In the hit series The Bay, he plays the role of R.J. Garrett-Foster. “It feel amazing to be a part of this show,” he said. “I have a very unique experience joining The Bay family. Initially, I got cast for a day role for a smaller part. When I showed up on set and met the director Gregori J. Martin, we clicked right away. He subsequently told me the great news saying that they wanted to offer me the role of R.J. and I told them I was interested in joining the show as a co-star. It turned out better than I ever anticipated. It was a good sporadic moment for me to join The Bay family.”
He is drawn to his character, R.J. Garrett-Foster, due to his innocence. “R.J. is always the one, in any circumstance, that is trying to do good. He is the voice of reason,” he said. “R.J. is the innocent side of me that I want to be more like. He is definitely an inspiration.”
For De-Tiege, it was an “amazing” experience to work with Emmy winner Sean Blakemore as his on-screen father Tony Foster. “Sean nailed the scene were in together. He came fully prepared,” he said.
De-Tiege had kind words about co-star Erik Fellows, who plays Damian Blackwell on The Bay. “Erik is hilarious and very cool. I would see him at the cast readings and table readings. You can’t not love Erik, he’s awesome. We would talk about basketball and fitness,” he said, praising his witty nature. “I will have a scene with him in the future. We had a great time filming it and we really connected,” he hinted.
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “I feel blessed because everything is digital these days. Not that many people are watching TV regularly. Any time people want to watch a show, they binge-watch a season and they fully support it. I am definitely happy to be a part of the digital realm. Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix are killing it. If you are on one of these streaming platforms, you are doing something right.”
For young and aspiring actors, he encouraged them to persevere. “This is a tough business, you will get turned down so many times. As you grow older, you will get many ‘nos’ but you will understand how to get a ‘yes’ the longer you stay in it. It’s a learning experience,” he said. “When it comes to acting and goals, don’t give up. Write the goals down, and make sure you know what you are doing and keep going without caring about what other people say about you.”
When asked about the title of the current chapter of his life, he responded, “Surviving.” “2020 has been a kickback,” he said. “We are all trying to get by. I will never forget this year, that’s for certain.”
De-Tiege defined the word success as “persistence for career perfection.” “Success is the outcome of all the hard work that you have been doing your whole life,” he said.
For his dedicated fans, that have followed him on his journey, he expressed his love and appreciation. “I love you all. I try to interact with you as much as I can, go live, and I leave comments,” he said.
To learn more about actor Najee De-Tiege, check out his IMDb page and follow him on Instagram and on Twitter.
