It’s good to be a King. At least that’s what Laz Alonso tells me who is star of the new A&E hit series, Breakout Kings. But one of the hottest guys in Hollywood right now says that for him, becoming a King wasn’t a matter of inheritance. It was a matter of conquest. Which he believes is what it takes for us all. It is a matter of working hard at your craft and continuing to challenge yourself with new things, Laz says.

Breakout Kings is an action-packed ensemble drama following an unconventional partnership between the U.S. Marshals’ office and a group of convicts as they work to catch fugitives on the run. Every episode starts with what creator/writer Nick Santora describes as “a huge breakout… some require genius and a lot of violence and some are done with genius and barely raising a finger” by the con. The US Marshals are Charlie Duchamp and Ray Zancanelli (Laz Alonso and Domenick Lombardozzi). The cons on the team are Lloyd Lowery (Jimmi Simpson) Shea Daniels (Malcolm Goodwin) and Erica Reed (Serinda Swan) each bring their own special talents to the table. Rounding out the team is Julianne (Brooke Nevin) who does research about the cases.

After appearing in the top grossing film of all time Avatar, and with his turns in The Fast and the Furious franchise, Spike Lee’s Miracle on St. Anna and his newest box office hit Jumping the Broom the bona-fide film star was excited about a role on television. The role of US Marshall Charlie Duchamp on Breakout Kings offered Laz Alonso the opportunity to play a good guy at heart with a lot of depth. Laz counts the American Black Film Festival as an important part of his career journey and ascension to King. He started attending the ABFF as it is known from the inception and took advantage of its workshops and networking.

See more of my chat with Laz Alonso.

Breakout Kings airs on the A&E Network.