Super Good Time with Guest Camrus Johnson 🎙️
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Season 2: Episode 73 Description
Ten News Gets Extra: 🦸♂️ We’ve got a superhero in the house! 🎙️ Today we're sitting down with actor, writer, and director, Camrus Johnson to learn more about him and his role on the TV show ‘Batwoman’ on the CW and HBO Max. ✔️ Fun Fact Check: While most superhero movies use CGI for scenery, this movie used a real waterfall! And, test your superhero show knowledge on today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources
Black Panther: 9 fun facts from behind the scenes | Vogue France
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:04
Do you know who's cooler than Batman? Batwoman, that's who. And today, we're gonna hang out with a guy that makes her batarang. Don't know what a batarang is? Hang around, you'll find out. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Saturday, February 19th. And this is no ordinary episode of the Ten News. This is the Ten News Gets Extra.
Various Voices 0:28
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:35
We got a superhero in the house. Ten News head writer, Ryan Willard is sitting down with actor, writer, and director Camrus Johnson. Over to you, Ryan.
Ryan Willard 0:50
Thank you very much, Bethany. I appreciate that. I'm here to interview the man, the myth, the legend, Camrus Johnson. Camrus, how are you doing today?
Camrus Johnson 1:00
I'm so good, my friend. How are you?
Ryan Willard 1:01
I'm good. Thank you. Welcome to the Ten News. I have a bunch of questions that our listeners want to know. And that I personally want to know. So I'm just going to be firing things at you. But first, I want you to tell us who you are, where you're from. And what do you do?
Camrus Johnson 1:16
Well, my name is Camrus Johnson. I am from Camden County, Georgia. Some people think that I am from New York because I've lived there just as long. And I am an actor, writer, and director.
Ryan Willard 1:27
All right. All right. And you are on the hit show Batwoman on the CW, is that correct?
Camrus Johnson 1:32
That is correct, sir.
Ryan Willard 1:33
Can you tell us a little bit about Batwoman and the character that you play on the show?
Camrus Johnson 1:37
So, Batwoman is the cousin to Bruce Wayne, who was Batman, of course. And this show on the CW is basically about how Batman has been missing for years. So Batwoman takes up the mantle and is now the hero of the city. So, I play Luke Fox, aka Batwing. Luke Fox is Batwoman's tech guy. So he is the guy that makes the suits and he makes the bat weapons and he makes sure that everything technological works. And he also is now her co-hero named Batwing. He's kind of like Batman & Iron Man. So he has a metal suit that flies, and he is now a hero that fights alongside her.
Ryan Willard 2:15
What? So, you can fly on the show?
Camrus Johnson 2:18
That's right.
Ryan Willard 2:19
Oh my gosh. Okay. Well, I have to know if you're the tech guy and you make all the things. If you could have any bat gadget from the Batcave, what would it be and why?
Camrus Johnson 2:28
Absolutely a batarang. I felt like everybody wants a better rank. Funny enough. The crew of my show constantly asked the property if we can have a batarang. And they keep telling us No. So one day they started walking around set wearing shirts that says, "We as the prop team love you all and you can have whatever you want. And on the back of the shirt it says, "except for a batarang."
Ryan Willard 2:49
So, you're not you're not giving our listeners batarangs. Is that what you're saying?
Camrus Johnson 2:53
Um, sadly, if I can get a hold of at least one then we're cooking but for now, I can't even get one myself. But that's exactly what I want. I think a batarang would be a great little present in momento because it's just the coolest thing ever. It's basically like a boomerang for those that don't know. You're supposed to be able to throw it and hit something and it comes back.
Ryan Willard 3:14
What? Okay, okay, so I definitely need one of those. So I'm curious, you're playing a superhero on TV that can literally fly? It's like Batman meets Iron Man, you said, how long did it take for you as an actor, from when you first started acting to becoming Batwing suiting up in that suit, how long did that actually take you?
