Let’s Unpack It with Chase Anthony

“Is nobody going to talk about this?” 

Chase Anthony will instantly remind you of that family member you know that’s about to ask a question at the family function that’s going to cause some uproar. Does he do it intentionally? Yes! Is it to make people uncomfortable? For Chase Anthony, if it is uncomfortable, then it needs to be discussed. It’s about unpacking as much as we can so we can get to the real conversation.

“I came to LA for a fresh start.” 

When you think of why people move to Los Angeles, you might have thought of acting, singing, modeling, or any other career in entertainment. Chase actually moved to LA and began a career in accounting. “I didn’t want to get into the entertainment industry initially. It was overwhelming for me because I have a family that works in it,” said Anthony. He worked the long hours and was even compensated generously in his position. But, ultimately, he knew this wasn’t the place he was meant to be in life. He describes it as a sitting on a rock moment where he asked God to tell him what he wants him to do.

“You can go back and start working on that wheel or you can start working towards this.”

He unpacked some things and got real with himself. He was ready for the change in the right direction. “I was in a sad place. So I didn’t go out as much and I had saved a lot,” said Anthony. 

There is a silver lining. Because he unknowingly saved enough to sustain himself for a year after he made the decision to leave corporate America. He left with fresh dreams and hopes of making it within six months, but those six months turned to six years. With his determination and perseverance to make it, he said that you really have to have that passion and belief in yourself to keep going because nobody can push you along that process and journey. 

“There are so many variations of us and some of us have evolved in so many different ways.”

We spoke about his role as Deon Lewis in BET’s series Bigger and how important representation was for him and the character. Deon goes through levels of depression, questioning his self worth, and ultimately taking a leap of faith quitting his full-time, stable and well salaried job. “It’s beneficial to see a black man on TV go through struggles and failure to have an epiphany that this isn’t working in life and I have to make a change,” said Anthony. He loves that his role as Deon helps portray black men in a light that humanizes them. With Chase Anthony and Deon Lewis you see real emotion, pain, and passion. You see a black man that is dealing with life on a deep emotional level. 

“What you get is what you get.”

As a standup comedian, Chase Anthony brings himself into every one of his jokes. If you are laughing at a joke that began within a restaurant, that situation might have happened right before the show started. “If I don’t talk about me or my experiences it won’t come across as genuine or organic,” said Anthony. The secret to his comedy style is that he is telling you some real stuff. Sometimes comedy can take you on a journey that might get too real for even himself; but, that’s a sign that healing can begin. What makes his comedic style different is that he doesn’t just want you to be entertained, he wants some healing to take place. Trust me when I say you will take something away from his standup— be it a laugh or a life lesson. 

“Let’s talk about the stuff that people just let slip by.”

If you ask Chase Anthony why he is so brutally honest he will immediately reply “I’m an 80s baby.” He understands that people want to be politically correct and polite at times, but sometimes we just have to get real and or keep it real. His thing right now is to call out people who are not picking up after their dogs. He knows that they don’t want to step in it neither does he. Nothing goes by the wayside or slips by him; because, if it has to be discussed, he’s going to bring it up.

“I mean we are here now, so let’s unpack all of this.”