Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
Stephen A. interviews Actor Taye Diggs to discuss his career success, most memorable leading ladies, his Sable Bourbon brand, and new TV projects “Second Chance Stage” and “The Real Full-Monty.”
I couldn't wait to have my next guest next to me in studio. You see him or you've seen them more Broadway, in television, in film, How.
Stella Got Up? Groove Back All American?
Okay, the Best Man one two, as far as the one, two and three, because I don't think codemn it is one, two and three.
Right.
The list goes on. Brown Sugar can't forget all of that.
He's here to talk about some new projects he's involved.
In as well.
The one and Only Tay Diggs in the house, My brother, Man, how's it really going?
Man, it's going well.
I've heard that you own all this and that that makes me that that warms my heart.
Man.
Yes, yes, Now that we are coming up as a group and starting to take responsibility and ownership, that's good for you.
Man.
I appreciate man, thank you so much. But you know what, you ain't too damn shabby yourself. You're doing some big things. Talk to me about what you're about to do.
Right now.
I'm hearing something about a new talent competition series coming up.
Talk about that for a.
Second, Yes, sir, thank you.
I've always loved watching you know, American Idol and the Voice and America's Got Talent. I've always wanted to be a judge on one of these programs because I think I have what it takes to uh to uh, you know, to lend my my talent and an experience never been asked and uh, miraculously this this uh, this, this opportunity presented itself. It's called Second Chance Stage. And me and two other judges, we are blessed enough to watch all these people who have another opportunity at their big dream. So for whatever reason, they had to postpone whatever talents they were gifted and uh and deal with life. Some people had to take care of you know, sick family members or you know people that that had died, or you know, they ran into.
Money issues, so they had to postpone their dream, a dream deferred.
We give them another chance and and the stories are amazing. You know, we get to judge them, we get to give them suggestions, but to hear the stories that these people have been through, it's quite emotional and I'm very excited about that the show.
What kind of a judge is You going to be? Because remember, you.
Know, back in the day when they had American I on stuff like.
Youse see Simon coll and he just looking at people you don't have it.
I mean, you just don't have no chance whatsoever, and stuff like that. What kind of judge are you gonna be?
I won't lie.
I want it to be that kind of judge. But I'm too emotional. I don't know if it's my age or the fact that i'm my father. I just I hear these people's stories in it, and it gives me a completely different perspective. So I'm far more empathetic than I thought I would be. I mean, I tell him like it is, but you know, I can't.
Help it be affected by what these people have to say.
And what kind of stories.
I mean when you talk about being a storyteller and telling their stories, because you're basically justifying the fact that they're getting the second change essentially right. Yes, these stories give us an idea of how compelling some of these stories are.
One art, it's heartbreaking.
There was this one woman who she's a stand up comic and was everything was going her way. She was hitting other clubs in the city and then her mother, I think she was hit with dementia, so she had to completely pull out. And it's also just a testament to you know, the quality of life that these people have where they put themselves second and they put their you know, the people that are important to them first. So she, uh, this comedian, she just you know, stopped doing what she was doing and started living with her mother. And finally, once her mother was on the right track and she she started to have those thoughts again, maybe I should give this another shot.
When would you what's your most memorable second chance? All of us have received second chances in life in some point, in some capacity. When you think about yourself, your life, what would you what would you qualify as a second chance?
I was, I thought you stumped just now.
But my son, my son to me is uh is the ultimate second chance because uh, you know, just living life with with my first marriage and these relationships, I can see where where I could have maybe stepped differently or or or or you know, acted more a little bit more intelligently or with my heart and my son is that is that second chance? He's he represents to me all of all of the good. So thank you for asking me that. That that makes me look at that relationship and in a different Well, you can't.
Just met you your son.
I mean that brother wants to shine.
Diggs, little hooper, little point guard.
He's uh, you know, we reclassed him so we could get bigger. You know, he's got his uh as private private coach James, and you know, training his muscles.
He's got a we got a whole he's got a whole crew behind him.
That's actually going to be very very helpful because when you're young and you're doing it. When you're young, they not only teach you how to build muscle, get strected, what have you.
They also teach you about stuff you need to avoid.
I walk around in my fifties down with knee injuries because I was playing on cement all of those years and.
Stuff like that. You know, they guard you against that in this day and age. So I think that's very very helpful.