Camrus Johnson 3:36
Oh, man, I guess the first time I ever tried acting was in 2010. But, then I moved to New York in 2012. So I guess if I moved to New York in 2012, and I got the show in 2019. It took seven years for me to really start my career to then be one of the leads of a TV show.
Ryan Willard 3:58
Wow, seven years? And from your experience, is that fast? Or is that slow compared to other actors?
Camrus Johnson 4:04
It's hard to say because you know, there are so many actors that no, no path is the same. You know, like some actors, go to college. And then right after college, they book a big TV show or some actors, try it for 10-15 years and then finally get their first big role. So, it kind of just depends on who you are. There's no right answer to or one way to do it.
Ryan Willard 4:23
So Camrus, on your journey to becoming the actor that you are today. What kind of challenges did you face?
Camrus Johnson 4:30
Well, I mean, this is a pretty personal challenge. But when I moved to New York, I was living with my dad's aunt, my great aunt. And after quite some time, I ended up being her caretaker, which is basically like an in-home nurse, so I had to help her eat. I had to help her do everything pretty much in a strange way. I sort of became my career dad, even though she was about 50 years older than me. So trying my best to start my acting career but also had to make sure to be home as much as possible to make sure that she was doing good. That was probably my biggest challenge because I kind of had to be in two places at once, being two different people at once.
Ryan Willard 5:06
So, now that you've been on Batwoman, I heard you just directed your first episode?
Camrus Johnson 5:11
I sure did.
Ryan Willard 5:12
And what does that mean to direct an episode of a TV show? And how was it? And how did you go from being an actor to being a director on the show?
Camrus Johnson 5:21
So directing an episode really just means that I have to give a big plan to the entire team because there are so many different parts that go into making anything TV or film. So there's the props team, there's a wardrobe, there's makeup, there's hair, there are the lines, it's the actors, there are the sets, there's the lighting. So your job is just to make sure that everything works together, everything looks good, everything makes sense. And it can be a little harder for certain people because there are a lot of questions you have to answer at any time of the day at all times of the day. So to go from the actor to the director, I actually just asked the producers of the show, if I could do it, because my crew watched one of my short films, and then watched my other animated short film. And my crew started asking if I was interested, and they kept, you know, basically pushing me to do it. They kept saying, We think you should do this, we think you should do this. So eventually, I asked the producers if I could, and they were like, this is not an easy show to direct. But if you're willing to take on the challenge, we're willing to give you the challenge. And I said, sure. We did it. And I had a dang great time.
Ryan Willard 6:23
Wow. So it seems like the thing that really kind of got their attention was that you made a short film and that you had something to show them. Right? Exactly. Can you tell me more about your short film and how you got into it, or why you chose to make it?
Camrus Johnson 6:39
Well, my first short film was called, "Grab My Hand A Letter to my Dad.". And it was just a gift for my dad because he was going through a really tough time, he lost one of his friends. So, I wanted to make him something that would help him heal. And then my newest short film was called, "She Dreams at Sunrise," and funnily enough, it is based on that time that I was taking care of my great aunt. So, it is sort of a story in the animated world, about me figuring out how to help her and how to make her feel happy again, because she was sort of getting really, really sad over time. So it was my job to figure out why, and how I could help. And that animated short, I made just this past summer, actually.
Ryan Willard 7:18
Now your short film, "She Dreams at Sunrise," I just heard that it was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Now, it's also up against short films from Apple, Netflix, Pixar, Disney, can you tell our listeners exactly what the NAACP is? And why this award nomination is such a big deal?
Camrus Johnson 7:40
Yeah, well, the NAACP is, in my opinion, such a huge deal. It stands for the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People. And basically what that means is their main goal is just to make sure that everyone is treated equally and fairly. So they just want to make sure that no matter what you look like, no matter what your skin color is, you get the same rights and you get the same thing that everyone else gets. And that's why their award shows the Image Awards is basically the biggest honor that you can have as a person of color, and specifically a black person. So the fact that they saw my short and they recognized it and they nominated it is such an honor because I can't even think of anything in our community that means more than NAACP Image Award. So yeah, I feel really, really good about it.
