SHEMAR MOORE

The former Criminal Minds and The Young and the Restless star, 52, continues his role as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson when S.W.A.T. returns from its mid-season break (Jan. 6 on CBS). The series centered on the special LAPD SWAT team led by Hondo will continue to address modern-day issues, but also take viewers home for a look at the softer side of Hondo as he prepares to become a first-time father.

Playing Hondo, is there a responsibility that you feel to the LAPD or to the Black community in how he’s portrayed? Yes, there’s a pressure and a huge responsibility to stay Black, to be proud of your Blackness, but also not to be anti-other; white or any other. I’ve lived my life seeing color, because I’m not blind, but not judging by color, judging by character. So, I’m with you until you do me wrong, regardless of what color you are, and that’s how I live my life. I like that I’m able to incorporate that into Hondo. His father said to him in the pilot, “If you want things to change then you’ve got to go out there and be the change.” It’s difficult, and sometimes seemingly impossible, but if you quit, then nothing changes. If you don’t quit, then change is possible. So, that’s the mentality of Hondo, and myself, in life.

Will Hondo change now that he’s going to be a dad? You’ll definitely see a softer side of him. You’re going to see the vulnerabilities, and—all of a sudden—the questions and the concerns that he’s never had to worry about. He’s always fended for himself and put other lives ahead of his own. So now you’re going to see Hondo dealing with trying to be the team leader and his alpha male ways, taking on the bad guys by any means necessary. But now he’s worried, will he abandon his child? Will he have a child that doesn’t have a father? And what’s he going to do to avoid that?

Any chance Debbie Allen might return to her role as Hondo’s mom?

She’s a busy lady, as is Obba Babatundé, who plays my father. I know Obba texts me at least twice a week going, “When’s Daddy coming home?” But yes, of course, I’m sure we’re going to see a whole kumbaya moment of family togetherness celebrating the birth of Hondo Jr.

Talk about the balance—as you always say in the show—between Black and blue. Hondo was born in South L.A., which is inner city, which is the hood. From the pilot, he’s got one foot in law enforcement, and the demands and the politics of it, but

he insists and prides himself on keeping another foot at home.

There was a great line in the pilot where another Black man confronting Hondo said, “Are you Black or blue?” So, Hondo struggles with: Do I have to be one or the other? If I’m a cop, does that make me a sellout to my people, to my community? Or can Hondo do both, to where he can create a little more patience, truce, peace and understanding, and bridge the gap of a lot of the fears and ill wills and conflict between civilians—especially the Black community— and police officers.

What is it like on the set? The cast loves each other. We are like a close-knit family. The camaraderie and the chemistry that you see from the cast, that’s how we are in real life. They come over to my house, I go over to theirs. We go to Jay Harrington’s pizza shop and watch S.W.A.T. and football games. People come to my house and swim, play cornhole, play pool and just hangout and watch the games. We have Sunday fun days and things like that.