G.O.O.D. Music artist Kid Cudi will seek to parlay the success of his breakout single “Day ‘N’ Nite” into TV when he begins lead acting duties for HBO’s How To Make It In America.
In an interview, Kid Cudi defined his role and revealed the fledgling show’s strong push courtesy of Hollywood veterans Mark Wahlberg and director Julian Farino.
“It’s called How to Make It in America. It’s produced by the guys that did Entourage. Mark Wahlberg is the executive producer. It’s directed by Julian Farino, who also did Sex and the City, several episodes of that and The Sopranos, and Entourage,” Cudi explained to The Arizona Republic. “I have a lead role. My character’s name is Domingo Dean. I actually named my character after both of my brothers – Dean, who lives in Phoenix, being one of them, and Domingo.”
For Cudi, it was important to differentiate his music and acting careers to avoid being typecast as a “rapper playing an actor.”
“It has no reference to my music. It was important to me early on to branch away from music and actually do something outside my comfort zone,” Cudi clarified. “When we were developing my character with the writers, I was telling them, ‘Man, I don’t want to be anything that has to do with music,’ just because that’s not really acting.”
Cudi’s debut LP is scheduled for this fall.
While many would feel the pressure of having to deliver on the chart-topping success of “Day ‘N’ Nite,” Cudi expressed gratefulness to Kanye West for allowing him creative freedom on his first project.
Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon: the End of Day is scheduled to be released on September 15.
It features appearances from Snoop Dogg, The Clipse, Common, and Kanye West. Production credits include will.i.am, Kanye West, and Just Blaze.
