5 Questions With Atkins Estimond of ‘Hightown’ on Starz

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There are a lot of mysteries to be solved on the gritty new Starz crime drama Hightown (Sundays at 8pm ET/PT beginning May 17), but one thing is clear: You do not want to mess with Osito.

The organized crime enforcer is played by Atkins Estimond, known for roles in Dumb and Dumber To and AMC’s beloved-but-canceled Lodge 49. The amiable Estimond hardly seems capable of portraying the coldblooded Osito, but he pulls it off with aplomb.

“I had never done a character like that,” Estimond says. “He’s a very dark person. Finding the way in was different with him than other characters that I’ve prepped for. He does have some heart, and you kind of see that later on as the arc of the show continues.”

Estimond showed plenty of heart in answering our “5 Questions”:

1. What’s been your strangest or most interesting fan encounter?
This little old lady was standing next to me in the bank, and nobody had ever recognized me from this thing, and she was like, “Were you in that Church’s Chicken commercial?” And I was like, “Yes, I was!” It was just really weird, because I was not even thinking about that, it had been so long.

2. Can you tell us about a time you were starstruck?
I worked on Dumb and Dumber To, and I got to work with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. I’d watched Dumb and Dumber since I was a little kid. The day we were on set, it was hard to not just completely fan out. I’m here to work, but every time I see them, I’m just like, “It’s them!”

3. What’s a movie that you can watch over and over again?
Oddly enough, The Breakfast Club. Whenever The Breakfast Club is on, I watch The Breakfast Club. If it’s ever on TV, I’ll stop and I’ll watch it.

4. What’s your favorite sports team?
I’m in Atlanta, so I’ve got to go with the Falcons, and also the Atlanta United soccer team.

5. What are some other jobs you had outside of showbiz?
I did customer service for MARTA, which is our local train system. I was the person at the gate who would help you if you ever needed to get tickets or load up your card, kind of like what they have in New York with MTA. Customer service at a train station? You can imagine the kind of customers that are angry at you. I did that for about four years, and I learned a lot about myself and a lot about people in that time.

About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.