Taking the lead with ‘S.W.A.T.’
Shemar Moore is back home on CBS.
LOS ANGELES – This cop can’t stop. Shemar Moore is 10 episodes deep into shooting S.W.A.T., the new CBS drama that marks his first starring role after a 23-year career at the network. And he’s basically dating his show.
“I literally have time for nothing else, zero. I couldn’t date anybody,” says Moore, 47. “I make time to walk my dogs. English bulldogs,” he grins. “Little fat ones.”
Critics were mixed when S.W.A.T., based on the mid-1970s TV series and
2003 movie, premiered Nov. 2. But Moore is confident they’ll come around.
“If we came in with deep story and character out the gate you’d call us boring, you’d call us heavy-handed,” he says. “We’re bringing you S.W.A.T.! We’re bringing you fun.”
It’s dusk, and Moore sits down at a picnic table outside a deserted women’s prison, which is nestled on a hill overlooking Los Angeles. S.W.A.T. is shooting a night scene here soon, and extras mill around in orange prison garb.
He came here straight from the gym. His ripped frame, up 10 pounds to mimic a real S.W.A.T. officer, is part of his job security.
“Whenever I get a window of time off it’s literally a second job,” he says.
Moore grew up at CBS, finding an early fan base as a soapy heartthrob on
The Young and the Restless before putting in 11 seasons on Criminal Minds. In
2016, he left the show without another job on the horizon. The actor basically wanted to get a life.
“I wanted to legitimately date somebody without the complications and the tension of schedule,” he says. “The hours are tough, and it’s tough to make time for each other. It’s hard on relationships. You look around in Hollywood, not just the stars … the crew members, the divorce rate is crazy; you spend more time on a set with your work family than you do with your real family. People don’t realize the grind that it takes.” S.W.A.T. creator Shawn Ryan ( The Shield) says the muscled star, celebrated for his sexy Instagram shots, is just one facet of Moore, who plays Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, the role played by Samuel L. Jackson in the film.
“I see a more serious Shemar than most people see,” Ryan says. “I see a guy hugely dedicated to his craft who’s hellbent on being a success and helping the show become a success. I think he thinks this show is an opportunity to show his fans, and maybe people who weren’t Shemar Moore fans, that he’s really good.”
During his year off screen, Moore says he considered starting “from scratch” and seeking out a small role on a cool cable show.
“My life is not about the money,” he says. “It was journey to get here. I’m on a high right now, but it was dark. It was tough. I went through issues with relationships, women in my life, friends in my life, family stuff. My mother has MS (multiple sclerosis). Finding my way in this career, being known as a pretty boy with a six-pack only. This town will stick you in a box. I’ve been fighting to get out of box after box after box.”
Then S.W.A.T. came around with an offer to lead his own network show and a producer title. It was too good to pass up. No more free time. No more girlfriend. (And once and for all, he’s not dating Real Housewives star Phaedra Parks.)
Today, the biracial star is focused on taking his shot. Right now, he’s one of the few African-American male leads on network television, and the only minority leading a show on CBS.
“Am I proud of that? I’m proud to have the opportunity to represent that. Am I gloating about it? Not even a little bit. But I’m proud that I get my shot.”