Ryan Willard 8:24
Oh my gosh, that's incredibly exciting. Congratulations on your nomination.
Camrus Johnson 8:28
Thank you so much. That means a lot.
Ryan Willard 8:30
Now speaking about the NAACP, it is Black History Month right now. And here at the Ten News, we like to do something called groundbreakers where we like to talk about people who are making history right now. But then also think about who the person that broke the ground for them to the breakthrough was so, is there a black filmmaker that helped pave the way for you to get here today?
Camrus Johnson 8:54
Oh, yeah. I mean, I feel like there's a ton right? I mean, not as many as we would hope for and that's what we are pushing forward overtime right now. But I think Ryan Coogler is one of them. Ryan Coogler is the director of Black Panther. And also Creed. I think he is incredible. He is a young, incredible, very talented, very smart director. And he's done these really big projects, including Black Panther is the obvious one where it is one of the biggest films starring black people, maybe the biggest ever. So the fact that he did that just opened the door to other black filmmakers like me to be able to not only be taken seriously but eventually, we have a chance to do really, really big projects like that.
Ryan Willard 9:34
I love them and Ryan Kugler is one of the goats in my opinion.
Camrus Johnson 9:38
Yeah, there's another director, creative named. And the reason I love him is that you never know what he's gonna do next. He goes from doing a horror movie to an animated show to a superhero movie to an Oscar-winning movie to another animated show to accommodate he kind of is all over the place with his art and that's kind of where I am. I like to not have people knowing where I'm going to go next, that's why I went from an animated short to a superhero show, a very dark short, another animated short, I'm pitching an animated movie of a drama. Like it's kind of all over the place. You don't really know what's going to happen next, which is really exciting for me.
Ryan Willard 9:56
I love that. Well, thank you for the little sneak preview. I'm looking forward to all of those things. Camrus Johnson, thank you so much for joining us here at the Ten News.
Camrus Johnson 10:23
Thanks for having me. This was great.
Ryan Willard 10:26
Anytime. So, thank you very much. We're gonna go back to Bethany now in the studio. Bethany.
Camrus Johnson 10:33
Oh, my gosh, it is so cool to have you here today, Camrus.
Ryan Willard 10:36
Hey, Bethany. Check out what I just made.
Bethany Van Delft 10:38
What is that Ryan? Whoa. Holy guacamole.
Ryan Willard 10:42
That was close. It's a batarang.
Bethany Van Delft 10:45
No, no batarangs come back around. That was just like a ninja star. You cannot throw those in the studio.
Ryan Willard 10:55
Oh, yeah. You're right. I'm sorry.
Bethany Van Delft 10:57
Do you need to timeout? Or do you want to keep hanging him with Camrus?
Ryan Willard 11:00
Camrus, I want to hang out with Camrus.
Bethany Van Delft 11:03
Do you know what I think? I think you need to turn up the heat on Camrus and ask him some serious not so serious questions.
Ryan Willard 11:12
Alright Ten'ers, we are back here with Camrus Johnson. We have a little segment that I'm calling, Serious and Not-so Serious Questions. We're gonna ask Camrus as many questions as I possibly can. In that time frame Camrus, you're going to answer them as quickly as you possibly can. Don't even think, just answers. Tell us what you think. Camrus, are you ready?
Camrus Johnson 11:30
I'm ready. I heard if I win this, I win a million dollars. Is that true?
Ryan Willard 11:33
That is true, you win 1 million doll hairs and if you lose and don't answer all the questions or hesitate at any point, for your next birthday, you will get a birthday card with four pounds of glitter inside. Oh, man. Okay, good to know, which will be glorious in your house. All right, serious and not serious questions. Question number one. Are you ready? I'm ready. Do you prefer puppies or kittens?
