If I had a few thoughts to sum up this interview with actor Hosea Chanchez, it would simply be that he is not Malik Wright from The Game.

Through this interview you will be able to see how wise he is as an actor.

From his commentary on his character’s emotional state, to his enthusiastic words on being nominated for an NAACP Image award, to his thoughts on why he does not have a dream role.

As The Game enters its sixth season on TV, Hosea is excited for us to tune in.

Shadow and Act: Congrats on your NAACP Nomination! How did it feel to be nominated?

HC: I want to tell you how it felt to be nominated, and I want to tell you how it felt to lose to Don Chedele. It may sound cliché, but it really was an honor to be nominated. As an actor, nothing is guaranteed. I spent a lot of years in this role, before being nominated. One thing you think about when you do get nominated is that there is a coalition of people that think you performed okay in the role. You start to think about how much of a blessing it is to have your peers and then people outside of your peer group to say bravo.

Now, I tell you, Don Cheadle is one of my favorite actors of all time. To have my name enlisted among his name meant the world to me. I remember Don from the Golden Girls spin off to Hanging with Mr. Cooper. I remember him when I was a TV head and could not go to the movies. For me it was euphoric, and I was happy that my family was glad to see it.

Shadow and Act: What was the actual process of being nominated for an NAACP? Did you get a call, a letter? Can you talk more about that?

HC: I got a phone call from my agent and my publicist at 5am in the morning one day and saying congratulation, you’ve been nominated for an IMAGE award. And I was like what are you talking about? Then I started to think to myself, when did they start releasing this information? I never really know when anyone is nominated for anything; I just know when people win. I don’t even know how the submission process works. So, it was really shocking to get that call.

Shadow and Act: You’re in the 6th season of the Game. For our readers that may not have kept up with season 5, how did it end & what can we expect for this season?

HC: Season 5 ended with a lot of the characters being in limbo. Melanie and Derwin moved away. My character was dealing with the crash of his substance abuse problems and his relationship issues, Mom and Dad issues. There were a lot of open ended storylines, which will get worked out in this season.

Shadow and Act: Most of our readers know who Malik is as a character. We’ve witnessed his storylines. But in your own words, can you tell us about the characters personality?

HC: He is a very emotionally charged individual. I know that everyone may see a hot headed person, but it really stems from him being this sensitive and caring guy that really does not know how to express himself in the right way.  In this season, you will get to see this character get fleshed out way differently than before.

Malik runs through women, and you really don’t get to see the character of a man until you see him with a woman. That’s just the way it is, and not just a fly by day and night woman, a woman that he really loves. You also get to see the character of a man when you watch how a man behaves with his mother. So with Malik, if you look at how he behaves with women and his mother, you will see his character.

Shadow and Act: How do you prepare for this role?

HC: Dude takes a lot of energy. He is so opposite than me in so many ways. I have to get in the mind set of being on all the time. The guy is on all the damn time. Early on in this role, I prepared for him by watching tapes of Dieon Sanders, Bo Jackson, Terrell Owens. Now, with this character it’s like being on auto pilot. So it’s like retraining something that is already there. I don’t have to study as much as I used to for this role.

Shadow and Act: Who have you trained with?

HC: I trained at Playhouse West, when I first moved to California 12 years ago. That was my first introduction to the technique of acting.

Shadow and Act: How was it working with Wendy Raquel Robinson and others?

HC: I love working with her. Wendy is fun and giving as an actor. Tia is a craftsman, and so into her craft. Coby is spontaneous and always coming up with different things and living in the moment. Lauren is quiet, down to earth, and one of the nicest people that I have met in my life.

Shadow and Act: I know that the show has had its share of directors during its long span.  However, were there any directors that you really worked well with?

HC: The person that has my heart as an actor is Salim Akil. He is the guy. I love Mary Lou Belli. She brought something out of me that I did know that I had as an actor. She literally changed the way that I thought of my character. Eric Laneuville was great. He is so technical, and so free.

Shadow and Act: What other projects do you have coming up?

HC: I just finished the Game. I recently shot Regina King’s, “Let the Choir Say Amen.” I star in that project.

Shadow and Act: What is your dream role?

HC: I used to have a dream role. Until I realized what the craft meant to me. By that I mean that my dream is to continue to be an artist who gets to be different individuals from different walks of life. I now have a dream career.

The Game will premiere in BET on March 26th.

You can learn more information at http://www.bet.com/shows/the-game