His was the first role cast on the show and he didn’t even have to audition for it. He got the role via his ‘sister,’ director/producer Ava DuVernay who had previously worked with him when he played civil rights leader James Orange in Selma.
The role of hard-working, good loving Hollywood Desonier on OWN’s Queen Sugar has made him beloved among Black folks who appreciate his portrayal of a genuinely good Southern man.
Now seated at an upscale Toronto hotel bar with previously referenced reporter, Dorsey draws little attention, because he’s the type of guy that can blend in unless he’s in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Dorsey’s even been in three movies that were Best Picture nominees – Django Unchained, The Blind Side and Selma. He’s the kind of guy you’ve seen in dozens of TV and film roles in the last 20 years – most recently in the Netflix drama When They See Us. He’s the kind of guy who will show up at the appointed time at the appointed place and will give you a good portion of his time, despite being in a press run for Harriet with just a few days off before heading to his next film shoot. They sacrificed for me even when I was a grown, 30-year-old man.” They did so much for me to be here right now. I was still doing hood rat shit with my friends. “I just saw these guys who I was in class with every day on television so I was like OK, it can be done,” Dorsey says.
