Why Jimmy From No Sudden Move Looks So Familiar
Steven Soderbergh has a knack for assembling some of the best ensemble casts in recent cinematic history. The "Ocean's Eleven" series brought together some of the biggest movie stars of the 21st century, like George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt. "Contagion" took on greater significance in 2020, but even without a pandemic, the combination of Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow in a single film is more than enough to draw in viewers. Judging from the cast list of his most recent film, "No Sudden Move," Soderbergh has outdone himself once again.
The crime thriller stars some of the director's frequent collaborators like Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro. However, while looking through all of the stellar names that helped make this movie a reality, there's a tinge of sadness, as well. Actor and poet Craig "muMs" Grant plays the role of Jimmy, and the artist sadly died on March 24, 2021. "No Sudden Move" marks one of Grant's final film appearances.
While he has a couple of other roles coming out in the near future, we want to look back at his illustrious career and pay tribute to such an immense talent.
Craig Grant burst onto the scene with HBO's Oz
It can be hard to define when the golden era of television began. Some will say it started with "Breaking Bad," while others insist you have to go back to "The Sopranos." For some, TV changed forever in 1997 when HBO came out with arguably the best-written prison drama ever to see the airwaves — "Oz."
Craig Grant played Poet, who appeared in 49 episodes throughout the series. Poet is a heroin addict in the series who gets locked up due to attempted murder and armed robbery, but as he proves repeatedly, he has a sensitive side as he regularly writes free verse poetry.
Over a decade after the show ended, Grant continued being grateful to be part of such an essential piece of work. In an interview with HorrorNews.net, the artist stated, "'Oz' was a blast, 'Oz' was a blast and I am a lucky guy to have 'Oz' on my resume as my very first job in this business. When I look back at all the work that I've done you know it has all been quality stuff. I am lucky to have had a run as an actor this long with doing such quality work." To relive one of the best runs on television, you can rewatch the series now on HBO Max.
He showed off his sense of humor on Chappelle's Show
Craig Grant stayed pretty serious during his time on "Oz," but he had a chance to cut loose a little bit when he was cast on "Chappelle's Show." He appeared in one of the best sketches to come out of the show's run — "Mad Real World." Grant plays Lysol, one of TyRee's (Charlie Murphy) friends, straight out of prison. On the surface, it appears like a callback to his role on "Oz," but instead of writing poetry, he ends up having sex with Chad's (Christian Finnegan) girlfriend.
It turns out to be the final straw for Chad, who has a breakdown and ends up getting kicked out of the complex. Much of "Chappelle's Show" remains beloved to this day, but "Mad Real World" holds a special place for many TV viewers. It frequently ranks among the best sketches the show produced, as evidenced from this list on Okay Player.
He trained Luke Cage on his Netflix show
The Marvel Netflix shows are a curious bunch. While they took place in the same continuity as the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they've since been all but discarded. With no plans for the series to appear on Disney+ any time soon, they remain the black sheep of the MCU. Still, in terms of more mature superhero shows, they remain enjoyable watches, and if you ever decide to go back to watch "Luke Cage," then you'll find Craig Grant in one of the most significant episodes of the series.
Grant plays Reggie, a.k.a. Squabbles, who becomes Luke's (Mike Colter) only friend while he's locked up in Seagate. Playing prisoners seemed to be a regular part of Grant's filmography, but he managed to encapsulate those kinds of roles so well. Squabbles trained Luke to fight, which helped tremendously when he got back on the outside and protected the streets of Harlem with his newfound super-strength.
Grant assumed numerous roles over his illustrious career. You won't want to miss one of the last times he'll appear on screen when "No Sudden Move" is available to watch on HBO Max.