Over the course of his impressive decades-long career, Morris Chestnut has solidified his place as a leading man in Hollywood. Known for his breakout role as Ricky Baker in Boyz n the Hood and a string of roles in The Best Man franchise, “Rosewood” and “The Resident,” Chestnut has consistently captivated audiences with his charisma and versatility. Now, he’s taken another significant leading part as he joined the cast of Hulu’s “Reasonable Doubt" for its highly anticipated second season. The California native steps into the role of Corey Cash, a high-profile lawyer with a commanding presence who demonstrates both legal prowess and an ability to navigate complex personal dynamics.
The drama series follows the complicated life of Jax Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi), a criminal defense attorney who balances high-stakes legal cases with her own emotional challenges. Chestnut’s character, Corey, brings a new layer of tension and intrigue to the show as he steps in to assist Jax with a major case that could reshape both of their careers. With his background in corporate law, larger-than-life persona, and intense chemistry with Jax, Corey promises to elevate the show to dramatic heights.
In this exclusive conversation with REVOLT, Chestnut redefines what a leading man in Hollywood looks like, discusses how he defines success, and shares his thoughts on Black men facing their traumas on-screen.
How do you reflect the new era of emotionally layered and complex leading men in your role for “Reasonable Doubt”? What do you think is important for the next generation of actors to carry forward?
One thing that I think was great about what Raamla Mohamed wrote is that she wrote such a layered character. It could have easily just been, “come to Los Angeles, help a friend get a friend off of [the hook] for murder.” And even though Corey [does that], he is still dealing with his own redemption story. [Viewers] see vulnerability when [he] has to deal with something from his past, and he has a father that's going to be coming up, too, where he’s dealing with small family issues as well. When you talk about a leading man, it's great to show that type of vulnerability and that we do have to deal with issues. It's not like the old days when you have an action hero movie where [the character] goes through fire, he gets hit by a car and stands up. I think it's just the evolution of what the leading man is.
What has Corey taught you about facing any personal traumas that you may have been going through and how have you dealt with it post-season?
One thing about me is I’ve never run from who I am [...] I'm very honest with who I am. It’s natural to run away from things that we don't want to deal with. As a person in this industry, it could have been very detrimental to me because we can get caught up in reviews, [...] comments on social media or any type of media to [the point] where if we don't know who we are — and it happens a lot, people come to the town, they get success but don’t know who they are as a person, they never deal with that, and they're running away — it normally doesn't work out too well. So, for me, I always face things. I'm as real as I can get with myself. No review can ever hurt my feelings to where I don't want to get out of bed or make me think, “Oh, I'm the best thing since sliced bread,” because I have a very strong sense of who I am because I deal with myself in a very real way.
How do the intense and complex scenes in Reasonable Doubt reflect Corey’s internal struggles or influence his actions? How did you approach these scenes differently compared to other dramatic roles you’ve played?
So, Corey is dealing with his own redemption story — and it’s not only about him servicing Jax’s friend. Everything that he's doing really goes back to how this has affected my own redemption story. When you see Corey in the courtroom, he's never just playing the scene or listening to a witness just for Shanelle. He's listening to that witness and playing a scene for [her], but also, how does it relate back to his overall goal, his overall redemption story?
In an industry that often pushes actors to stay relevant, how do you define success, and how has that definition changed over the years?
I've never given myself a definition of success in this industry. For me, I have personal goals — some I achieved, many I have not achieved. The thing about success in this industry — I've been in it for a long time, and I've met people who other people would say are just successful and extremely happy. However, that person, in their life, doesn’t consider themselves successful, and they damn sure aren't happy.
There are a lot of people in this industry who are miserable with the way things are going. For me, [...] I would say certain personal goals that I've had — in terms of family that I've achieved — I would say that's successful, but nothing's ever perfect, and there's still so many things that I'm striving for. Do I have some accomplishments in an extremely challenging industry? Yes. Is that success? Not for me at this time. Those are small successes.
What’s one characteristic that defines your legacy as a leading man, and how do you continue to hone that trait with each role you take on?
I would say integrity, as I played a lot of characters who have that. When I've been faced with certain decisions, I've made honest, respectful choices as characters, and I think people have been drawn to that. That’s how I also try to live my life.
Reflecting on your career, can you share a time when you faced self-doubt and thought it was reasonable, only to overcome the challenge and realize you shouldn’t have doubted yourself at all?
I do believe in reasonable doubt. I sometimes think there is unreasonable doubt, but some people doubt themselves without trying to put themselves in a position to win when they [feel that way]. Life is all about perspective and how you see the world. It's as simple as glass half-empty, glass half-full. Once you have that perspective, whether the glass is half-empty [or half-full] to you, what do you do with that?
I've gone to a movie and said, “Man, Denzel Washington; he's just so perfect,” and then wonder how I can get that type of performance. I then go home and begin to practice, and that's always been my approach in different industries. I was in the car industry and thought it was a daunting task trying to own a car dealership [so I said], “Let me go to the dealership school and talk to as many people as I can to diminish the degree of doubt [and] give [myself] some type of courage,” which has always been my perspective and my approach to doubt.