Daniel Sunjata was nearing the end of the casting process for ABC’s “High Potential” when he was asked to do a chemistry read with the show’s star Kaitlin Olson — by Zoom.
“I was like, ‘How can you get a gauge on chemistry between two actors through a computer?,’” he recalled.
Turns out he understood the assignment.
In “High Potential,” a darkly comic murder procedural that has been renewed for a second season, Sunjata is a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, and Olson is a janitor with a genius I.Q. who can deduce things the officers can’t.
He’s very by-the-book, she’s more of a rule breaker. But it’s hard to argue with the results.
“It’s been a fantastic experience,” Sunjata said. “There are many occasions where you enjoy the process of creating something and it doesn’t find an audience. So the fact that the show is also seeing a pretty significant amount of success is very, very gratifying.”
In a video call from Los Angeles, Sunjata discussed why he cherishes his baby book, a photo with Michael Jordan and the journal his first agent gave him.
These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
‘Interstellar’
Christopher Nolan is one of the most visionary directors of modern times, and I think this movie is a perfect example why. To me, it was a meditation on the relationship between our conception of love and gravity — of science and spirituality — and where the two things intertwine. There are people that I miss dearly, but when I’m with that feeling of why I miss them, that love almost transcends distance, transcends time.
My Baby Book
I was adopted and my mother made a baby book, which she filled with things as diverse as art projects that I would bring home from school and maybe a leaf that had fallen from a tree in our front yard. It’s a token of her love for me and her care for helping me find myself.
My State Championship Ring
When I was in high school, my football team won the state championship two times in a row, and my class ring says back-to-back state champs. It is a reminder of the fruits of hard work, especially toward a common goal with a team. To do that, ideally you have to bring the absolute best of yourself to that equation.
The Photo on My Phone’s Screen
I have one that’s very special to me. It’s me holding my daughters, Keira and Itasia, and kissing them on the cheek.
‘Take Five’
I know that I’m starting to get older because suddenly I’m getting into jazz. Dave Brubeck is just a genius on so many levels — his music, his music theory, his compositions — and I think “Take Five” is one of the ultimate expressions of that. I’m quite sure that there are people in the music industry who might not realize how much Brubeck likely influenced their own creativity.
‘Take Me Out’
Richard Greenberg’s amazing play is probably the single most significant creative experience of my career so far. Every time we took to the stage, we knew we had to rise to the level of the writing. The writing elevated us, and I think we illuminated the writing to a degree. And I got to go to Broadway.
A Photo With Michael Jordan
My dad took me to the Bulls stadium in Chicago for picture day. This was when people were realizing that Michael Jordan might be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. I just didn’t care to take a picture with anybody else, and I wasn’t the only one. One of his handlers said, “OK, everybody get behind this kid right here.” He pointed at me and I almost fainted. It’s me with Michael Jordan’s arm draped over my shoulder giving me this billion-dollar smile. Every time I look at it, it makes me feel like I touched greatness and maybe a little rubbed off.
My Sister’s Couch
The place of repose. It reminds me of the importance of the support of family and my love for my sister. I think it surprises a lot of people that we’re so close and we’re not biologically related, but she’s my best friend.
My French Bulldog, Kush
I often say Kush saved my life. I got him at a time when, whether I knew it or not, I really needed something. Maybe I could have started with a plant. But I decided to start with a little dog, and he gave me something to be responsible for that was outside of myself.
Mark’s Journal
I worked with my first agent, Mark Schlegel, for over two decades. He has passed away, but he gave me a journal. It’s weird — I have it, but it’s painful for me to start writing in it because it makes me think about him. And I miss him so much. I don’t know the etymological relationship between the words “journal” and “journey” — writing your own path as we move through this life. I wish he was here to help me do that.
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