But getting back to you, I want you to take a moment to really reflect on all the work that you have done. As you reflect on your career and what you've been able to achieve, how do you feel about where you are now and the road you had to travel to get here.
You're good, man, good, I feel I feel good. It took me a minute because you know, in my day and age.
We grew up and it was like white Hollywood and black Hollywood.
And for the longest time, you know, we were taught black Hollywood wasn't enough so I would be making it. But then I would and I would be proud and I would have pride. But then it was always like, Okay, I want to be like a will. I got to break, I got to cross over, got a cross over. And it wasn't until just recently where now I'm old enough to really appreciate, you know, young people coming up to me saying you were in the classics, like, you know, I grew up watching my mother watch you, and now I'm watching you and and now I want to be an actor, or now I want to do this or that. But but realizing that, you know, the work that we've done has an effect on people, and now I'm I'm proud of that. You know, where it used to just be let's climb, let's climb, let's climb until I'm I'm I'm good as they say I am. But now it's different and I'm very very proud. I'm very proud.
So you never took time to smell the roses until.
No, we were taught, you know, you know, just keep moving, you know, just uh, you know, my mom would say, And now I'm realizing other other other parents would tell their children this. You got to be like, you got to be five times as good as as they are. And if you're trying to be five times as good, there's no time.
To smell the roses. You're too you're too.
Busy trying to be five times as good as an expresses. So now I'm still on my hustle. But but I'm not I'm not letting that pass. I'm appreciating. I'm listening, you know, to the to the compliment.
Did you ever take a moment to define or classify what exactly was five times better as you were on that grind? Because a lot of times I feel, i know, in my life, when I'm on that grind, just like you just finished talking about, you get lost because all of a sudden it's like, well, what's really what's really success? I thought this was success and then I achieved it, but I don't feel fulfilled.
All right, I'm gonna go.
After this, but damn it, I got it, but it doesn't feel fulfilling.
What is it?
What?
What did qualify that five times better for me.
Another great question for me what I could control was and I used to get fun of it. I used to I used to get made fun of how I how I presented myself. So my mother was a teacher, so I would listen to how she would speak. She made sure I was reading all the right books. I would watch how they they would talk and interact with each other, so I had that.
I had that down.
No one was ever gonna come to me saying, you know, well he doesn't really speak.
I got made fun of people to say I spoke white.
But if you put me in a room with white people and they could have mess with me, you know what I mean. I knew I held myself accordingly. And you know what I loved about my mother. She used you know, prominent African Americans, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, you know, and she was like, you need to be like this, you need to be like these people. That's that's that's that's that is what is required of you. So so once I got that under my belt, it was a trip with you know, my identity. Because the cast from the hood, they didn't really get it at the time. You know, so I was. There was always this disparity of I'm like you, but you're not accepting me. But then you think I'm trying to be like them, but I'm trying to move us forward. There was a whole bunch of that, and it was thank thanks to people like you, me seeing cats that you know are cool but then still articulate, and you know, growing up it was it was rough, but luckily the right people were in front of me. And you know, I really feel like the universe, you know, kind of laid a path for me that everything now is starting to make sense and I can, you know, relate this to my son and he gets it.
I'm thinking about what you just finished explaining, and depressure and what you do to really qualify, just establishing yourself as one of the best, if not the best, having that peer pressure trying to sort of pull you back and stuff like that. There's a lot of cats out there who wish they accomplished half of what you've accomplished, particularly in the act, you know, in the world of acting and what have you. I'm wondering what advice would you give to them, based on the experience that you've had to endure and ultimately overcome in order for them to have a chance at succeeding today's day and work because times have changed so much over the last.
Couple of decades.
I would say, keep your head down, keep moving, and I would say listen to your uh, your inner voice, and keep the energy, keep keep moving forward, because a lot of people will stop me, you know, at a street corner, outside of an interview or whatever, and say, do you have any advice for someone? And I never asked anybody, and we didn't have time. We just moved forward. So part of me wants to say, if you're worried about what somebody else is going to tell you, your head's not in the right place, keep moving. When you keep moving, you'll you'll find yourself, you know, next to other people that well, you can just watch them. You don't have to ask, you can just watch. I like how this cat's moving, I like how this category. Who's this dude who's talking about sports? Listen to his vocabulary? Okay, I can speak.
Like that, you know.
I mean, but when people are it's sedentary, what's that mean? When you're when you don't when you staggering, those are the ones that are like, well, what can I do? What can you do?
