Weathers remains a man of action
If destiny had gone a different way, actor Carl Weathers might’ve been an NFL star. (He played for San Diego State and logged time on the gridiron as an Oakland Raider). Or we might know the “Rocky” star as an R&B sensation. (He performed in bands as a teen and released a single — a pleading slow jam called “You Ought To Be With Me” — in 1981.)
But injuries and good timing conspired to bring the New Orleans native to screens big and small in a host of memorable roles over the course of his 40plus year career.
From the start, the former linebacker with a bachelor’s degree in drama was, naturally, a man of action. Most famously, he played the irresistibly exuberant heavyweight champ Apollo Creed, who was victorious, then later lost in a rematch to “Italian Stallion” Rocky Balboa in Sylvester Stallone’s boxing franchise.
Currently starring as State’s Attorney Mark Jefferies on Dick Wolf ’s latest NBC drama, “Chicago Justice,” Weathers, 69, says he was happy to jump into the courtroom.
“It’s Dick Wolf,” he says reverently of the “Law & Order” mastermind. “You’ve got a guarantee pretty much that it’s not going to be a dog.”
We recently chatted with the actor. This is an edited transcript.
A: The first play I ever did was in grade school, and that was before I was an athlete. I fell in love with acting. What I fell in love with — most actors, I think, would probably say the same thing — was applause and approval. A: Lord, help us. (Laughing)
A: I was a huge fan of Teddy’s, and I’d met Teddy and hung out with him after a couple of concerts.
A: If they’re a millennial, “Happy Gilmore” and “Arrested Development.” That’s the gold standard for them.
A: They can know about it, but that kind of selfdeprecating and off-thewall (humor) just appeals. Then, of course, “Rocky,” in its own way, is such a classic for everyone. It’s such a familial way of bonding. Also, where can you go in the world where you can’t talk to someone about “Rocky”? It connects people in so many ways because there’s so many aspects of it that they love.