Jason Weaver & Hannaha Hall Talk ‘The Chi’,…
When The Chi returned right this moment for its extremely anticipated seventh season, it didn’t just decide up where it left off; it plunged headfirst into the aftermath of heartbreak and detailed the rise of a mom trying for payback.
Source: The Chi / Showtime
For stars Jason Weaver and Hannaha Hall, this season of Showtime’s South Side saga feels totally different and it’s more emotionally charged than ever.
Source: Chris Lowe / Paramount+ with Showtime
“I’m basking in a lot of gratitude,” Hall tells BOSSIP. “We’ve got some really, really good stories to tell this season that I think are going to keep people involved and engaged. But more than anything, I’m just extremely excited and grateful.”
Weaver, whose portrayal of Shaad is equal components life like and hilarious, echoes the sentiment.
“I think all of us who are involved in this show—cast, crew, writers, producers, directors—we’re just all very proud of the work we’re doing,” he says. “We’re proud to present some authentic storytelling. Something our community can take pride in.”
That authenticity takes heart stage this season as Hall’s character, Tiffany, reels from the sudden and violent death of her boyfriend Rob (Iman Shumpert), a narrative cliffhanger that left viewers surprised final fall.
“I struggled with it a little bit,” Hall admits. “I’ve never personally experienced that kind of grief from a significant other, so I didn’t want to diminish the weight of it.”
Source: The Chi / Showtime
To painting Tiffany’s sorrow with integrity, Hall grounded herself in the emotional timeline.
“This literally just happened the same day as Thanksgiving. They’d just shared this moment of family and love, and then…this. So it was about staying committed, understanding what she lost; not just a partner, but also her future and her business partner. It’s a huge loss in multiple areas of her life.”
But Tiffany isn’t grieving alone. Her once-contentious relationship with Rob’s mom, Alicia, performed with searing depth by Lynn Whitfield, undergoes a profound transformation as both girls mourn.
“They need each other now,” Hall says. “Before, Alicia didn’t really need anything from Tiff. Now she does. And Tiff needs her, too. It’s a season in both of their lives where they’re forced to lean on each other, even if that dynamic is still complicated.”
Source: The Chi / Showtime
Complicated is placing it evenly.
“Alicia’s still dangerous,” Hall provides about the lady who personally wished to take Douda out before Nuck (Cortez Smith) beats her to it. “Tiff wants a healthy relationship with her, but she also knows Alicia’s not necessarily safe.”
For Weaver’s character, Shaad, Alicia brings her own set of complexities, and a shocking alternative for transformation
. “After what happened to Robb—his body literally being left on the doorstep—it’s clear there’s a serious problem,” Weaver says. “And Alicia sees something in Shaad that not many others have: potential.”
Working so carefully with a titan of movie and tv like Whitfield stays an expertise both humbling and empowering for Weaver. He performs not only her proper hand, but her love curiosity.
“There was a level of intimidation at first, for sure,” he says. “But after day one, you realize she’s a team player. She told me straight up—‘Jason, we’re just two actors going to work.’ Her grace and humility made her even more of a legend in my eyes.”
Source: The Chi / Showtime
He laughs, recalling how surreal some of their more intimate scenes felt.
“I’ve had a crush on Lynn Whitfield since Thin Line, man. To be in a scene with her, grabbing her neck, and have her say, ‘Keep it real, Jason!’—I mean, come on. That’s a moment.”
Jason Weaver & Hannaha Hall Talks Nuck’s Rise To Power On The Chi
This season also introduces a new risk in the shape of Nuck (Cortez Smith), stepping into the vacuum left by the departure of longtime antagonist Douda.
Both Weaver and Hall opened up to BOSSIP about the shifting energy dynamics following Douda’s death and whether or not Nuck ought to be feared just as a lot—or more.
Weaver identified that Nuck’s close ties to the youthful technology make him a totally different variety of risk, particularly given Shaad and Nuck’s historical past.
“One of the first people to take [Shaad] out for a drink and ask if he needed some work was Nuck,” Weaver shared. “So from Shaad’s perspective, he’s just kind of in the middle, observing. Is Nuck going to take up this mantle and be a menace on the street like Douda? Or is he going to be the guy I’ve always known?”
Source: Adrienne Burrows / Paramount + with Showtime
Weaver defined that in the streets, loyalty can shift relying on who rises to energy, and Shaad’s place is all about watching how issues play out before making any laborious choices.
Hall, who performs Tiff, believes the true hazard still lies elsewhere.
“Douda will always be more dangerous to me,” she mentioned. “Nuck is zealous, he’s ambitious, but Douda was more strategic. He had way more connections and knew how to go about things better.”
But Hall added that, in her eyes, Alicia (Lynn Whitfield), may be essentially the most harmful character of all.
“Alicia is so strategic—way more strategic than Douda,” Hall mentioned, referencing Alicia’s cold and calculated attempt to take Douda out.
Source: The Chi / Showtime
“To do one thing that low down and to be so intentional about it… that’s the true villain you gotta look out for.
Despite Alicia’s maternal attraction, Hall warned,
“She has that villainous sense, but she’s also everything opposite of that as well.”
Source: Leon Bennett / Getty
Hannaha Hall Talks The Chi’s “Ghetto Black Brady Bunch”
Elsewhere in the dialog, Hannaha Hall dished on the show’s “Ghetto Black Brady Bunch”: Keisha, Emmett and Tiff, who have a difficult dynamic to say the least.
This season, Hall defined, viewers will see that trio operate as a makeshift village, particularly as Tiff continues navigating her grief journey.
“You’re going to see, there’s going to be a lot of community. There’s going to be that sense of family,” Hall says.
While Tiff will lean on Emmett and Keisha for assist—notably with the children—she’s still decided to discover her own manner.
“It’s typical Tiff to try to make a way out of no way,” provides Hall.
Jason Weaver Talks Shaad & Bakari’s Bond On The Chi
Jason Weaver also spoke to BOSSIP about Shaad’s dynamic with Bakari, performed by Ahmad Ferguson, and how their relationship mirrors real-life generational power between OGs and the youthful technology.
Source: The Chi / Showtime
“You’re going to see them go through some kind of interesting periods with one another throughout the course of the season,” mentioned Weaver. “And what’s so dope about it is it really is like the current dynamic between the Uncs or the OGs and the YNs. We explore that, we touch on it in and I think what the writers did was beautiful. They touched on it in a very playful way.”
Weaver also praised Ferguson, highlighting their real-life chemistry that bleeds into their characters.
“He and I’ve a very close and cool relationship where it’s variety of like that identical factor—like I’m Unc, he all the time addresses me as Unc,” mentioned Weaver. “And us having the opportunity to play those scenes together, it’s always really, really fun.”
The veteran actor also famous their collaborative power on set, saying,
“There are things that I share with him in order to enhance his performance, and at the same time, there’s an even exchange of creative energy.”
Source: The Chi / Showtime
He added that Ferguson typically contributes genuine insight to elevate the realism of their scenes. “
He’ll be like, ‘Hey, you mind if we try it like this, because usually how it goes…’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, you’re proper.’”
According to Weaver, those takes typically finish up being those that make it to air.
“For me as a veteran performer, to work with him and to see him proceed to ascend and to get higher and higher and sharper and sharper, each episode, each season–it’s just superior to
see that and superior to be a half of his growth and his evolution as a younger man and as an actor.”
The Chi Season 7 is now streaming on Showtime.
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The post Jason Weaver & Hannaha Hall Talk ‘The Chi’, Acting Alongside Lynn Whitfield & The ‘Uncs & YNs’ Of Season 7 [Exclusive] appeared first on GWN.
