COVER STORY
Kendrick Cross
Becoming a multitude of different characters that challenge me every day is what I want. The goal is to become as big as my mind can handle. – kendrick cross
the next level. He has already made the transition to the big screen as a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent in Richard Jewel and as an insurance adjuster in The War with Grandpa , starring Robert DeNiro. He also plays a FEMA supervisor in Greenland with Gerard Butler. The movie chronicles a family’s struggle for survival in the face of a cataclysmic natural disaster. “I want to push this whole ride as far as it’ll take me. Becoming a multitude of different characters that challenge me every day is what I want. The goal is to become as big as my mind can handle. Along the way, I’d love to be an inspiration to everyone. I would love to be on one of those shows that runs for 20 years or breaks box-office numbers.” Over the past four years, Cross has booked more than 25 gigs each year, with nine coming this year so far. And while they have been put on pause due to pandemic circumstances, there are some projects in the queue that will help keep the Cross persona in play, including Genius – Aretha Franklin , Coins for Love , Stockholm Syndrome , and Queen Sugar. “The other two I cannot share right now, but they are huge. For now, he will stay immersed in Georgia’s growing film and TV community, the place that continues to offer him nonstop opportunities. “I have never met a more hardworking, efficient, talented group of individuals— people who have just as much passion as the actors. We are getting big roles in Georgia, so the world is going to recognize us and trust us more with bigger projects.”
either make or break you. Cross’s tenacity can be traced back to his roots. Growing up in the same neighborhood that gave us a young Cassius Clay, aka Muhammad Ali, Cross soon struck out to see the world. He lived in Germany (he is fluent), Japan, southern US, and now Atlanta. His passion for acting hit him while living in Columbia, South Carolina, where in another time he was the “king” of spoken word, performing anywhere and everywhere he could be seen. “It felt like I was doing theatre on stage while performing my poetry. I started labeling it ‘po-theatre’.’’ After a friend introduced him to a talent agent in Charlotte, North Carolina, Cross was invited to partake in acting workshops. His first break came in a Harris Tweeter commercial, where he was cast as a father. The gig turned into recurring roles to this very day. An opportunity to be a medic on Dawson’s Creek came next. “I remember being super nervous, anxious and excited all rolled up into one. Once I learned to relax and be in the moment, it clicked.” His big break came as Titus Hughes on OWN’s Ambitions , where he shared screen time with Robin Givens, Essence Atkins, and Brian White. After parts in TV shows like Mr. Mercedes , House of Cards , Nashville , Homeland , Dynasty , Black Lightning , and The Resident, Ambitions offered Cross his first shot as a series regular. “I literally yelled out in the store I was in when I got the news. Two days later we were filming. The role gave me a chance to step outside of the box and show the world what I can do.” And while Ambitions recently was canceled, Cross knows the experience offered him a chance to get to
Kendrick Cross, Actor THE CHAMELEON
Kendrick Cross is many things, actor; poet; animal and nature lover; runner and Crossfitter. He was a former boxer, basketball player, and computer tech. A self- professed regular guy who is not afraid to try anything, anytime, anywhere; the experiences are what he says shape your life. You cannot doubt his word or his philosophy. As an actor grinding his way in and out of one the most competitive professions around, the road to where he is right now has been paved with an overwhelming amount of trials and tribulations. He has overcome shyness, poverty, death, the loss of too many friends and a slate of hardships that, Cross says,
@kennythepoet
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