preparing," quote-unquote, we can just look into each other's eyes and know, "Okay, I got you."
As a fan of All American, I really enjoyed your scenes with Daniel Ezra's Spencer. What was it like playing opposite him?
Mustafa Speaks: Absolutely, it was a pleasure to work with Daniel. He's such a smart and gracious young man, and to learn from him about his culture and background - him being from the UK - was another treat of being on the show. He's a dynamic actor and a really cool human being, so I thoroughly enjoyed being with him.
Were you a fan of All American specifically or of football in general before booking the gig?
Mustafa Speaks: Oh, absolutely. My background is football. I used to play football at university, and we were Division One when I played. And I was absolutely a fan of the show, because of what it dealt with, and how authentic and raw the storylines were. I just really enjoyed the way it was written. Of course, with my background, I would instantly feel the sweat on my palms watching the show.
What does Coach Boone see in Spencer? Can you expand on his connection to his father?
Mustafa Speaks: Sure, absolutely. Coach Boone and Corey, who is Spencer's father, have a history. They had a really deep, intricate history. Because of that relationship, he has a connection to Spencer, and he's really taken Spencer under his wing.
Coach Boone just wants to be there for him, as a friend or as an older brother, and make sure he's okay. He wants to do whatever he can do to make sure Spencer succeeds. It's taken to another level when he recruits him, which is when you first meet him, but there's a lot of juicy stuff happening the in rest of season 4 with Coach Boone and Spencer.
That's exactly what I was going to ask. We left off in a good place, and I expect to see much more of you. What is it that you're most excited for fans to see, and are there any other dynamics that you're hoping to see explored?
Mustafa Speaks: I'm excited to see how the relationship between Coach Boone and Spencer develops. They have a rich, dynamic history that we've only gotten a taste at this point. As the season progresses, you'll see what that relationship really means and how it takes Spencer to another level in not only his football career, but his personal life.
Those are always the best kinds of work relationships. Outside of Joe Pickett and All American, what are you working on now? Are there any upcoming projects you're excited about?
Mustafa Speaks: Yes, I have several projects that I'm really excited about under my production banner. I'm actively pitching some right now, a couple of which are based on my background as a marine environment scientist. I was a marine scientist prior to any of this, and my team and I worked with sharks. I put in quite a bit of work in the environmental world, so I'll be pulling on that, along with some other things I'm developing.
But honestly, I'm going to keep it real with you right now. What I'm really looking forward to is making that leap to features. I'd love to do a romcom or something like that; I'd really like to make the move to feature films.
All American returns to the CW on February 21, 2022 while Joe Pickett airs 2 new episodes every Monday through Spectrum.