South Orange, N.J.'s Isaiah Hill takes talents from the basketball court to Apple TV's hit Swagger
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- Hollywood and hoops.
A local basketball star is using his skills on the hardwood to land a big time television role, and many say this teen's acting is just as good as his skills on the court, CBS2's Otis Livingston reported Monday.
The town of South Orange is known for putting out high-level entertainers and also high-level athletes. Well, now there's a young man on the horizon who embodies the two. He's a real double threat as he combines acting with athleticism.
Isaiah Hill stars in the role of Jace Carson, a 14-year-old basketball phenom in the 10-part Apple TV series Swagger. Hill beat out thousands of young men in the world wide search to earn his first acting credit. He said auditioning and the call-backs were nerve wracking.
"There were a lot of kids that were younger than me, taller than me, and cuter than me that I thought could play the role, but I was just wondering if they could play basketball, because the one thing I was so sure about was being a basketball player," Hill said.
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At the time, Hill was heavy on the AAU circuit as well as high school basketball at Union Catholic in Scotch Plains. You want to talk about pressure to show and prove under the bright lights? The series is produced by one of the best basketball players on the planet, the Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant.
"When I saw him we just had a moment where we were like, 'My man, my man.' We dapped up. Just that moment alone made it easy to connect with him," Hill said.
Hill didn't have to look very far for another celebrity connection. He's the nephew of hip hop royalty Lauryn Hill.
Auntie Lolly, as he calls her, had some advice for her nephew.
"Know yourself ... not get swallowed up by the snatches. There's a lotta things out there that are for you and a lotta things not for you. Just be vigilant," Hill said.
Isaiah Hill is just realizing the impact this role has had in society, from a billboard in Brooklyn.
"Is that a surreal moment?" Livingston asked.
"It's amazing. It's amazing. I was really speechless," he said.
Keep an eye out for Mr. Isaiah Hill. He's still going out on auditions. In fact, he's in Los Angeles right now, while we wait to see if Apple TV will have a second season of Swagger.