Filed under: Television, Interviews, Celeb Updates
One of the few underexposed African American actors on television right now is Sharif Atkins, who's currently starring on the USA network's hit series, 'White Collar.'
The Pittsburgh native first gained attention as a member of NBC's medical drama 'ER' where he played Dr. Michael Gallant from 2001 to 2004, and came back for more appearances in 2005 and 2006.
Since then, the 35 year-old has appeared on various TV series, including a guest spot on the CBS hit drama, 'The Good Wife.'
Black Voices recently caught up with Atkins. Excerpts of the conversation are below.
Sharif Atkins: I play Agent Clinton Jones. I'm on the good side of the law. He keeps Agent Peter Burke (played by Tim DeKay) on the straight and narrow.
How's the show going?
SA: There's no greater TV right now. I feel like a rock star! It's a hit show and has a lot of great actors and a lot of great writers. You have a good time watching the show. You get smart. It's clever and at the end of the day, you're going to laugh.
When you left 'ER,' were you looking do to more TV projects or get in the film world?
SA: I went from 'ER' to 'Hawaii,' where Jeff Eastin was the executive producer and I did that for about nine episodes on NBC. Then I did a lot of guest starring spots on various shows, and did some independent films, and then ran into Jeff again and he said, "Come on aboard" to this show. I was like, "Alright, let's go!"
With you and Marsha Thompson on this show, there's a growing trend of African Americans making their mark on cable television shows than on the big network companies like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. Do you see it that way?
SA: Sure. The answer has to be an optimistic one. Why be a cynic? I think the new show on NBC with Boris Kodjoe, 'Undercovers,' will be a good barometer for whether or not that happens. It looks like a good show and I'm looking forward to seeing it personally.
Any work coming up on the big screen?
SA: Yeah, I just did a film, which is actually now out on DVD, called 'The Preacher's Kid' with LeToya Luckett. It was a good experience. I loved the scene we did where it was a climatic moment in the film where we did our little duet.
When you are not acting, what do you do on your spare time?
SA: Being in New York, I get to do a lot of things. I like to do ballroom dancing. The city offers tremendous things to do. I've been to Sylvia's in Harlem and I've been to Top of the Rock (at Rockefeller Plaza).