‘One of a kind talent.’ Arlington Lamar grad dreams of landing his latest project on TV
CJ Stewart has put together a résumé that includes performing Shakespeare in its birthplace, hip-hop television, and even writing, directing and producing his first full-length play.
Now, the 2012 Arlington Lamar High School graduate is “dreaming” of landing his passion project on a TV network. He wrote the series “Dead Hero” and knows just who should play the main character — himself.
“Ideally my goal is to star as Jayce Douglas. J.D. is a misguided young man surviving off petty crimes,” Stewart explained. “He’s from a low-income community and has to put his dreams on the back burner to provide for his family.”
The story of “Dead Hero” has main character J.D. — while out hustling — saving a child from a drunk driver, which causes his own untimely demise. He immediately becomes a hero, and gets the unique opportunity to return to life — if he can escape the Greek Underworld.
“’Dead Hero’ centers on death, which is a very tough topic in general. It will help folks connect with their own lives through normalizing the conversation, accepting it as a part of the beautiful life cycle, navigating grief, and perhaps imagining another life beyond our earthly one,” he said.
Stewart noted that the main focus, however, is dreams.
“Folks will watch the protagonist pursue his dreams while dead, which I hope will motivate every watcher to follow their dreams while living,” he said. “We never know how much time we have.”
Stewart said he got the idea to write “Dead Hero” after reading and being inspired by Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.” The story includes a chapter where Percy goes to the Underworld, and people’s dreams and accomplishments were left behind in the river Styx after they died.
“I became curious to explore what happens to our dreams after we die, so essentially, the first season of ‘Dead Hero’ is about lost dreams,” he said.
Mentor an Oscar winner
Stewart said Academy Award-winning actor Regina King has been mentoring him since he was 16. He said they met on Twitter and he expressed to her his dreams of being an athlete and actor.
“She, as well as Jackee Harry (“227” and “Sister, Sister”) and Elgin Charles (her former husband and world famous hair stylist), helped to keep me on the right track, giving me advice, and teaching me the ins and outs of the industry,” he said. “They showed me that it was possible to do anything. Regina and Elgin still mentor me today and I will always thank them for their guidance.”
Stewart was a running back for the Lamar Vikings and had plans to play at Prairie View A&M University. Then he realized he had to make a choice.
“I learned that I couldn’t play ball and do theater. I had always been a performer too, and at a moment’s notice I had to choose between the two,” he said. “I chose theater.”
Following Prairie View, a graduate program took him overseas to study classical theater at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Along with moving to another part of the world, he had a whole new world of performing arts open up for him.
“It was something I didn’t know I wanted actually, but I fell in love with it. It has made me an all-around sharper artist,” he said. “The classics — to me — are the foundation of everything modern.
“Studying classical theater has helped me with ‘Dead Hero’ by understanding text and the many tools we use to communicate. ‘Dead Hero’ utilizes both ancient and modern language, and in this show, both will clash.”
Today, Stewart lives in New York City, where he moved after finishing graduate school in 2019.
Career highlights
Stewart starred as Othello while in Birmingham, England. Other career highlights include being part of season 3 of “Wu-Tang: The American Saga” on Hulu; along with writing, directing, and producing his first full-length play, “Lotus, and the Unlikely Crew,” a story of African pirates, performed Off-Broadway.
And he adds, “Obtaining securing a producer and celeb for my new TV show in development called ‘Dead Hero.’”
Ivy Lions Productions is reporting three-time Tony nominated producer Lamar Richardson and Tony Award-winning actor Wendell Pierce are attached to the project.
“CJ is a visionary, one of a kind talent. His artistic prowess knows no bounds, and his creativity is a true joy to collaborate with,” Richardson said. “I have worked with him across mediums from theater to television, and his unique ability to craft dynamic characters and vibrant, rich worlds is unmatched.
“CJ has molded a story that needs to be told and allows for our community to examine the power and importance of relentlessly pursuing one’s dreams in a world that oftentimes crushes them.”
As he shops “Dead Hero,” Stewart is staying busy with other projects. He is preparing to direct Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey this fall.
He is also developing a musical about the life of legendary blues legend Robert Johnson.
Stewart also plans to continue his work as an activist, something he got involved with at Prairie View.
“Most of my activist work focuses on exposing communities to the practices of anti-racism, how to be anti-racist, distributing resources, and of course utilizing it in stories and creative spaces,” he said.
“CJ is such a brilliant artist and collaborator,” said longtime friend and collaborator Alric Davis, founder of the Sankofa African American Theatre Company, who helped develop “Lotus and the Unlikely Crew.”
“He, like me, also enjoys all facets of storytelling — performance and creation. I’m so glad to hear about the exciting upcoming projects he has in the pipeline. I’m most excited that the world will finally see him for the innovator he is.”