You should be already doing it, you know what I mean?
I like the cats that are like I see you at the top.
I like them cats.
I don't like the cat that's say I'm gonna take your spot.
See now you're ignorant.
Now, I ain't doing a damn thing to help you because you're trying.
To take my job. You ain't trying to join me, you're trying to replace me. That's just a dumb thing to it, don't you What did you say?
What you say?
Hey, man, you know I like that better than not moving at all. That's fair, you know what I mean?
I like that.
And then then they're not not moving at all. At least you're moving because you know energy will come back to you.
What's the best role you've played?
Man, it's corn if I'm like, oh, father, you know what I had to play. I had to play the dressing drags, headwigging, the angry inch. It's just crazy play where it had to be in high heels and a wig and make it was. I had to sing, I had to dance, I had to act. It was on Broadway. That was crazy. And then uh but then there's the you know, the best man that just that crew.
It's like going back to school.
Morris Chestnut, you know, I mean, Lord, have mercy. I mean, just bring it back. Memories, Just bring it back, memories. Stella House, Stella got a group back.
That was the first one.
I mean, that was with Angela. I mean it was we must we must acknowledge. That was with Angela Basset.
You understand What did that do for you, Carol Man? Well, that I was right on I was right on schedule. For me, that was like the universe telling me, all I keep moving, You're you're on the right path. I learned so much from from her and whoopeed and uh and I just knew to keep to keep going, to keep going.
When you say you learned so much from them, what was it?
They acted like they belonged there, you know, and was I wasn't used to that, you know what I mean? You know, we were raised, you know, not not not to say that they weren't polite, but when they when they were on set, you could tell it was their set.
And uh.
And you know it's tough coming up where you want to be polite and you want to make sure you're humble. You know, you read the Bible and you say turn the other cheek, and you don't want to speak too loudly or come off rude. But you know, I saw at that early age that these were strong, black, prominent women who were to be taken very seriously. And that was that mental life.
It's interesting that you bring that up, because obviously I know Lea Long a little bit. She's been absolutely wonderful to my daughter. I really really treasure her. Angela Bassett is a legend in this business. And you would hear like you just said, you know, they owned the set, and like they didn't take any mess, they didn't play any they.
Didn't play any games. You weren't going to bully them, push them around.
You hear the same thing about the Denzels of the world, the Morgan Freeman's of the world. You know, you hear stuff like that. I've even heard stuff like that about you. And I used to go like this, that means a brother don't play.
I mean that mean he about his business and you better.
You better be about your business or it's gonna be a proper all right. I mean, do you like having that reputation? Is this something that an actor or you know or an actress is leery about because it could potentially affect your work.
What about that it could it could especially with with women, you know what I mean.
And then with with black women.
You know, there's this there's this idea that you know when when a woman is uh direct, that she is a b you know what I mean. But but it's slowly, it's slowly changing, and and I love.
To see it. I love to see it. I love I love strong.
Let's get back to the Best Man because it's one of my favorite I mean, I mean my favorite, my favorite I don't mean.
To throw this at you. My favorite scene was.
When Morris what Morris Chestnut w ch you're saying in the first one, right and.
About the throw you over the damn balcony.
His wife was my favorite seed because Terrence Howard comes up and.
There he and he goes like this, al Bab, al bab, you ain't gonna do that, bab, you ain't gonna do that. You gonna marry a beautiful woman, a woman that loves.
You and only you.
I mean, it was like, yo, I c I mean, that was my favorite character and the Best Man because he was he said, coming.
On, comeback desk Joe lbab. Oh, it's hilarious. It was hilarious. You know that. I love I absolutely love that movie. How do you compare the three the three best minutes?
Oh?
Man, they they they It happens on its own, it really does. Once I get in the same room with them, we immediately just uh, it's like riding a bike, you know what I mean? And uh, we those characters just come right back to us. And thank god, the writing is such that, you know, we just have to say the words and and and show up and everything else kind of happens.
Is it true that the Wonderful Night small mannered Neil Long slapped the living in that scene?
That is that true?
Is so true? That was? That was? That was a good lesson for me to Yeah, a lesson to me now, just.
For everybody to notice or to try to interject.
But that was after you got your ass kicked by more Right, and then you were because you were supposed to be getting with near that night. You understand, you were supposed to be cheating on Sonati and then and then after that you came back to the house, but you were all beat up, and she was all in the mood, ready to go friends, you know, and you just ruined everything.
