On this episode of “Story and Craft”, Marc sits down with actor and writer Johnny Ray Gill (“Cross” Season 2 on Prime Video) for a wide-ranging conversation about Gill’s Portland roots in an all-Black Northeast community, his working-class family, and early artistic start in spoken-word poetry inspired by the film “Slam.” Gill shares how a rites-of-passage program shaped his cultural awareness, how an internship with writer Mike Rich opened doors, and how his path led from USC film school to Temple and then UC San Diego’s theater program. He recounts booking “Harry’s Law,” reflects on hip hop’s shift as commerce overtakes art, and explains why he feels artists owe audiences truth. Gill discusses his climate-focused script “Laying Pipe,” his love of animals and nature, learning Spanish, and the serendipitous way he was offered his role in “Cross.”
SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
02:24 From Portland to LA
03:23 Working Class Roots
04:48 Choosing the Arts
08:09 Spoken Word Origin Story
11:28 College Path and Drama School
15:10 Hip Hop and Early Influences
17:10 Art Versus Commerce
20:25 Screenwriting and Truth
22:03 Pitching Laying Pipe
29:45 How Cross Came Together
34:31 Persistence and Knowing Your Vocation
36:31 New Passions Nature and Animals
40:03 Plants Pets Travel
41:40 Indigenous Symbiosis
44:26 Cross Writing Process
45:17 Bobby Trey’s Capitalism
48:34 Shreveport Food Authenticity
51:06 The Seven Questions
