'There Are Always Two Sides To The Story And Then There's The Truth': Keith David On 'NCIS: New Orleans'

(CBS Local)-- Keith David has been in a lot of great movies and TV shows during his storied Hollywood career, but few have been as important and timely as his appearance on CBS's "NCIS: New Orleans."

The 3x Emmy Award winner appeared on episode 17 of the show's sixth season called "Biased" in March. In the episode, a White New Orleans police officer shoots a Black Navy officer in the middle of a party. David's character Gene Holloway is a Black New Orleans police officer and plays a key role in the examination of the case.

"I got to work with an old friend in C.C.H. Pounder and play a love interest," said David in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "I've always been a great admirer of Scott Bakula's work. The subject matter interested me as we are in this season of Black Lives Matter and policing in general across the country after the horrific death of George Floyd and how that played out. There are always two sides to the story and then there's the truth."

FULL INTERVIEW:

David enjoying being a part of this episode because it highlighted the many different layers about what it means to be a police officer in 2020.

"There are good men and women out there with great intentions of upholding the law righteously," said David. "The question that C.C.'s character asks in the show is would he have shot so fast if it was a White man. We'll never know that. When you're in a dangerous situation and someone is holding a gun on you, the fear and adrenaline pumping through your veins, you don't know what you're going to do. It's easy for you and me to sit on the sidelines. My character is defending him and believes he knows this man and that he wouldn't shoot out of the prejudice of the situation. Ultimately, I don't know if Gene knows that."

This episode and all of "NCIS: New Orleans" is streaming now on CBS All Access. David hopes people watch this and listen to other people in the world around them.

"The other thing we need to look at is not being so quick to make each other the enemy," said David. "That is Black on Black as well as White on White and how we have to commingle together. When you have a question, ask a question. Don't assume you know where someone else is coming from. You really never know what someone else is thinking. You only think you know what they're thinking."

Watch all of DJ Sixsmith's interviews from "The Sit-Down" series here.