SPOILER ALERT! This put up incorporates particulars from Tuesday evening’s episode Fox‘s Accused Season 2.
Nick Cannon performs a person on the verge of unfathomable success when his life is totally turned the wrong way up, greater than as soon as, within the newest episode of Accused.
Issues couldn’t be going higher for Marcus (Cannon) and his enterprise accomplice Pete (Patrick J. Adams), who’re about to grow to be billionaires after they promote the AI-powered facial recognition software program they’ve developed to Google. Their euphoria over the pending sale is short-lived, although, after an nameless caller calls for thousands and thousands to remain quiet a couple of discrepancy within the software program’s accuracy, which exhibits better probability that the software program will misidentify folks of shade.
The kicker? Marcus by no means knew about such a discrepancy in any respect. Pete swears it’s been addressed, and suggests the lads pay the cash and transfer on. In any case, it’s a fraction of what they stand to make from the sale. However, Marcus can’t appear to maneuver previous the moral qualm, particularly after police not too long ago misidentified a suspect utilizing the software program, killing an harmless Black man within the course of. Whereas there was a specific amount of human error concerned in that tragedy, and by all accounts their software program was already fastened by that time, Marcus nonetheless thinks they need to disclose the data, even when it places the sale in jeopardy.
On the finish of the episode, viewers discover out that Marcus is on trial not for something associated to the software program discrepancy. As a substitute, he’s going through homicide fees after an argument with Pete about the way to deal with the blackmailer turns bodily. Marcus shoves Pete into the railing of a stairwell, unintentionally sending him tumbling to his dying.
And whereas he’s in the end discovered not responsible, the deaths of each males are more likely to hang-out him for the remainder of his life.
Within the interview under, Cannon spoke with Deadline about returning to a dramatic position for the primary time in additional than a decade for Accused, diving into Marcus’ fraught story, grappling with the impacts of synthetic intelligence, and extra.
DEADLINE: You’ve been virtually completely internet hosting for a while now. What made you need to take this position?
NICK CANNON: I imply, clearly I used to be a fan of the present, and my Fox household has alway, appeared out for me. My ardour, clearly is appearing. Internet hosting is one thing that I form of simply do for enjoyable. My craft is being an actor…Once I noticed the position, particularly, of Marcus, and the truth that he had the chance to virtually expertise each single emotion in a single hour, and I might embody a personality that’s nothing like me in a world that Nick Cannon simply doesn’t exist in, I used to be actually intrigued by all of that.
DEADLINE: So that you’d seen the present and had been fascinated with being a part of it earlier than this particular position got here alongside?
CANNON: Yeah, I imply, it’s simply nice, nice work. I really like the truth that it’s an anthology collection, the place each episode is like its personal mini film. I noticed just a few episodes — the one with Michael Chiklis together with his son…then I additionally noticed the one with Malcolm Jamal Warner as properly. I ended up watching all of them. These are the 2 that jumped out at me. I used to be like, ‘Wow, these are actually cool’…simply the way in which that it takes the viewers on a journey. You’re determining what’s occurring and who’s on trial, what occurred, after which there’s at all times a giant reveal on the finish. So it’s like, ‘Oh, man, that is actually dope.’ So like I stated, once I heard that there was this position of a personality by the title of Marcus who’s on the verge of being a billionaire, however issues go mistaken, and also you’re attempting to determine what occurs, I simply fell proper into it.
DEADLINE: What did you make of Marcus’ preliminary dilemma in regards to the facial recognition software program falsely figuring out a Black man, and having to grapple with that discrepancy in false recognition that he wasn’t beforehand conscious of?
CANNON: I feel it was, for me, this fascinating dichotomy of only a man who was simply actually seeking to present for his household and had an awesome trajectory, and the issues that will have been occurring within the exterior world had by no means actually affected him all his life. He was a sensible man who didn’t should take care of problems with of race or prejudice or any of that stuff, as a result of his enterprise acumen and his intelligence and all of these items at all times protected him from the true world, till they not did, till he truly needed to be the one confronted with the dilemma.
