G R A N T H A L L

Cox: Grant Hall, I’m exc ted to speak w th you about your returning role as Kyle I’m not going to lie; Kyle is that guy who instantly rubs you the wrong way when we were introduced to him in season 4 (laughs)

Hall: (Laughs) You know what’s funny? had a feeling that was coming

Cox: That’s hilarious Do people have that reaction to you after playing Kyle?

Hall: I’ve gotten it a couple of times (laughs)

Cox: That’s a good thing because that s a testament to how well you can play a character unless that’s how you are in real life (laughs)?

Hall: (Laughs) No, Kyle s definitely very separate from who am n real l fe

Cox: How does it feel to be asked to come back and play Kyle?

Hall: I feel very blessed because, in this business, you are very much left in the dark I had moments where I would wonder if they l ked how I did everything last season

Cox: Now that we got the laughs out the way, I want to get straight into what we can expect from Kyle this season Hall: You know we see this transformation in him Last season we left off with him splitt ng up with h s girlfriend Annika (played by Justine Skye) We see them going their separate ways, and she gets with someone else I don’t want to g ve too much away, but we see him trying to get her back

Cox: I understand not wanting to give too much away so the viewers can have something to look forward to So let me know about the experience audit on ng for Kyle and landing the role

Hall: Man, it was definitely an interesting one I almost didn’t even audition

Cox: Wa t, why?

Hall: I was playing college baseball last year The audit on was around the same time as my game I decided the night before to choose the game over the audition But that night I heard the voice of intuition telling me to do the aud tion It was so clear that I knew it would have been a mistake if I had denied it So I called my fr end Roman when I woke up the next day to help me make the audition tape, which was a wrap

Cox: Grant, you have been in previous projects so dur ng that time what made you think that this was an opportun ty okay to pass on?

Hall: You know this quest on reminded me that I had audit oned twice for the role of Kyle The second t me I mentioned that I almost didn’t do t was because they requested me to have the audition tape over with just a change in one word (Laughs) I was th nk ng if you want me, give me the role But f I had to figure t was a callback without calling it a callback So, I m happy I obviously d d it n the end

Cox: I’m glad you followed your intu tion Now Grown-ish s a popular show and com ng off an even bigger franchise of Black-ish, d d you feel any pressure to make sure you nailed your scenes?

Hall: The most challenging scene for me was the first day I had a scene with Junior (played by Marcus Scr bner), who I have followed and seen on television But you don t know how real t gets unt l these individuals are right in your face So, we were in the van going to a locat on, and he asked if I wanted to run lines I knew these lines inside and out; remember, I had to do two audit ons for it So, Marcus said his first line, and my mind went blank when it was my turn I was like, wa t, hold up guys, I know this, and we all started laugh ng

Cox: What caused you to blank out at that moment?

Hall: You know the reality of it all just really k cked in that I was acting with a television star I then real zed that this is where my life s tak ng me

GRANT HALL TALKS ABOUT COMING BACK AS KYLE IN SEASON 5 OF GROWN-ISH! HE GIVES US INSIGHT INTO HIS JOURNEY IN ENTERTAINMENT

Cox: What caused you to blank out at that moment?

Hall: You know, the reality of it all just really kicked n that I was act ng with a television star I then realized that th s is where my life is taking me

Cox: I want to know your origin story Did you always know you had th s love for acting?

Hall: Man, I didn’t know t until later n life Growing up, I was always the class clown, and I knew loved the entertainment But growing up in Oh o the only road to being on telev s on is playing sports So that was the road I took since I was always good at sports I took a theater appreciat on class when I played baseball at a community college It was the first day of that class when the teacher was taking attendance and looked at me I was thinking about what was go ng on, and she told me I had a perfect look for telev s on and f lm At that moment, I knew this was what I was supposed to be doing It was all fru tion She had me enroll n all the acting classes and take mprov The rest is h story from there

Cox: I know your sports background helps br ng that d scipl ne for you when t comes to the craft and audit on ng

Hall: Yes, it does, and my dad was a professional athlete He instilled all those principles n me at an early age

Cox: One thing I have learned from interv ew ng individuals from an athletic background is that you all have your game face on

Hall: You know what it is? We are good at h ding our nerves didn’t realize that until someone told me I never showed it I’m l ke but I was definitely nervous on the inside (laughs) In sports, you are taught you can t show weakness to your opponent or be vulnerable That works in the sports world but when you get into act ng you realize it’s the opposite You have to be able to bring that vulnerabil ty on set

Cox: You do it all because people don t know your model e ther

Hall: I started modeling before acting when I first moved to LA I got signed within my first year here I walked nto an agency and told them I would be a good model They took the closest headshot ever that day They called me two weeks later to let me know they wanted me to sign with them Fortunately, they were an agency that primar ly focused on modeling but also had acting in their services Once the modeling took off for me with them, I knew I needed to shift back to acting because that s what I wanted to do

Cox: What is it about acting you love the most?

Hall: I love the craft that can transform the lives of others watch ng

Cox: Before the end, what advice would you give to any actor going through a tough t me?

Hall: You must keep moving forward toward your goal in this ndustry None of us always get the roles we want, so we have to use our prev ous accomplishments to keep us confident The parts that are destined for you will come Stay Focused!

“You know what it is? We are good at hiding our nerves. I didn’t realize that until someone told me I never showed it. I’m like, but I was definitely nervous on the inside (laughs). In sports, you are taught you can’t show weakness to your opponent or be vulnerable. That works in the sports world, but when you get into acting, you realize it’s the opposite. You have to be able to bring that vulnerability on set."