So far this year, Jay Ellis has played a basketball coach in the Netflix comedy “Running Point” and a record-setting M.V.P. in the action movie “Freaky Tales.”
This summer, he’s swapping free throws for freestyles as he steps into the role of a hip-hop star in the Off Broadway play “Duke & Roya,” at the Lucille Lortel Theater. The drama finds him stumbling into a cross-cultural romance with life-threatening consequences.
“At first glance,” he said, “there’s no reason why you think these two people would ever hit it off.”
He added: “We’re in a world where everyone yells, no one listens. Everybody really just wants connection, to be seen, to be understood, and I just loved the idea that these two characters do.”
Ellis, 43, temporarily relocated his family of four to New York from their home in Los Angeles. One particular aspect of the local culture suits him well.
“I absolutely love pizza,” he said, name-dropping his latest find, Fini. “My daughter took a bite and was like, ‘Why don’t we have pizza like this in L.A., Daddy?’”
Pepperoni is his go-to, but he’ll “play around” with fungi, white sauce and even cauliflower crust. He’s watched the “Chef’s Table: Pizza” series three times, sampled slices globally and gives high praise to Melbourne’s Deep End, whose pies he ate weekly while filming in Australia. “The dude is actually from America. He moved over there, perfected all these different styles — Detroit, New Haven, New York and Chicago — and all of them were amazing.”
On a call, Ellis named yet another far-flung pizza recommendation, as well as the birthday bauble he holds dear and the author he idolizes. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Monk
You know where the best pizza in the world is? Kyoto, Japan. Yoshihiro Imai has six tables and makes pizza in this stone earth oven behind a bar. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had. He’ll take vegetables, roots or different things that are native to Japan, and put those on as toppings. It’s magical.
A ‘Nasty’ Morning Smoothie
PlantFusion protein, L-Carnitine, collagen peptides, half an avocado, liquid chlorophyll and ionic zinc, MCT oil, shilajit, Amazing Grass Greens Blend, Rishi turmeric ginger tea and hojicha green tea. It’s so nasty, but it makes me happy to drink it. I’m getting my protein intake and the greens that I may not eat during the day.
My Zameer Kassam Necklace
This was a gift from my wife for my 40th birthday. The links are the shape of the windows in the restaurant that we met in. There’s stones for each of my kids’ birthdays, my parents’ initials are inscribed, and the length and weight have something to do with the latitude and longitude of where I was born. It’s my most prized possession. It never leaves my body.
Fear of God Denim
I’m 6-foot-4, so finding good length denim at times is really tough. Fear of God denim is something that I always slide into. They’re so soft and never stretch out. The founder, Jerry Lorenzo, can do no wrong for me. It’s not just design — there’s a depth, a passion, a culture to it.
Nature’s Bees Lip Balm
I love cocoa butter-based sticks. I’ve used everything. I got Nature’s Bees in a birthday bag from a kid at my daughter’s school, the most unlikely place, and I went and bought like 40 sticks. My lips feel great the entire day.
Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash
Shout out to Pearl Grimes, my dermatologist, who put me on to it. It’s hard to find a good body wash. There’s a lot of stuff that smells good and comes in cool packaging, but I don’t know if they hit the mark. This is special. That 24-hour extra moisture whatever is legitimately great.
Smythson Journals
I write what I’m grateful for from the previous day, then my hit list of things I want to get done. I burn through a lot of journals and Smythson has been my favorite. My first one I got as a gift and I fell in love with it. I have a bookshelf where there’s eight or nine black leather ones in a row.
Brunello Cucinelli Tuxedos
I’m fortunate in my career to be asked to go to award shows or parties, so I have four or five selections. Three of them are Brunello. There’s a class, a fit, this attention to detail from a fabric perspective. The weight is always perfect.
Mexico City
It’s a city that is so alive and I’ve had nothing but amazing times there. I go probably two or three times a year. I find myself creatively inspired, recharged. It’s my happy place, where I go to disappear, but I’m still close to home.
Colson Whitehead
Colson’s one of my literary GOATs. “Harlem Shuffle,” “Crook Manifesto,” “The Underground Railroad,” “Nickel Boys”: I feel like I did not understand or see myself in fiction until I read him. “Sag Harbor” was the first thing I read. I’ve been a huge fan since.
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