*We caught up with Don Cheadle and Dexter Darden to unpack their captivating roles in Peacock’s “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist.”
The series, based on the hit iHeart true-crime podcast, unravels the notorious heist that took place on the night of Muhammad Ali’s legendary 1970 comeback fight. Darden brings Ali to life while Cheadle portrays J.D. Hudson, one of Atlanta’s first Black detectives as he explores the crime that shook the city and helped transform Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.”
“I didn’t know anything about the story specifically, but I was really intrigued by it,” Cheadle told EURweb exclusively. “Not only the specific story but Atlanta during this period of time. When I became aware of what the cast was, I was similarly excited,” he added.
“J.D. is a real character, a real human being that existed. So to be able to look at the resource material and look at interviews of him, read up about what was happening in Atlanta and the police force during that time… it was just exciting to have the opportunity to jump into these shoes with a production value that’s so high that made you feel like you were really in the right place.”
The ensemble cast includes Kevin Hart (“Chicken Man”), Samuel L. Jackson (“Frank Moten”), Taraji P. Henson (“Vivian Thomas”), and Terrence Howard (“Cadillac Richie”). The series also features Chloe Bailey (“Lena Mosley”), Marsha Stephanie Blake (“Delores Hudson”), Lori Harvey (“Lola Falana”), and Sinqua Walls (“McKinley Rogers”).
Darden said his research focused on “studying Muhammad Ali and what he was going through at that time.”
He added, “Because the events of this show are definitely apparent and real. But what Ali was going through, not being in the ring for those three years, from 1967, 68, 69, et cetera,… where he was, what his mentality was, what the civil rights movement was doing… and the podcast, we have such a beautiful piece of literature to listen to, to bring these performances to life.”
Darden also turned to YouTube videos to tap into Ali’s essence.
“I also went to Louisville,” he shared. “I went to where he came from to hear how those people talk…like that accent, that dialect is so specific. It’s not Arkansas. It’s not Texas. It’s Louisville, Kentucky. So I went there, I spent two days by myself and just kind of went to his grave, went to the house he grew up in, and spent some time understanding who Muhammad Ali was as a person. That’s kind of what I wanted to bring to my performance as Muhammad.”
Created by Shaye Ogbonna, Kevin Hart serves as an executive producer on the series along with Will Packer and Sabrina Wind for Will Packer Media, as well as Bryan Smiley and Mike Stein for Hartbeat.
The first three episodes of “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” debuted September 5 on Peacock with new episodes premiering every Thursday through October 10.
Watch our full conversation with Don and Dexter via the clip below.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Kevin Hart and EP Bryan Smiley Discuss ‘Fight Night: Million Dollar Heist’ and Bringing Chicken Man to Life | EUR Video Exclusive
