[INTERVIEW] Malik Yoba Chats New Role on 'Alphas'

I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. I don’t think that it’s one thing, I think that it’s timing, it’s the miracle of God, it’s … I think SyFy did a pretty good job of getting the word out. I would say of all the shows that have – whether they be cable or network – I thought that SyFy did a good job. I mean, they were promoting the show before X-Men First Class! But also I think the show is good. And I think that it continues to get better. I think that there’s a human element from the character standpoint that people resonate with. But ultimately, I think it’s the luck of the gods, because there really is no rhyme or reason why television works or doesn’t work, from a larger perspective. You think of the amount of shows that get written, that get picked up for pilots, that actually make it from pilot to series, that go from first season to second season, there’s no rhyme or reasons. There is but there isn’t. But I think that being said, it’s important that you at least make sure that the things that you do have control over, that you execute those things well and I think that for the most part SyFy has done a good job of doing that. I think this show could easily go for five years if we wanted it to, because I think it is strong and people like it.

EBONY: What can you tell fans of the show, that Bill Harken’s going to embark on this season? Anything that you can reveal?

MY: I think that I get my ass kicked more than I would’ve liked to! I definitely get my ass kicked some times and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. Wait a minute! We gotta re-choreograph this fight scene!’ We pick up where we left off. I think the issue is my wife and the stuff with the baby, you know, whether or not we’re going to have a baby, that continues. The stakes have been raised. The action is bigger in a lot of ways.

EBONY: Where do you pull from for Bill? He’s a very follow-the-rules kind of guy. Is that you at all?

MY:I’m a rabble rouser, man! I break rules all the time. I have no desire to work in law enforcement, so the fact that I’ve actually done it as a character – I think this is the 13th time I’ve played some sort of law enforcement officer in film or television – it’s just from the material and from the whole idea of someone who goes through the training in the FBI, discovers that he has this ability that he can’t control, is assigned to this person. I think it’s just sort of modeled after people that I know that work in law enforcement that always wanna do the right thing. I think he’s proud of his leadership, but I also think that he doesn’t know what else to do with himself. I don’t think Bill can really do anything else but be someone who’s of service in some way.