Anthony Anderson is best known for his comedic talents, but despite expressing his desire to return to the world of sitcoms, the 37-year-old actor admitted he found it hard to turn down the lead role in FOX's new drama, K-Ville.

"I had really wanted to get back in the half-hour world and have some fun," Anderson told the Los Angeles Times.  "But it's hard to argue with the president of a network who wants to cast you as the lead of a drama."

On K-Ville, a series set in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina, Anderson plays Marlin Boulet, a brash, frank veteran of the NOPD's Felony Action Squad.  When the storm hit, his partner abandoned his post, leaving Marlin to save lives and keep order in the city on his own.  Now, two years later, Marlin is unapologetic for bending the rules when it comes to catching criminals.

FOX chairman Peter Liguori is confident Anderson impresses as a dramatic actor, as evidenced by his portrayal of a small but pivotal role in the Academy award-winning drama, The Departed.

"From my standpoint, if Anthony's good enough for [The Departed director] Martin Scorsese, he's good enough for me," Liguori, a longtime fan of Anderson, said, adding he has always been intrigued by comedians who assume dramatic roles because they have the ability to make the character more relatable and humane.

Like Ligouri, Anthony Anderson, who was praised for his performance on The Shield and Hustle & Flow, believes he is very capable of dramatic acting.

"I feel good about where I am," Anderson told the Los Angeles Times.  "I knew I could do drama.  People don't know that I've trained with actors like Avery Brooks, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis.  I was just never given the opportunity before The Shield to show what I could do.  People just seemed to be myopic in their thinking when it came to me, and I knew it would someday come to a point where I wouldn't want to be that character anymore."

Nevertheless, he is not closing the door on comedy just yet.

"Comedy is who I am," Anderson said.  "But I have to say I feel truly blessed and fortunate.  There's not a lot of actors who get the opportunities that I'm getting.  I've been working basically nonstop and have been in 30 films that have grossed over $2 billion.  I'm just a little boy from Compton who had a dream and is living it."

K-Ville airs Mondays on FOX.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: LA Times
(Image Courtesy of FOX)