Winning Time's Quincy Isaiah And DeVaughn Nixon On Their 'Tough' Basketball Scene, Which Included A Crucial Note From John C. Reilly
Things got a little personal.
Spoilers for the first episode of Winning Time: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, “The Swan,” lie ahead.
HBO’s new series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, has finally arrived and, so far, both general viewers and critics mostly seem to be enjoying the sports dramedy. The series premiere had its fair share of memorable moments, with some being more sentimental and others just downright hilarious. Of course, the show isn’t without tension, and that was definitely on display when Quincy Isaiah’s Magic Johnson and DeVaughn Nixon’s Norm Nixon played a game of one on one. The two actors have some keen thoughts on the “tough” scene, which actually received a crucial note from co-star John C. Reilly.
The sequence in question takes place during the latter part of Winning’s Time’s first episode. In it, Magic Johnson and Norm Nixon, who’d developed a somewhat uneasy relationship up to that point, engage in a basketball game in the middle of a white party at Donald Sterling’s house. The usually upbeat Magic ultimately loses to Norm in humiliating fashion, and the moment was pretty visceral for Quincy Isaiah himself. When I asked him about the scene during a roundtable discussion, he recalled why it was so difficult:
I don’t know about any of you, but I couldn't help but cringe when I saw the actor suffer the fictional defeat. And I can definitely see why he wasn’t feeling too good about co-star DeVaughn Nixon immediately after the cameras stopped rolling. As the “enemy” in the situation, Nixon had a somewhat different experience amid production. In a separate roundtable chat, he explained that he really wanted to go method but also honor his famous father through his portrayal:
For better or worse, the star’s tactics definitely worked. To say that DeVaughn Nixon fully committed to the smugness of this fictionalized version of his dad would be an understatement. And as he further explained, he even went as far as to improvise one of the sequence’s most demoralizing moments:
Friend and colleague Quincy Isaiah may not have been happy at the time but, now, even he can’t argue with the results. The up-and-coming star later discussed what the moment did for the show and got honest about what it meant for him as an actor:
All in all, the basketball matchup, which was directed by Adam McKay, is done well. However, the director received some keen advice from John C. Reiley, who portrays Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss. While sitting on the same roundtable with Quincy Isaiah, Reilly revealed the tip he gave his Step Brothers collaborator:
CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
The Aviator alum has proven to be an astute performer, and this small note further cements that notion. The importance of this suggestion may not be clear to some right away. However, the Stan & Ollie star knows how a smile can sometimes serve as a form of protection in tough situation:
The collaboration at play here is a true credit to the talents of Winning Time’s cast and crew. Such synergy is definitely appropriate for this project, given that in the NBA, teamwork is ultimately the key to success. We’ll see what else the group pulls off as the season continues to unfold.
Winning Time: Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty airs new episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, and they can later be streamed with an HBO Max subscription. The series is certainly proving to be one of 2022’s most talked-about new shows thus far.
Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.