Michele Weaver, J. August Richards Talk New Show "Council Of Dads"

Source: NBC / Getty

Back before the days that coronavirus had all of the world on lockdown, we had the chance to lunch with the stars of one of NBC’s new shows “Council of Dads.” We’re gonna tell you now — go ahead and get your Kleenex ready! We chatted with two of the show’s stars, Michele Weaver and J. August Richards about the special new show that’s set to air Tuesday nights after “This Is Us.”

We’ve enjoyed watching veteran actor J. August Richards through the years on shows like “Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D,” “Girlfriends Guide To Divorce” and “Angel.” In “Council Of Dads” he plays a doctor, husband and father to a 13-year-old daughter. He also plays one of the men chosen to the “Council Of Dads” that give the show its name.

Source: NBC / Getty

“This amazing father of five is diagnosed with terminal cancer by me, his oncologist,” J. August Richards told BOSSIP. “He decides, in the event that something were to happen to him, he would want some men to show up for him in his place, so through careful consideration he chooses me, his oncologist, his best friend from childhood and the man who he sponsors in Alcoholics Anonymous. So the three of us, who sort of not knowing each other, come together to be fathers to his children.”

Michele Weaver, who we LOVED on the Mara Brock Akil helmed OWN series “Love Is” plays eldest daughter Luly Perry.

“The thing that I love about Luly, I have a white dad, I’m biracial, that’s one thing that I do love about Luly, is I get to play a biracial girl who is actually, her mom is black and her dad is white,” Weaver told BOSSIP. “When I was growing up people didn’t think my dad was my dad, even though I look JUST like him, aside from the skin tone. I love the fact that I get to play that. I also like that they made Luly’s love interest a black man. I think as a biracial woman, race and identity is so big, especially when I was going to acting school, I wasn’t black enough for this, I wasn’t white enough for this. Then it’s like [big sigh] trying to find where I belong and then just accepting I’m a little of both. Even talking about Luly, like with her clothes, she’s a little sneaker head, she’s got hoops on but then she also has her hipster vibe, she’s BOTH and I love that you can see that, it’s not really spoken about, but you see it with these little choices that were made.”

We loved that Michele brought up her wardrobe because we LOVED the ’90’s era wardrobe she wore for “Love Is,” courtesy of Afro-Latina costume designer Provi Fulp Ramphal, unfortunately Michele says she wasn’t allowed to keep any of her wardrobe.

“I had twenty suits tailored to my body, did I get to keep any of them? No! I don’t know where they are. I want them! Provi is amazing,” Weaver told BOSSIP.

Source: NBC / Getty

For “Council of Dads”, Weaver and Richards had the opportunity to work with another African-American costume designer, Ayanna James.

“It was great to work with Ayanna (James) the costume designer on this show too, because there’s another African American woman on NBC and that doesn’t happen that often,” Weaver told BOSSIP. “It was great, at least building Luly, I was like ‘We gotta make her a little black, we gotta add a little spice.’ I don’t want her to be like a “Gossip Girl” as much as I love the show, that’s not who Luly is. She’s got a little bit of everything.”

“She got me in Jordans in the hospital, that’s a black man’s dress shoe,” J. August Richards added. “She’s got me in Purple Label jackets. I play an oncologist, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t have a little flavor, thanks to Ayanna.”

For Richards, landing his “Council Of Dads” role was a bit of a homecoming.

“My first job in life was on “The Cosby Show,” which is a NBC show,” Richards recalled to BOSSIP. “The episode was called “Straight out of Brooklyn,” it was the episode when Lisa Bonet was trying to convince her parents to let her go to Africa and I played Vanessa’s boyfriend. It was all from a letter. I wrote a letter to the casting director and stalked him. It’s a much longer story. But yeah, that was my first job.”

Michele Weaver cosigned Richards that breaking the rules has helped her career as well.

“Listen you don’t really get anywhere from following the rules,” Weaver told BOSSIP. “I don’t condone breaking the law but — it’s kinda true. I broke some rules.”

We can’t wait to watch “Council Of Dads” tonight at 10pm EST on NBC

Will you be watching?