Camrus Johnson 11:55
Come on puppies. Easy.
Ryan Willard 11:57
What do you have against kittens?
Camrus Johnson 12:00
Nothing. I think they're very cute. I'm just allergic.
Ryan Willard 12:03
Would you rather have a giant spider crawl on you? Or a small snake slither on you?
Camrus Johnson 12:08
I think spider because I think Spiders have a bad rap and they eat bugs for me.
Ryan Willard 12:12
Wow. Okay, chocolate chip cookies or funfetti cupcakes?
Camrus Johnson 12:16
Oh, Funfetti cupcakes, because I think I'm allergic to dairy. Even though there's dairy in both. I'd go for funfetti anyway.
Ryan Willard 12:23
What's your favorite movie and TV show?
Camrus Johnson 12:25
Favorite movie is called Lion King. I've seen it a bajillion times. Favorite TV show is called Avatar The Last Airbender.
Ryan Willard 12:36
Next question, why do you always lose to your friends at video games?
Camrus Johnson 12:39
That's an interesting question, Ryan. Actually, I tend to win very often. So I'm not sure if this is a true question or not.
Ryan Willard 12:45
Feels like an incorrect answer. But we're gonna move on. If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?
Camrus Johnson 12:51
It'd be flying because I've dreamed about flying ever since I was a kid and I'd love to just be able to jump off my balcony and not hit the ground and fly beside airplanes. Also number two, I have a second answer to this teleportation because I would love to be able to just go to my mom whenever I want.
Ryan Willard 13:05
I would take teleporting any day of the week.
Camrus Johnson 13:08
Yeah, I basically fly. I should just do that. I should actually say teleporting. I take back my answer, that's my answer now.
Ryan Willard 13:14
Do you have any hidden talents?
Camrus Johnson 13:19
I can beatbox just a little bit.
Ryan Willard 13:21
I couldn't hear that. Can you do that again? Please. Wow, okay, that was amazing. I'll take that, the last question. Which nickname would you prefer us to call you? Camerasaurus McJohnson, Cam-fam the Lollipop Rapper, or Captain Honkerballs?
Camrus Johnson 13:41
I gotta say C, he's definitely not the answer. I would. I think B I think we're gonna go with B.
Ryan Willard 13:46
Well, thank you for this segment and the serious and not-so-serious answers. We really appreciate it. And I'm telling you right now. You are going to be getting a four-pound bag of glitter in your next birthday card because you hesitated. But we had a good time. We really appreciate it. You did an excellent job. So thank you very much, Captain Honkerballs. We loved having you here at the Ten.
Camrus Johnson 14:10
That's not my name. Thanks so much for having me and I cannot wait to have too much glitter in my apartment.
Ryan Willard 14:15
All right. Thank you so much, Cam.
Bethany Van Delft 14:18
Camrus, you are a legend. Thank you so much for coming by. Also, I love Avatar Last Airbender. Up next, it's time for...
Various Voices 14:35
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 15:04
Trivia on the Ten. Amazing director Ava DuVernay has created a new superhero TV show. Do you know what the show is? Is it a) Star Girl? b) Naomi or c) She-Hulk? Did you guess it? The answer is B. Ava DuVernay has created the new superhero show Naomi about a girl who discovers her ancestral powers. Ava DuVernay, if you remember also directed the movie Selma and A Wrinkle in Time, and she is the first black woman to earn over $100 million at the box office. Is there a show you are looking forward to? let us know? Visit thetennews.com/contact. Camrus, thanks again for stopping by today. Best of luck to you at the NAACP Image Awards. Before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is spelunking in the Batcave and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Ryan Willard, Adam Barnard, Tessa Flannery, and Nathalie Alonso. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft and thanks for listening to the Ten News. Oh, right. I'm gonna give this batarang a try. Well, it came right back to me!
