Deric Augustine Talks Playing Miles on The Rookie, Career Highlights & More |

[00:00:09] Deric, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged. Thanks for having me. I appreciate you. Congrats, my friend. You know, The Rookie just premiered about a week ago, a week and a half ago, something like that? Yeah, about a week and a half ago. Congrats on this role, man. Tell us, how's it feel? Thank you so much. It feels good, man. This whole situation being on this show, it's amazing. We have a phenomenal cast and a great, great, phenomenal crew. And we all work together to make this project as great as

[00:00:39] it could be. Well, definitely. We're going to jump into this show in a few minutes. I got a lot of questions for you on the show. But let's jump a little bit about your career. Also, you know, you're born in New Orleans, right? Yeah, New Orleans. Born and raised, man. Yeah. University of New Orleans. Unfortunately, my mom got sick when I was 13. So, you know, we had to take my twin brother and I had to take care of her. And we were going to move to L.A. right before that. But we stayed in New Orleans and I wanted to go to Yale or Juilliard, but I had to stay local to take care of my mom.

[00:01:08] And which, you know, kept me in my roots, kept me grounded and really, really built my foundation for my humility. And after I graduated from the University of New Orleans, I went straight to New York, man, pursue my career fully. So how was it like growing up in New Orleans, you know, like and how did it shape you for your love to like to join the performing arts, storytelling? Like what pushed you? Well, you know, my mom, she had twin boys. Right. And I remember when we were 12 years old, she was like, y'all gonna make me some money.

[00:01:38] Is that everybody's dream? The show, man. So she like forced us to do theater and model. Remember those old JCPenney catalogs? Yeah. We were, you know, we used to model for JCPenney and did their runway shows. And an acting scout came to one of the runway shows and actually was like, you need to get these boys into acting. And from there, we did our first play. We did the King and I, and I fell in love with acting, man, through force.

[00:02:03] And New Orleans is a unique place, man. It's a very cultured city. We pride ourselves on being family oriented. And of course, the different cultures, the French regime, the Spanish regime and the Americanization of it. You know, so it's an influx of cultures and my family really prioritized family over everything, which made me humble and made me humane.

[00:02:28] And really, that's where my humble spirit and meekness comes from is my family and from my city. How did you like your theater background help you to transition now from that to TV and film? Well, my theater background, theaters, first of all, theater is so much different than film. You know, there's no redos, no cuts. And in theater, you have to be very, very well off prepared, which teaches you, you know, proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.

[00:02:58] So I'm grateful for that, that it taught me to work hard and to be prepared, to be overly prepared. But my transition was different. You know, I studied at the University of New Orleans and I come from an extensive Shakespeare background. But my first role on TV or film, I remember I was so nervous, man. And it was for this movie called. I think I did Vampire Diaries first, but I did this movie called When the Game Stands Tall. And I had this big monologue to give and I stand up and I go blank.

[00:03:30] And I did this happen like three or four times to the director. Thomas Carter was like, you can't use it. You know, you got to you're taking too much of our time. It just goes to show you that, man, you know, when you when you're in any career, you get better in time. And my foundation really forced me to be good, to be great. And it built this worth ethic in me. But it's totally different from theater than film.

[00:03:54] Because, you know, you're working with with people who are who are A-list stars and that sometimes can be kind of overbearing, overwhelming sometimes, especially as a young actor. But you have to know that your training has got you to where it where you need to be and where you are.

[00:04:14] Yeah, I wrote down here you've worked with some heavyweights in the industry, I've heard like like is there any like a lesson that you took from away from them, like working with such stars, you know, like, you know, Forrest Whitaker, you know, Rosario Dawson. Like, did you learn anything from them or any advice? You know, being with being on Godfather Harlem and playing Ali, it was it was a lot of big shoes to fill. You know, Will Smith played Muhammad Ali and working with Forrest Whitaker himself.

[00:04:44] You know, I remember the first time we had our scenes together, I was in the scene and subconsciously I was like, wow, I'm acting across a Forrest Whitaker right now. And Forrest Whitaker, Vincent D'Ofrio on set, they were really like acting coaches. So I took some tips from them and things that I still use in my career.

[00:05:04] So which is valuable for for any young actor, you know, whenever you are around people who've been in the industry for so long, you want to take in some of the things that they they've learned and you can use those in your career as well. All these shows that you've worked on also, is there like one show that stands out that like resonates with you? The Rookie. The Rookie. Yeah, man, I tell my cast members this and I told the showrunner this a couple weeks ago.

[00:05:33] So, man, I worked on some phenomenal shows. This is the first time in my career where I feel like I have a home, a post guest in somebody else's home. And I'm not downsizing any of the other projects I've worked on, but it really feels like a family. And they've really welcomed me with with big open arms. And, you know, I have great character development here. And I'm not just here because another character needs me for their storyline.

[00:06:00] Like Miles really has his own storyline, which is hats off to the writers and the creator. And that's why I say I feel like I have a home outside of being a guest. Let's jump right into the Rookie. Then was Miles on audition? Did you know somebody you worked with to say, hey, we might have a part for you and want you to come in? Like, how did that happen? Man, I just auditioned, man. I got the audition from my agents and my manager, Greeny Talent and Ryan at Zero Gravity Management.

