NICE BOY OF THE WEEK: Russell Hornsby

Recently at Dragon Con, I interviewed Claire Coffee and asked her who of her Grimm co-stars should we feature in our Nice Boy of the Week column, and she said Russell Hornsby. After I went to his panel and saw how honest, intelligent, funny and charming he was, I knew she was right. He is the perfect candidate for Nice Boy of the Week.

Russell was born in Oakland, California and got bit by the acting bug in High School after he performed in a production of The Wiz. He went to Boston University and studied theatre and got a degree in Performance. He then continued his education at Oxford University’s British Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Russell currently stars as Lt. Hank Griffin on Grimm but is also well known for his leading role as Eddie Sutton on “Lincoln Heights.”  You May have also seen him on “In Treatment,” “Law and Order,” “Shameless,” and “The Good Wife.” He recently starred in August Wilson’s “Fences” with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

During his panel at Dragon Con I asked him what his favorite Wesen was (so far) and what Wesen freaked him out the most. He answered, “My favorite was probably the Spinnetod (Spider). None of the Wesen themselves really freak me out, it is more the road of destruction that really freaks me out. It is really a testament to how good our art and makeup departments are because the carnage that is left is just disgusting. The carnage, death, and destruction visually takes you to another place and although I’m a grown man (laughs) that would be it.”

At the end of last season he was on crutches and we all wondered what happened. He revealed that he tore his Achilles tendon while watching the Super Bowl (now that is a true fan). He shared that he would love to have Keith David or James Earl Jones guest star on Grimm as a villain (which would be awesome).

When asked what he took away from the experience of his role on Lincoln Heights and portrayal of an African American Family in that kind of community, he was taken back. He took a moment and tearfully answered “Wow. You just don’t see that (referring to the positive image of African American families on TV). The effect the show had on the African American community was positive. We knew we were doing something different. People would thank me for doing the show. As the show grew, I really started to see the effect it had on people. It will always have a special place in my heart. It will always be with me and it was an inspiring experience.” He was not the only person who teared up, several audience members were wiping their eyes (myself included). It was a true heartfelt moment and I was glad to have witnessed it.  I couldn’t think of a better candidate for Nice Boy of the week!

Make sure to catch Russell on the Season 3 premiere of Grimm on Friday 10/25 at 9/8c. You can also follow him on Twitter @russellhornsby