I believed that was at all times actually intriguing and fascinating to play…it was a whole lot of self reflection that he needed to actually take care of. Even when his accomplice, Pete, was like, ‘Look, man, this isn’t about race.’ And in his thoughts, he’s like ‘Alright, properly, is it or is it not?’ It was these issues that he was actually having to battle with all whereas on the verge of life altering cash. So I discovered that to be actually intriguing.
DEADLINE: Did it change your personal concept about using AI or make you mirror in another way on the expertise?
CANNON: Undoubtedly, it made me give it some thought. It’s a type of issues the place we are able to’t escape it. It’s right here, it’s amongst us…you simply bought to determine the way to good it and be sure that it really works for you, and that it doesn’t skew, the place it goes to an area the place it finally ends up mismanaging and even in the end inflicting somebody to lose their life. So it makes it’s important to zone in and pay much more consideration to all that’s occurring on this planet.
DEADLINE: So, then there’s this twist on the finish of the episode, that Marcus is definitely on trial for killing Pete unintentionally. I actually liked that and wasn’t anticipating it in any respect. What was your response to that?
CANNON: The twist is the one of many coolest elements of all the script. Patrick was nice. I imply, simply to have the ability to to bounce off of someone, mentally and bodily, that’s taking it simply as deep and honest as I used to be…there was a whole lot of ardour on the set, to say to least. The truth that we had been purported to be finest pals, however actually [there was] this turning level the place it in the end brought about him to lose his life, it was intense.
DEADLINE: How did you lock in to arrange for that monologue on the finish, the place Marcus addresses the courtroom? Are you glad he bought to do this?
CANNON: It’s humorous, as a result of there have been just a few totally different drafts of the script, the place it was there, then they took it away and it wasn’t there, after which they introduced it again. I used to be at all times questioning, like, ought to he get a chance to talk his piece? And what’s that? How heavy do I’m going? I used to be toying with that all the time. Once we bought an opportunity to shoot it, I imply, the courtroom was silent. I felt like I did it justice. I imply, it’s a whole lot of emotion, being that last second the place Marcus had the chance to let all of it out. He’s coping with the lack of a finest pal. He’s coping with the truth that he was part of it. He’s coping with the truth that, in the end, as a person, his character is being challenged. So he’s letting all of that out whereas not realizing what his precise destiny goes to be. As a result of, once more, we don’t even know what the sentence [would be]. We simply know he’s not responsible. So to have the ability to expertise all of these feelings directly was was actually a journey for me. So I’m glad I bought a chance to.
DEADLINE: General, what would you say was probably the most difficult a part of the episode?
CANNON: I might say he has a whole lot of nervousness and stress. I’m probably not that sort of particular person. So actually simply having to dive into that area of anguish…consuming his sorrows away and coping with his little one in a way that, he’s form of lashing out on him. I might by no means do something like that, personally. Simply having that weight was so heavy. I might say these had been fascinating challenges for me, as a result of as Nick Cannon, I might by no means deal with issues that means, however I can perceive the stress that Marcus was going via.
DEADLINE: Any extra dramatic roles in your close to future?
CANNON: Out of your mouth to God’s ears. I find it irresistible. I really like this area of with the ability to strip myself down and dive into a personality. It was a whole lot of enjoyable of simply being another person for a sure period of time.
DEADLINE: How do you select what’s subsequent?
CANNON: I’m at some extent in my profession the place I don’t should do issues for cash, so that they’re by no means jobs. These are experiences. And it’s like, do I need to go on this journey? Do I need to take this expertise? I worth that. I did fairly a bit of labor in my early 30s, and even a little bit bit in my late 20s, the place I bought to expertise impartial movie. I used to be at Sundance, at Cannes yearly. These are experiences. You’re doing it for the love and for the craft. I fell in love with that. Being a number one man in a field workplace draw, all of that stuff is cool. However, when you actually love the craft of appearing, whenever you’re doing it, simply to be like, ‘Oh, I need to expertise this position. I need to go on this journey.’ I really feel like, if I get to do this nonetheless, hopefully, till I’m not right here, that’s such a blessing to only be capable of decide roles and be part of tasks due to the fervour and due to the fabric. I’m blessed to have the ability to be in that place. So that you’ll see a whole lot of the choices that I make might be primarily based off of, hopefully, simply nice materials.
