*When you’ve played a streetwise gangster on FX’s “Snowfall “and a basketball player opposite Ben Affleck in “The Way Back”, audiences can get comfortable thinking they know what to expect from you. For Melvin Gregg, that comfort zone was exactly the reason to step into something unexpected. Enter Peacock’s “The Paper,” where Gregg stars as Detrick — a restless sales rep with a not-so-secret dream of making it in journalism.
“It was something I was excited to do,” Gregg tells EUR exclusively. “A lot of times, when you play a similar character so much, people think, ‘Oh, that’s who he is, that’s what he does.’ I like to switch it up throughout my career. I kind of fell into a pattern — I played a basketball player five times in a row, then a gangster four or five times in a row. Every type of gangster: retired gangster, reformed gangster. I knew it was time to move into a different space. With “The Paper, “I was able to explore that.”
Gregg knows his audience still remembers him as “Manboy,” the charismatic and lethal foil on John Singleton’s acclaimed “Snowfall.” But he’s quick to point out that versatility is the long game. “Once I leave the space and do something else, it gives me freedom to go back. People can say, ‘Okay, he does this too, and he can do that.’ After The Paper, there’s no remnants of Manboy, so if I revisit a version of that again, it’s fresh.”
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That balance — of not being boxed in by Hollywood but also keeping doors open — is central to Gregg’s evolution. It’s also rooted in lessons learned directly from Singleton. “Working with John changed how I approach characters,” Gregg says. “He demanded complexity. Even in the smallest choices, he wanted you to ground it in truth.”
Long before he was stealing scenes on prestige TV, Gregg was one of the breakout stars of Vine. The six-second video platform sharpened his timing and gave him a direct line to an audience. But for Gregg, it was never about going viral for its own sake.
“I started acting in college in 2008 and moved to California in 2011. By 2013, I wasn’t getting the opportunities I wanted. I didn’t have credits, so I couldn’t get real representation,” he explains. “I saw social media as a tool to build an audience, and that audience would become valuable to a production or an agency. I started Vine with the intention of leveraging it into traditional acting.”
What he got in return was more than attention. “I learned comedy through repetition. We’d shoot six videos a day, linking up with other creators. I got sharper, more confident. I learned editing, pacing, how to keep a story going. I even learned how to navigate attention — because not all attention is equal. Those lessons still serve me today.”
Away from the camera, Gregg has become known for his DIY empire. His Los Angeles home includes outdoor bungalows, a personal theater, and even a Jurassic Park-inspired build — all designed by him.
“Building teaches you patience,” he says. “One brick at a time, strong foundation first. That applies to acting, relationships, everything. It’s also meditative. When I’m working on a project, phone on airplane mode, just focused. Then you step back and look at what you created. That’s rare in this business, because you’re always thinking about what’s next. With building, you actually cross the finish line and can appreciate it.”
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Gregg is also carving out a future as a writer. For the past five years, he’s written daily, developing projects with ambition and heart — including a Christmas sports film he describes as “funny, dramatic, with strong character arcs and social commentary.”
“I consider myself a writer as much as an actor,” he says. “But right now, the focus is The Paper. Hopefully, people love it, and they’ll look forward to season two. At the same time, I’ll keep creating and staying true to myself.”
Now, with The Paper premiering on Peacock (and renewed for Season 2 before it even aired!) Gregg is firmly stepping into the spotlight on his own terms. The show, a mockumentary in the vein of The Office, finds him as Detrick—a sales rep-turned-journalist with rambunctious energy and heart. Critics are calling it “a fresh, funny update” on the workplace sitcom, with enough Office DNA to be nostalgic yet distinct
For viewers, Gregg’s Detrick isn’t about swagger or charm. He’s a dreamer—wry, awkward, hungry—and infinitely relatable. This is what “stepping into a new light” looks like: an actor shedding typecasting, leaning into vulnerability, and building the next chapter himself.
“The Paper” drops new episodes Thursdays on Peacock.
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Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. Follow her socials @StilettoJill or visit JillMunroe.com. Catch her live M-F on KBLA Talk 1580 from 6PM to 7PM.
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