Shemar Moore Talks S.W.A.T. On CBS

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“My spirit is like I’ll do this s*** for free!”—Shemar Moore

Shemar Moore Talks S.W.A.T. On CBS

During the 2017 National Association of Black And Hispanic Journalists conference BOSSIP was given a first look at a new CBS series debuting this fall.

Shemar Moore is transforming himself into Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, a kickass sergeant in S.W.A.T. who’s torn between bearing the blue and remaining loyal to the neighborhood he grew up in.

Moore and his co-stars give high energy performances in the remake of the 70s series that’s directed by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas and filled to the brim with action.

Not only that, according to Moore himself it’s a special project that he’s 100% passionate about despite possibly never getting award show recognition for it.

“For 24 years I made the most of what was available to me,” said Moore to a room full of journalists in New Orleans. “Now I’m finally doing what’s in my heart and what moves me. So when I speak of Denzel, when I speak of George Clooney, I’m not gonna win an Oscar or change your minds with S.W.A.T. but I’m gonna surprise you and show you growth and show you leadership.

“I call this a dream job,” he added. “This is the dream job that’s going to lead to the bigger part of the dream. I put a lot of pressure on myself but I don’t feel a lot of pressure from the outside because I know what I”m capable of. My spirit is like I’ll do this s*** for free!”

He also spoke on the authenticity of the show…

“I think men, women, every color, you’re going to have a good time,” said Moore. “We don’t want to preach to you but we want to keep it real. You watch S.W.A.T. you’re gonna say this is fun and this is authentic. They try to keep it grimy, they try to keep it real.

and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas added that he wants Shemar’s character to become a new hero for the current times.

“We see Hondo as a hero for a new generation,” said Thomas. “Yeah you [Shemar] got baby girl nation, you got all the fans, it’s all good. But back when I was coming up we said, we want a brother who’s a badass who kicks ass on a regular basis. Yeah your mother, your auntie, and everyone’s gonna watch but your brother’s gonna wanna watch it as well.”

In the program, it’s hard not to miss that Shemar’s obviously undergone a physical transformation for the role. The actor confirmed that he and his costars underwent intense fight and physical training with actual S.W.A.T. agents and even NAVAL special war team group SEAL Team Six.

“I’ve done fight training, I gained 10 to 12 pounds,” said Moore. “I’ve been in the gym pushing them weights. Of course, I wanna look cute for the ladies but these cats, these men and women that really do this in real life—we’re being trained by real LAPD S.W.A.T., we’re being trained by real San Diego S.W.A.T., we’re being trained by SEAL Team Six.

“They’ve been in the trenches, they done killed some people,” he added. “They are physical specimens, the stuff I’m doing in the gym is not to be cute, it’s to give it integrity.”

S.W.A.T. premieres November 2 at 10/9 C on CBS.

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