Well into its second season, HBO’s “Ballers” has been heating up televisions nationwide since it first aired last summer. It hasn’t taken long for America to fall in love with star and former UCLA Bruin, Donovan Carter, who plays Vernon on the show. We spoke to him about his peculiar journey towards pursuing a career in acting.
When Donovan Carter began his undergrad at UCLA, he thought it was the beginning of a bright future in playing professional American football. However, life had a different plan for him. After assuming the role of a Bruin, he assumed the role of Vernon Littlefield on HBO’s hit series, Ballers. Carter now graces our TV screens weekly in way that is different to what he initially had in mind, but fulfilling nonetheless. We spoke to him about the process of making the transition from being an all-star athlete to becoming an all-star actor as well as to get his opinion on his character’s development and what it’s been like to work with the legendary Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Scroll down to find out a little more about the D.C. native and make sure to tune in to HBO every Sunday at 10 pm EST to catch Donovan on Ballers.
TK: Speak about your characters journey this season?
DC: It’s been an interesting journey. The season started off good, Vernon got the contract he wanted and everything he’s been working for. Then it gets taken away from him by playing paintball and he hurts his Achilles. It kind of just shows how things can get taken away quickly. You might get what you wanted and it can easily get taken away just like that so I definitely think that Vernon is grateful now. I think the situation humbled him a little bit and he also gets to see that his coach and others have his back because in the press conference, when he tell the team that he’s injured himself it shows that the team is loyal. He’s just gotta grow up a little bit more and realize that he represents something bigger than himself at the end of the day.
TK: What has been your favorite episode thus far?
DC: Every episode is my favorite, honestly. They all are my favorite, every time Vernon comes on. However, I would have to say that episode 3 on the first season was my favorite to work on.
TK: Where do you hope to see your character go?
DC: I just hope to see him grow and mature as a man. He started as a young man, and just to see him be a grown, professional athlete and show some of these players like, ‘yeah, I made mistakes but that doesn’t define me’ and that he can represent the league in the best way that he can.
TK: I know you have somewhat of an unusual story behind pursuing a career in acting in that you aspired to play professional football since you were young. Was acting ever a career path that crossed your mind when you were younger? Speak about making the transition from sports to acting?
DC: As a kid I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I really had no clue. But I’d watch a lot of TV and I did a play when I was young, so I always envisioned it but I didn’t know how to go about it or how to become an actor so I kind of just let it slide and then I started playing sports. I mainly focused on being a kid and having fun.
I went to UCLA for undergrad and then after graduating they really helped me with the process of finding the next thing for me. They introduced me to a commercial agency, so I started doing commercials at first and then they actually got the e-mail about the opportunity to do Ballers before I did. They sent it out to a couple of my former teammates and I just took it and moved forward from there. It’s been good so far – a lot of work, time, and patience but I’ve been using the fame that I gained from playing football and translating into the acting world. I’m just doing the best I can and that’s all anybody can ask for.
TK: How much personal experience did you channel into building the character that is Vernon?
DC: I have definitely used some of my personal experience in my football career and have channeled it into creating Vernon and putting it on display with my art, but it’s honestly just been really fun to play the character that I can’t personally relate to.
TK: How is your relationship with Mark Harmon now?
DC: I mean, he’s a busy guy but whenever I reach out to him he gets back to me when he can. I continue to watch him from afar to keep an eye on the things he’s doing, but I was just blessed to get to speak to him last season and to get to know him. We still chat a little bit, I need to get my car because football season is coming up so hopefully we can get him out to a game this year. He was really influential because he just told me straight up how it was, he was just honest with me and that’s what I needed at the time. I just took it and I ran with it.
TK: How is working with The Rock ?
DC: He’s been amazing – just the coolest and hardest working guy ever. He’s so humble too! He let me know early on like, ‘wherever you are in this business, you can’t let it get to your head. Just be the same person you were before you got all of this success.’ All of my cast members, really, are just the most humble people and they’re super successful so I’m definitely trying to learn from them. Dwayne is so cool, absolutely no complaints. He’s the ideal lead person that anyone would want to work with and because he’s so cool, it just really makes me look forward to going to work. There are so many good vibes when we go in.
TK: What are some of your favorite TV shows currently on air?
DC: Ballers would be my first choice, of course. I love Narcos, I love Power…Orange is the New Black…Empire. There are so many good shows right now, I’m so glad scripted TV is coming back.