So she really slapped you.
She did, and it wasn't it wasn't scripted.
Wow, And you know, I just come out of drama school and I was just so so so offended that she was.
She would not tell me ahead of time.
But it was one of the best choices, Uh, one of the best choices that was made in that film.
I think.
Yeah, sometimes you just gotta, you know, improve and go with you what you feel.
You brought up black women, and you talked about the roles and the perceptions that they have in the stigmas they have.
To fight off and stuff like that.
And I imagine working with your own people who look like you, share your cultural identity, et cetera, et cetera, can be a huge plus. But some would say it's also a plus to work with folks who are very, very different, because it forces you to display your range. Yes, which brings me to All American. Yes, okay, And I'm wondering juxtaposon or comparing the two being amongst the cast and crew with Best Man compared to All American, was.
There a distinct difference? Did it call for a different challenge for you. Oh sure, sure, I mean it is what it is.
You know, it's different when you're working with family, right, when you're working with with people that are just nice, but it's always lending itself to improvement, you know what I mean. All American was greatest because it was so diverse. It was so diverse, and a lot of what we.
Were dealing with on the on the program.
These were issues that people have to deal with in real life, having to deal with diversity and race and you know, uh, identity, all of that.
So it was it was a real was a real blessing.
Did you like being a football coach?
I did? I did?
You know, I consider myself athletic, not an athlete. My kid is an athlete, but I got to kind of pretend and uh and when he was coming up, we would watch the show together.
And he would correct me and plays and it was it was awesome.
How did that assist you with your parenting of your kid, who you say as an athlete?
Very very much so, just seeing how I was forced to watch other coaches and and you know how we have a wonderful supporting cast that did stunts and hearing those stories. My assistant Troy Troy Brookins played in the in the NFL, and you had to tell me, you know what, how how he was raised. And so now I have this, all these different people to draw from and apply that to to parenting, because as you know, athletes, they're built different, you know what I mean, And you gotta I gotta treat him different. He's got a he's got a mind, and he's hungry. So I gotta let that animal out. So I'm not you know, there are times when I'm a little bit less disciplinary and I let him get to get a little big on on on the court and let you know, let him kind of roar.
And how old is he then?
Fifteen?
Okay, so you know he's not he's not of age yet where he could drink.
Alcohol is kid, no, no, no, no, but.
He can he can show he shoulders me like I can feel his weight, I can feel his way to when I'm in the kitchen and he's passing me.
I was asking that question. I was asking that question because I'm reading about some bourbon that you got right now. I mean, I was wondering about that. I mean because you know you you out there doing that thing. And Dave's got some bourbon to market and promote. People gonna take a sip of that. But you know that's what I'm asking about.
I appreciate that. Yes, me Harold's Paranol, More's Chestnut uh and uh and Malcolm malcolmy Lee we uh ownership.
We we have this this this bourbon sable.
More smooth brothers over the bourbon la y'all, y'all what y'all trying to do?
Man?
What trying to do out there?
We're trying to explore, you know, stretch out, you know what I mean. Expand I'm thinking that's been fun.
I know that.
And one of the other things that I wanted to bring up with something that you got going on with Anthony Anderson, because I mean, this is this is the whole, the real, the fox is the real full Monty. I needed to talk about that for a quick second too, because I mean, literally, there's no exaggeration.
These people showing the ass. It's showing the ass.
I mean, explain, explain this what's going over with us all for a good cause, for for for cancer awareness. Me and Anthony Anderson, you know, Tyler Posy, you know a bunch of people got together and we do a dance that's choreographed where it's the stifties. But we're doing it to make people more aware and to hopefully convince folks to get out there and get tested for testicular and colon cancer or nothing.
We need it.
We needed the thing that really, you know, I remember when it was a scene and you know, in the Best Man, when you had your shirt off and stuff like that, and Nea Lung's just looking at you like, Lord, have mercy. And I often wonder where people like yourself and others who are in Hollywood and in shape, you know, the male model, I call them Zoolander.
It's Morris chest nothing. This is a true story.
I'm at an event right and literally this is the true Morris Chesnut, Michael Ealy, Boris Kojo, Lord Jesse Williams, and me not damn it.
If there was ever a place that I found out of place, it was that I'm like I said, you know, I said, man, I look horrible compared to this crowd right here. I don't want to be around any of y'all. Right now, you got that height, man, Do y'all.
