EXCLUSIVE — ‘The Chi’ Actor Michael Epps Shares Key Differences Between Him & On Screen Character: I’m Not A Disloyal Friend Like Jake

Michael Epps

EXCLUSIVE — ‘The Chi’ Actor Michael Epps Shares Key Differences Between Him & On Screen Character: I’m Not A Disloyal Friend Like Jake

Michael Epps is a lot of things, but disloyal [in real life] isn’t one of them.

theJasmineBRAND sat down with the actor, who plays Jake on the SHOWTIME series ‘The Chi,’ where he gave some insight into the key similarities and differences he shares with his on-screen character.

Michael Epps said,

“We have a couple. Me and Jake … we’re alike in a lot of ways, and we’re not alike in some ways. I feel like me and Jake are the same, it’s not hard to portray Jake because I’m from Chicago. I’ve seen a lot of Jakes and I know a lot of Jakes, so it’s not hard to portray him on TV.

He continued,

“What we’re not like is, first of all I’m not a disloyal friend like Jake, and I didn’t really have a rough past like Jake. My past growing up, it wasn’t as rough as Jakes [such as] his brother leading down the wrong road and all that.”

Epps started his acting career as an extra in the Fox series ‘Empire’ and has since guest starred in the television series ‘Chicago Fire‘ alongside Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney and Eamonn Walker. The teen made his music debut in 2019 with the song ‘Drip,’ going under the stage name “Mikey.”

Epps enjoys playing video games, spending time with friends, and volunteering with groups that help the homeless and local schools in Chicago’s West Side—while he is not filming for ‘The Chi,’ of course.

According to Showtime’s official description of his character,

“Jake is Kevin’s good friend, and he, Kevin and Papa are pretty much inseparable. But Jake’s older brother is a leader in a local gang, and Jake is at risk of falling under his influence.”

Screengrab of Michael Epps as ‘Jake’ in ‘The Chi.’

Do you watch ‘The Chi’? Let us know in the comments!

[VIA]