Interview: 'Curtiss Cook' Talks His New NBC Series Manifest

Curtiss’ impressive acting credits in film, television and theater have made him a formidable force on screen. An actor who began his career struggling on Broadway as a single father of 3 children, now 2018 is the biggest year of his life with 2 additional new primetime television roles to be announced this September. Born in Dayton, Ohio, Curtiss caught the bug for acting early on in life and put everything he had into solidifying his future career in the world of entertainment. After being sought out after directly, Curtiss was the first American to receive a full-ride scholarship to London’s prestigious Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Curtiss then moved to NYC and began performing on Broadway, including “The Lion King” and “Miss Saigon.” Despite being a single father of 3 children, Curtiss received encouragement and help from his family to audition for television and film and is now best known for projects including ARBITRAGE, THE INTERPRETER AND SHUTTER ISLAND, along with roles in series such as Netflix’s “House of Cards,” “Luke Cage” and “Narcos.” You can listen below to the interview and the series premieres Monday, September 24.

In NBC’s newest drama “Manifest,” after a turbulent, but routine flight from Jamaica to NYC, the passengers and crew discover the world has aged five years, yet no time has passed for them, and soon a deeper mystery unfolds. Curtiss stars as flight passenger ‘Radd,’ a leading musician from the Jamaican Philharmonic who must deal with the consequences of being absent for 5 years, which includes being re-introduced to his son who was just 13 years-old when he disappeared and is now a young adult at the age of 18. In the series, Curtiss’ son is portrayed by his actual real-life son, Curtiss Cook Jr., and includes deeply emotional and intense scenes between the father and son team.