Ever think about I mean, being a sex symbol?
Do the fellas pay attention to that. Do you like that? Does that make you more money in Hollywood?
I'm sure it does. I'm sure it does. But you know, like I said, I was raised in the church and you were always taught to be humbled, don't don't think too highly everyself. And you know, I started out really scrawny and skinny and insecure. So I've had to build myself up. And then sometimes you know, when when when you're really successful or when you're you're you're blessed enough to be successful, you you wonder if you're even supposed to be there. So I've had to do the opposite and just like talk myself up and yeah, I'm somebody. I deserve to be here.
Does it deserve to be standing next to Boris Kojo?
Does it inspire you to be in the best physical condition possible?
Is it the work? Is it the perception of how you're looked at? Is it the artistry? Or is it being a parent to an athlete?
It's that? Is that? It's that? Yeah, my son inspires me.
And now he's old enough to kind of poke me in my little right minute.
What's six pact that?
So let me get this right, you work out so you can eat right, And I said, yeah, I said, that's that's not the way to do it.
Pop, leave me.
Alone, exactly exactly.
Look, man, I couldn't let you leave out of here because without bringing up a list, because I've sort of put together my own list of the leading ladies that have worked with Tay Dagg's and I sort of rated them in my favorite Would you mind if I did that? If I did that in front of you, We're gonna put it right up on the board right here.
Give me number.
Five on the lift, please that I got right there, please.
One of the elite actresses in the business, no question about it.
She's hilarious. Yes, she and Regina.
And Phenomena Yo. Yeah, and Phenomena. Oh you see that right there, Lisa Ray. Okay, second movie, I got it. But but Lisa Ray was somebody.
Now you're saying the wood saying what I love the scene when Pops threatened you he was.
Sitting there when he walked up there, because that's how I'm gonna be.
That's how I'm gonna be. That's right now.
That Lisa, She's something special, right, Okay, let me show you the next one, right, here, please give it to me.
Now you see this one?
Yeah, we gotta do another something together.
Here is the problem.
How do you have the Best Man one, the Best Man Holidays two, and then the series on Peacock, a eight part series.
And at no time then y'all get together? How does that happen?
Man?
That's good writer.
They keep it, they keep you feeding for that's a lot of that's a lot of feeling.
Two movies in an eight part series.
Now this is my I thought I was gonna marry her at one point.
In real life before I met her. Right, Yes, she is special.
I've always been a sonnihilated fan.
She's a marvelous actress, beautiful woman. Now, No, that's number one.
Okay, that's number one right there, that's number one.
Yea, Angela. She's in the sixties. That's crazy, she's in her sixties.
Courtney Vance brother man, love them Dailly, always shake his hand.
Man, you're a very he That was my order right there. Understand in terms of it could fluctual. It's fluid, of course, because they are.
I'm fluid to you.
There we go, I feel, I hear you.
I understand with them, I understand, I understand what what's next for you?
Oh man?
Uh, hopefully second season for this uh, second second chance stage and Sable getting Sable out there.
Uh. And we're producing, producing a bunch of stuff.
So so producer has become important, yes, like creating ownership?
Right yeah, where I gotta get on that bus.
Do you feel like Hollywood has sort of opened the doors for those opportunities for African Americans in this country?
I think we kick are kicking it down, you know what I mean? And uh and slowly, you know, Uh, it's changing, it's changing. It's not going to be pretty though.
What could be done by those outside of Hollywood to assist in helping them kick those doors.
In getting on the same side, getting on the same team, putting putting your money back, you know, but back into into ourselves, you know what I mean. Ownership, like you said, making it so we don't have to ask permission.
We can just show up. Oh I bought this, this is mine. Here we go, We got it.
You know what I'm saying, Billy Babs, come man, what I'm saying?
Almongst other things.
The one of the only ten Diggs in the house right here was keeping it on and the pipage to talk to you.
Proud of you, proud of.
All the work that you're doing.
You've been an incredible role model to so many, so many cats out there with the wonderful work that you've been doing throughout your illustrious career. And the thing about it for me is, as long as you've been around, I think you just getting started.
Man, I think big things in the pub. So there you go.
I like your d There we go walking up here, working your game, work on your game.
Your pops, regardless of what you want to say. Your pops are ready to.
Do this thing.
You got to do your thing, okay, which
I know you well, my man, all the best one of those T digs in the house right here and Stephen ex Smith show