Probably no Emmy nominee was more surprised and delighted to learn that the TV industry has decided to laud his work than high-schooler Asante Blackk, 17, of Waldorf, Md.
He made his TV debut as Kevin Richardson, one of the five Harlem teens wrongly arrested and convicted of brutally attacking a jogger in New York’s Central Park in 1989 in the acclaimed Netflix four-part limited series, “When They See Us.” Their convictions were reversed and the men were exonerated in 2002, when the actual perpetrator was identified. The five sued the city of New York and received a $41 million settlement.
woke up to find out i’m nominated for an emmy. for my first ever project. at 17 years old. wow. i love y’all. thank you so much. pic.twitter.com/G0h0agcRwQ
— Asante Blackk (@AsanteBlackk) July 16, 2019
Blackk’s nod for supporting actor in a limited series was just one of 16 claimed by the show directed and co-written by Ava DuVernay. He is in good company, including castmates John Leguizamo and Michael Kenneth Williams. Among his other competition are the esteemed likes of Paul Dano (“Escape at Dannemora), Stellan Skarsgard (“Chernobyl”) and Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”).
According to his IMDB page, Blackk began acting at age 6 when he was cast as Mowgli in “The Jungle Book” in 2008. When he was in high school, he joined the theater department and took lessons to hone his skills. He was awarded with the title “Most Promising Actor” at the state-wide Maryland Thespian Festival and is the current president of the North Point High School Theater Club.
SEE Jharrel Jerome Interview: ‘When They See Us’
After making such an impression with his first TV role, it is likely we will see Blackk again. Besides, Emmys are already a family tradition. He is the nephew of Samira Wiley, who was Poussey on Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” and won an Emmy as a guest actress in a drama series for her role as Moira in on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Check out the video interview above and learn more about Blackk and how he became involved in “When They See Us.”
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