Mekai Curtis on Raising Kanan's final season, cliffhangers answered, 50 Cent's influence, becoming Kanan Stark, Disney Channel beginnings, his parents' sacrifices, Hollywood highs and lows, behind-the-scenes stories and balancing life beyond the charact

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
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**Freddie T** (0:30)
There are actors who play a role, and then there are actors who carry the weight of a legacy. Today's guests have spent the last five years doing exactly that. From being a Disney kid to becoming one of television's most compelling young stars, Mekai Curtis has taken on a challenge few actors would even want to accept. The responsibility of bringing a younger Kanan Stark to life, a character made iconic by Curtis 50 Cent Jackson. A role that came with expectations, comparisons, and pressure from day one. But what makes Raising Kanan special isn't just a story of Kanan, it's a story of family. It's a story of Raquel Thomas, brilliantly portrayed by Patina Miller, whose performance has become really the heartbeat of the series, and one of the most powerful on TV. When you're surrounded by that level of talent, along with people like Joey Badass, competition isn't something you just run from, it's something that sharpens you. Today, we'll talk about what it takes to stay present in business that's constantly asking you to think about the next role, the next season, the next opportunity. And as Mekai puts it, you have to focus on doing the thing. We'll talk about the pressure of carrying a franchise, lessons learned from sharing scenes with stars who elevate everyone around them, and how Mekai has navigated growing up in front of an audience while still trying to find himself. And with the fifth and final season of Raising Kanan here, we'll get a glimpse into what's ahead as Kanan continues his transformation into the man we eventually meet in Power. The stakes are higher, the relationships are fractured, and the end of the chapter promises to be the most explosive yet. This is a conversation about growth, pressure, purpose, and embracing the moment that you're in. So please welcome to The Pivot, Mekai Curtis, as he sits down with me, Freddie T, and Chan. So my brother, welcome to the show.
Man, Mekai Curtis, man, welcome to The Pivot, man. Extremely excited about this. This is Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor, Ryan Clark, Pivot Fam, thank y'all for pivoting with us. We're gonna get straight to your first pivot. So, you just got hurt in football and quit?

**Mekai Curtis** (3:01)
Yeah, well, it wasn't even a quit thing. Mom was like, never again. I was like, you're right, Mom, okay.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:06)
Okay, what happened, bro?

**Mekai Curtis** (3:07)
Man, dislocated my shoulder, hairline fracture. I'm ready to go. She like, nah, that's not happening again.
I was like, okay, cool. And, you know, wound up, what, sitting in the sling on the couch, heard, oh yeah, Disney's doing this thing. And I was like, this is a long shot. I don't know how I convinced my parents to take me all the way to Missouri from Jersey for that to happen. But yeah, man, that's what happened with me, dawg.

**Freddie T** (3:32)
How dope was it, though, for your parents to do that? So many people don't have that support system. And, you know, they may have a skill level or a talent that they don't have someone who's willing to help them tap into that. To go to your parents and say, hey, man, I think I want to go try this audition. And like you said, have them bring you from Jersey to Missouri, which is an event that changed your life. What was it like to have that level of support?

**Mekai Curtis** (3:59)
It truly does take a village, man. That's something I understand growing up more and more every day. And I appreciate the village that I had, because it wasn't just my parents, man. Like I remember being there and hearing them calling to grandparents and godparents like, yeah, you know, we're here doing this thing, and it's going a little further help, basically. And you know, that just again, speaks to the love that I've been around, man. Like you're not able to do it without having the right level of pushing support around you. Yeah.

**Channing Crowder** (4:29)
Born or built? Because everybody knows you now.

**Mekai Curtis** (4:32)
Yeah.

**Channing Crowder** (4:32)
Was it in you or was it the support system? Was it the training? Was it the classes? Was it all that to make you who you are?