[00:06:27] And when it came in, man, in my career, this only happened once. A project came in and I read the description of the character. I'm like, wow, this character sounds like me. He's from the South. He's from Texas. I'm from Louisiana. He used to play football in college. And he tore his knee up. I tore my knee up playing college ball at the University of New York. And, you know, he comes from this small town. Even though Sugar Land isn't a small town in Texas, you know, it's right outside of Houston.

[00:06:55] But compared to, you know, a big city like New York or L.A., it's conceived as small. And just like myself, I came from New Orleans and moved to New York and L.A. to pursue this beautiful dream. That's Miles. Miles Penn comes from this small town. And, you know, he had to pivot in careers and he still wanted, you know, a substantial role in society like myself. And he chose to move to L.A. And I was like, wow, things are matching up so perfectly. All right, let me put myself on tape.

[00:07:24] And then I got a call back and then I did the test. And, you know, I got notes from our showrunner. And that was it, man. You know, it happened so quick. And, you know, I'm so grateful. And it's kind of mind-boggling still when I think about it. So, yeah, we noticed in the first episode, too, like, you know, Miles has transferred from Texas, like you said, to L.A. Like, how do you think, like, his background now as a Texas officer shapes him to be, you know, policing now in a different area?

[00:07:54] And he's labeled as a rookie also. Yeah, yeah. He's labeled as a rookie, even though he did two years in Texas, you know, in the Sugar Land area. You know, it's going from a small town to a big city, how much you have to learn and how much Miles has to learn himself. And, you know, I don't think he's not arrogant at all. He just has this sort of, I don't know, this weight of, hey, I'm confident.

[00:08:24] You know, I've been two years in Texas. I'm coming to LAPD, which I have some background already. I don't need to learn everything a rookie would have to learn. But he soon gets humbled and learns that, hey, this is a big city, man. We got crime that maybe Texas doesn't have in Sugar Land. But in L.A., we have some, you know, we deal with bigger and things that you're going to have to learn along the way, Miles.

[00:08:51] Even in the scene where I'm running after the suspect, you know, maybe I never ran after a suspect in Texas. So I'm running wild, gun out. All that thing is planned, man, you know. And I want to do things with this character that I haven't done in any roles. I didn't want to be Derek Augustine. I wanted people to be Miles. And to see him learning as he, and growing as he learned from his T.O., Tim, and from the other officers in this program. So everything is planned out.

[00:09:21] And, you know, I wanted to add some comedy into this road as well. And which I think I did. I'm doing a good job doing. I mean, what's great about the rookie, too, you know, it's got its mix of its high stake action, you know, emotional storylines. Like, what can the fans expect from Miles, you know, both on and off duty, I guess? Yeah. Oh, man. I can't give too many spoilers. Yeah, yeah.

[00:09:47] I just, I think you're going to learn that Miles, even though he comes off as cocky and aggressive to be successful as a cop in L.A., in the LAPD unit, that he's actually, he's genuine. He's humble. He's eager to learn. And that may become off as cockiness. And he's eager to prove himself.

[00:10:10] And in the off duty unit, you might see some relationship things going on in his personal life that you're going to learn from, some family issues maybe. And you're going to learn that he's a loving guy. You know, you see that kind of in the first episode with Seth, how they gravitate towards each other. And, yeah. What's great about it, too, is like, you know, the rookie tackles like, you know, real world issues and everything.

[00:10:37] Is Miles going to be involved in any type of storyline that you can, or like a theme that we're going to see down the road? Let me see. Let me think. Obviously, without giving out a spoiler. Yeah. I can't really give out a spoiler in that retrospect. But, yeah. Let's say you're going to maybe come across some things that he does in the storyline that you may come across in your life and that you can relate to.

[00:11:07] Let's just say that. You mentioned family earlier. How was it on your first day on set? What was the vibe, like, you know, with the cast and the crew? Because you mentioned, you know, like the rookie, you know, it's exciting to join a cast like this, but it can be a little daunting, I'm sure, also. Oh, yeah. For sure. Especially when you're seventh season in. And, you know, I've been blessed to work on some other shows that welcome me with open arms like Shameless and All-American.

[00:11:31] But this one was kind of different in a way that, you know, it's a bigger cast and everyone's just so down to earth and humble, man. And, you know, there was no like, oh, we're going to give him a hard time because he's new on the show. It was none of that. It was just really, whatever you need, I can help you. Whatever you're willing to learn, I can be a teacher and I can sow into you. And I appreciate that from everybody, man. Everybody's so nice.

[00:12:01] You know, I don't have any favorites. Everyone's my favorite. You mentioned earlier to, you know, you know, you get some action scenes and everything. Any special training or stunt help while you get this role? Oh, most definitely, man. One of the police liaisons who was in the LAPD, his name is Chick. And me and the other rookie, Patrick, you know, we went on a couple of training. We did a couple of training exercises with him.

