Delante Desouza is a star on the rise: Reprising the role of Michael Cooper in Season 2 of HBO Max’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty

Delante Desouza proves you can live your dreams if you take the chance: starting with reprising his role as Michael Cooper in season 2 of HBO Max’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.  

*This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike. 

Delante Desouza made the bold decision to leave his stable job as a Software Engineer to pursue his true passion and dreams in acting. He exemplifies the strength of staying true to oneself and being fearless. He took a chance on himself and emerged victorious when he made the decision that he had a place in Hollywood. His story serves as a reminder that we have the power to shape our own destiny. During our conversation about his role as Michael Cooper in season 2 of HBO Max’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, he opened up about the factors that have contributed to his success in his career. I can assure you that it took confidence, belief, and faith to accomplish that. 

Cox: Delante, before we get into you landing the role of Michael Cooper and the newest season of the show, I want to know more about your journey as an actor. You actually started out as a software engineer. 
Desouza: My love for acting started when I was in high school. I was doing community theater and studying at the Arenas Players Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s the longest-running American-operated community theater in the United States. It has such a rich history, and it gave me the acting bug throughout my high school years. But after high school, I went to college and eventually graduated with a degree in computer science. 

Cox: Why computer science? You knew you had this love for acting. 
Desouza: I just figured software engineering was going to be the safe route for me. I’ve always liked technology and computers. I figured, why not just do that, and get a stable job? And I got a job working in software right out of college. 

Cox: It wasn’t long thereafter that you left the job to pursue acting, right? 
Desouza: Yes, I actually stayed in that position for just about a year. It just didn’t feel right to me to work in corporate America. There was this feeling in the back of my mind that I had that reminded me how acting was my first love as a kid. I knew it was time that I actually got back into it and took the chance. 

Cox: When was that moment while working for the university that let you know that this wasn’t the career path for you? 
Desouza: I remember this very distinctly. I had gotten to work at 7 a.m. that day. Around 3 p.m., I remember just staring out the window for nearly forty minutes, wondering what I was doing there. I just felt so unfulfilled. It was late May. It was warm outside, and the sun was shining. The weather was so beautiful, and I was just stuck in this building. I told myself that if I don’t take this chance right now to pursue my dreams, every day for the rest of my life is going to look like this. 

I was twenty-four at the time and was like, “this can’t be what I will be doing when I’m fifty.” There was this distinct feeling of dissociation between how I spent my time and how I actually wanted to spend it. And so that day, five years ago, I sent in my two weeks’ notice and packed up my things. 

Cox: Speaking about fulfillment, what is it about acting that keeps you fulfilled? 
Desouza: That’s a good question. The thing that fulfills me is that in acting, we get to relate to the human condition. We get to play so many different characters and live so many different lives inside our own lives. We get to experience the beauty and pain of the entire human experience, along with the emotional gamut that we can achieve as humans. That’s what makes it fulfilling. 

I always say actors are some of the most empathetic people you’ll ever meet. They lived through these experiences rather than their own or imaginary ones from their characters. But they are all experiences, nonetheless. 

Cox: What are some of those experiences? 
Desouza: As actors, we get to experience heartbreak, grief, passion, defeat, and so many other things inside this one body we have. And it comes from embodying all those characters we portray. 

Cox: That was beautifully stated. Now you know we have to get into Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty. Before we discuss season two, I want to know how it felt when you first landed the role. 
Desouza: The first thing I did was thank God for the opportunity. I was grateful for the blessing that I received. It just didn’t feel real at the time. I remember being at work and getting the call from Max Borenstein, who is the showrunner for the series. He told me HBO Max would be sending me some paperwork, and they wanted me to come out to LA for a table read. 

I told my boss at the company that I was working at – at the time – that I had this opportunity that might be my big “break”, and I needed a couple days off to go to the table read. He said, “I think you might have a new job coming up.” I told him I would come back to work after the table read, but he said no, this is your moment, so let’s start transitioning you out of the company. 

Cox: Is the feeling still surreal? 
Desouza: It actually is! I would have never thought four years later I would be in LA living my dreams and playing for such an iconic legend in the basketball world. On top of that, I experienced being on an HBO show. It all goes back to me being very grateful. 

 Cox: What do you think made you stand out to land the role of Michael Cooper? 
Desouza: Oh, that’s a funny story. I wasn’t great at basketball when I first auditioned for the show. I mean, I played it recreationally, but I was the run-and-track guy. But I saw a lot of footage of Michael Cooper playing. I created a lot of my acting scenes showing me playing basketball, just going up and down the court. I edited it so that they couldn’t see me being bad at this. I wanted them to see that I was only good at it. I was editing this minute-long clip in Adobe for an entire day. I sent it in along with my acting reel, and miraculously, it all worked out. 

Cox: What was your process to make sure you embodied Michael Cooper? 
Desouza: The first part of my process was understanding him. I studied a lot of the interviews he had with postgame players. I looked at other coverages and documentaries. I wanted to learn all his mannerisms so I could get a better feel for how he spoke and interacted with people. I also noticed the things he cared about and spoke up for. 

But then I took that and saw how we are both similar and different. And I think honestly, the reason I got booked for him is because we are very similar. We had similar vocal ranges and ways of articulating. I didn’t have to change a lot of myself in the process of being Michael Cooper. 

Cox: What was something that resonated with you most about Michael Cooper? 
Desouza: It was him being sort of seen as the underdog in the NBA. He comes from a modest background. He had a knee injury his first year and didn’t get to play that entire season. You see him in the show as this guy who has all this talent inside of him but doesn’t have the belief or confidence that he has what it takes to be in the NBA. But when you see him play, you see all the things that make him a magnificent player. His story is a testament to how the underdog can rise when the opportunity arises. I’ve always related to that and felt like that my whole life as well. This is the strongest point where I identify with Michael Cooper. 

Cox: Coming back for season two, do you see a change in you as an actor? 
Desouza: My process as an actor has evolved. When I came to season one, which was my first job in television, I was nervous. I was scared to mess up and to do anything that would ruffle feathers. I played it very safe, both personally and professionally. Coming back now, I have found more confidence in myself. They invited me back, so I did something right. 

And with this new season, I got to play a lot more with my portrayal of Michael Cooper. There are lots of moments in this season where I played outside the lines of the character. When you get to play the same character again, you must look at what else I can add to them, how we can get outside the lines for them a little, or what I can do a little bolder or riskier to make them come alive. 
 
Cox: I really appreciate you taking the time to share your journey and story with me. Before you go, I want to ask you one last question. What can we have in store for season two? 
Desouza: Season two has a lot more heart. There is so much more heart in the acting, writing, and overall arcs of the characters. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs because we must fit four years into this one season. Remember, season two picks up right after the finals in season one and goes up until the finals against the Celtics? So, you get to see a lot more basketball and action this season. There are even more triumphs and defeats. It’s just a lot of everything this season. 

PHOTO CREDITS:
Photographer: Dalvin Adams
Barber: Gee Whittington
Make-Up: Marsha Shearrill
Stylist: Jennifer Austin