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Cody Christianhas been steadily holding our interest. The popular television star has made a mark in hit shows likePretty Little LiarsandTeen Wolf.He hit a milestone recently in the role of Asher Adams in the CW’sAll Americanwhen the show, now in its sixth season, recently celebrated its 100th episode.
The Season 6time jump also saw Asher – football star turned coach – become a parent to little AJ with his girlfriend Jaymee (Miya Horcher). But in this exclusive MovieWeb interview, the fan-favorite spoke candidly about the death of beloved costar Kamar de los Reyes, who played Coach Montes onAll American.Dive into the interview below as Christianunpacks the impact of that lossand chats up being an unexpected voice talent inFinal Fantasy VII Remake.
All American
This sports drama, inspired by the real-life journey of football player Spencer Paysinger, follows a high school student from south L.A. when he is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High.
The Impact of Actor Kamar de los Reyes’s Death
Kamar de los Reyes played Coach Montes on CW’sAll American.The actor died late last year, and the loss deeply affected Cody Christian, who shared many scenes with the actor. In a fitting scene, Christian is seen speaking to the coach over the phone this season – Montes got transferred to coach elsewhere.But the departure of his costar and the character has been deeply felt. Christian shared:
“It hasn’t been easy. I’m not gonna lie. This is the first real experience, I think, as a man in my own life where I’ve had someone incredibly close… someone that I’ve built a close relationship with, let alone have it be somebody that I shared the screen with and someone who played a mentorship role for me, almost like a second father figure”.
He said thatthe actor’s deathrattled him. “It left an imprint, not only on me but just like the show in general – everybody, the cast, the crew. Everybody was a fan of Kamar, both professionally and personally. But I think in a lot of ways, it [the death] heightened everybody. It raised the stakes, if you will. There was a seriousness about what we were doing and especially navigating everything with it. We owe that to him.We made sure that everybody was respectful.”
How All American Finally Said Goodbye to Coach Montes in Season 6
In honor of Kamar de Los Reyes, All American bid an emotional farewell to Coach Montes in the sixth season.
Why He Got a Tattoo to Honor His Costar
Christian was so affected by de los Reyes’ death thathe got a tattoo in remembrance of the man. “It’s a nice little split between this angel and this ideology of death if you will,” he said. “There’s a word scribed on top of it… and the hands of a clock. I have the numbers kind of fading away. And the impact that it left on me was Kamar kind of signifying, ‘Like, look, brother. You have one life. And you have no idea when this sh*t is going to wrap up for you.”
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“I was going through some stuff personally, man, Season 4, Season 5,” he added. “And I desperately needed an actual real-life mentor, like a man who was going through sht [and] has overcome sht. And Kamar talked me off the ledge many times when I was going through stuff that I wasn’t necessarily confident I was going to be alive… Yeah, man,this guy left his mark on me. So, I’m very happy that we handled everything [on the show] with grace and sent him off in a way that I’m sure everyone is proud of.”
On the Upcoming Game-Changing Season Finale
Throughout the run ofAll American,we’ve seen Christian’s character evolve. He wasa star football player, then came a fall from grace, some ego issues, and a major redirect by becoming a coach at Coastal California. When asked what fans can expect as this season comes to an end in July, Christian shared:
“I wanna tease so much, especially what happens in [episodes] 13, 14, 15. Let’s just say that relationships people have been fans of for quite some time are showcased in very beautiful ways, and we get to embellish and celebrate those moments with some of our favorite relationships within the show. Wow."
“That’s about all I can really speak on without shedding too much light or getting in trouble by somebody,” laughed Christian. “But I’d say the way we closed out Season 6 is very… it’s beautiful, man. It’s a lot of closure, it’s a lot of good storytelling with our relationships involved in the show.”See it for yourself when the last episodes of Season 6 air on The CW every Monday at 8 p.m. ET and by exploringAll AmericanonCWandNetflix. Watch the Season 6 trailer below.