[00:12:26] And the small things like how to hold a gun, how to shoot properly, your stance, how you would chase after a suspect, different scenarios. You know, we did this motion capture thing where, you know, they really out, you know, different scenarios that would happen in the police academy. That's where we went. And, you know, we did different scenes and that. And that was fun. And I actually fell over because it feels like real life, man. You're in this thing.

[00:12:53] You know, you have the goggles on and it really feels real. And I try to put my hand on a door, on a wall. And I feel like it was just pretty cool. So, yeah, we did pretty much some intensive training with those guys. You mentioned the TOs before. Do you think Miles has a preference which TO he enjoys working with? Oh, come on, man. Give me Tim. Give me Tim. I love working with Tim, man.

[00:13:16] I think Miles enjoys it, too, because, you know, in my acting, I use a substitution technique. And it stems from Ivana Chubbuck, who is this world-known acting coach. That's my acting coach. And we use things in your life that you've been through with the material. And for me, it's like I didn't grow up without a father in real life. And for me, Miles uses Tim as a father influence in his training.

[00:13:46] And I'm using Eric as a father figure in my acting. So, it works out perfectly, man. So, I would say Tim. Tim is my – all of them, but Tim would be my favorite. Do you have a favorite cast member that you had a scene with or somebody hopefully down the road you could have more scenes with that you didn't get a chance to? Patrick and I, the other rookie, we have some great scenes. You'll see some in the next episode, which airs tomorrow.

[00:14:11] We have – you'll see a real bond between us in this next episode. I was told to ask you, do you think Miles has a crush on Lucy? No, I think he's professional. I think him showing up in the roll call in the first episode, I think he was just trying to be swaggy a little bit, overconfident. I don't think he has a crush because I don't think he would mix business with pleasure. Okay. You know what I mean? Because he's eager to please himself. The last thing he wants to do is get into trouble.

[00:14:43] The rookie's got – it's got a huge fan base and everything. What's been the fan response so far with you? What's your character? You know, I get a lot of mixed responses. Most of all, they do love me. They love my character. But, you know, they don't like the cockiness of them. And that's – you know, and for me personally, I don't like cocky people. So – but it just goes to show you that his art – he starts off overly confident, but he – as you see, he got humbled in that first episode.

[00:15:10] He's going to learn so much along the way. So I believe truly that the fans are going to love him and love his storyline, his arc, and what he can bring to the rookie story itself. Are we going to learn a lot more about Miles, like his back history or anything? Oh, you're going to learn a lot about Miles, his back history, why he came to Texas, why he's sleeping in his car. Maybe learn about his love situation that's going on and his future goals in life.

[00:15:40] And I'm excited for the fans to really get to know Miles Penn and, you know, everything he's been through. Is there anything you would change about him if you could? Man, no. I like Miles the way he is. And, you know, his character, you know, he's 26, 25 turned 26. And when I was 25, I just remember me being that eager to be successful.

[00:16:07] And the fire and the hungry attitude I had. And Miles kind of has the same thing. And I think I wouldn't change anything. How many episodes are we expecting for this season? 18 episodes. We're shooting the last one right now. But, you know, the fire situation that's going on in L.A., we're taking a break, which is we need to do that, you know, to help out our community, to help out our friends and family,

[00:16:34] and just to, you know, not just center everything around us. It's all about our community. So, but 18 episodes. 18 episodes. How would you describe Miles' journey, episode one, now, all the way through? Like, is there specific words you could use to describe his journey? Yeah, let's say growth. Growth. Okay. And let's say eagerness. Let's say succeeding. And let's say open-minded. Yeah.

[00:17:03] These type of shows, you know, they love the stories. They love, like, even possible spinoffs. Would you want to see a spinoff of Miles down the road? Oh, yeah, yeah. I remember Miles. Maybe he goes back to Texas. Yeah, maybe he goes back to Texas. You just never know. I remember I was talking to Alexi, who was our showrunner. I was like, hey, man, Miles Pimbs sounds like a cool detective name. He was like, slow down, cowboy. So, I mean, yeah, man. I think every cast member wants to be a part of this show for a long time.

[00:17:29] Any spinoff that Alexi has or, you know, any studio has, we're down for it. Because we love this material so much. And I think I can speak upon every cast member who loves this material. We're so blessed and honored to be here. Derek, is there any other shows you have coming up or any projects you're allowed to tell us about before we end this interview? I did another episode of Godfather Harlem where I play Muhammad Ali.

[00:17:57] You know, my passion project right now is my novel. I wrote a YA fantasy novel about wizards in New Orleans and hopefully it's going to be published soon. It took me years to write this thing, like over six years. And I'm excited to get this into the world and maybe make a film or TV show about that. I was just going to say that. Yeah, yeah. It's called Nolens.

[00:18:21] If you guys want to know more about it, you can go search on nolens.net or search nolens underscore series to find it on social media. Awesome. Derek, let's end this by, how can the listeners of viewers now find you on social media and keep up with you? It's just at Derek Augustine everywhere. And yeah, thank you guys. Thank you, man, so much for having me. And I appreciate it. Definitely.