Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.

I'm Jesse Thorn, it's Bullseye.

John David Washington is one of those guys who could have had it the easy way. He grew

up as the son of actor Denzel Washington, maybe you've heard of that dude. And you might

think a lifetime of roles and blockbuster movies await them. But John David took a let's say

circuitous route to his eventual destination of Hollywood. His first life had him lacing

up the pads every week for a career in preparation for the first time. He was a great actor.

He just called out to me and said, what? His first life had him lacing up the pads every

week for a career in professional football where he spanned the globe from Sacramento to

doosle dawce trying to make it work.

I endured several concussions. Torn Meneskis, Torn Achilles, Sports Hurnier, Broken

Rigs, clavicle, all in the name of that independence, I was willing to sacrifice at all to know,

show more to myself, but I didn't know that I'd have time for others though to show that

I can earn my own keep.

In Spike Lee's latest, Black Clansman, John Place Ron Stallworth, the first black police

officer to join the ranks of the Colorado Springs Police Department.

If you haven't seen it, the movie is based on Stallworth's memoir of the same name. In

real life, and in the film, Stallworth tries to infiltrate the local KKK chapter. Yes,

he helps from a white police officer who stands in for him at meetings and wears a wire

to record incriminating conversations. In this scene, Ron is at the police department interviewing

for a job. He's sitting across from the two men in charge of hiring. One interviewer

is a white police officer. The other is a black city employee played by the great Isaiah

...