May 11--His character ignites the controversy central to the second season of "American Crime," prompting an exploration of sexual orientation, male-on-male sexual assault and socioeconomic disparity.
So, yeah, Connor Jessup was a bit anxious.
The 21-year-old actor stopped by the Los Angeles Times studio to reflect on his role in the taut anthology drama that, in its second season, revolved around a high schooler (Jessup) who accuses several players on a championship basketball team at a private school of sexually assaulting him.
Jessup said not knowing where the story was headed had him worried about being too expressive too soon.
Naturally, he turned to his fictional mom, played by Lili Taylor, for advice.
"I said, 'Lili, do you ever just like play it down a little bit so you can give yourself somewhere to go?" Jessup recalled. "And she looked at me like I was crazy. And she went, 'No, honey, just do it all, all the time.'"
To find out more about Jessup's thoughts about the season -- including his answer to a question that came straight from the show's creator, John Ridley -- check out the video below.
yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com
Follow me on Twitter: @villarrealy
