Actor and star of FOX’s police crime drama “Rosewood” Morris Chestnut noticed that the cast seemed nervous while filming a portion of the Season 2 finale in March.
For good reason, too.
“There was a huge explosion and the explosion was so big that everyone on the set was nervous because it was on the second level of this parking structure,” Chestnut recalled Monday to NASCAR.com via telephone. “And it was such a big explosion that everyone thought the second level was going to drop down to the first.”
But one guest star — Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon — seemed quite unnerved by the exploding car behind him, Chestnut noticed.
It seemed his day job lent a hand to dealing with crashes, fires and loud noises on the set of a television show.
“He was actually in the scene when this happened,” Chestnut said of Dillon. “And to see his reaction — he was just like a pro, didn’t flinch. It was great, he did a great job.”
In the “Rosewood” season finale, Dillon portrays Wayne Cirito, a character that is associated with a crime gang that the show’s protagonist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood (played by Chestnut) is trying to interrogate.
As for Dillon’s acting skills? Chestnut was impressed by the 27-year-old driver’s versatility on-screen.
“That’s one thing that’s great about Austin,” Chestnut said. “It was a very tough scene because he goes from this hard, tough-as-nails guy, to relating to (character Captain Ira) Hornstock and talking about things he may not have been comfortable (talking about).”
But as Chestnut learned after talking with Dillon off-screen, race car drivers have to be tough in a variety of facets in their own jobs — as well as focused, sharp and able-bodied. It’s a familiar area for the 48-year-old actor, as he just released a health and fitness book this month entitled “The Cut: Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 10 Days and Sculpt Your Best Body.”
“It was great to talk to him about some of the insight toward NASCAR,” Chestnut said. “I didn’t know some of the things that he goes through as (a driver), that they go through in the cars and everything, so it was great to talk to him about that.
“…One thing when I was talking to Austin is the endurance factor. Not only do you have to have a healthy body, but you have to have a healthy and sharp mind because a one-second lapse can not only cost you the race, but you can get into some very bad, brutal accidents. So, health and fitness is a huge part of being sharp and being ready when you’re on the track.
“These guys are athletes, these drivers are athletes,” Chestnut continued. “I didn’t realize that. They’re not just sitting in the car Sunday driving like I do on the freeway. (They’re hitting) 200 mph, going around these tracks and turns … you have to be in tip-top shape and (have) a razor-sharp mind.”
His conversations with Dillon on set gave Chestnut, who has never attended a NASCAR race, a greater appreciation for the sport of racing.
“To be honest, I didn’t get (NASCAR),” said Chestnut, who also plans to attend Dillon’s 3-on-3 charity basketball tournament this year. “I didn’t really get it. But he was breaking everything down to me about the whole entire experience. It’s not just about the race — it’s even before the race, everyone coming, meeting the drivers, being right on the track. He was breaking so many little intricate things down to me just about the sport in general to where it really, really piqued my interest. So I’m looking forward to getting out to (a race) … (There were) so many interesting things that he was talking to me about, I was like, ‘Man, I have to see one of these.’ “
The connections between NASCAR and Hollywood have grown deeper in recent years, as more drivers have briefly traded their fire suits and race cars for Hollywood scripts and bright lights for cameo appearances in movies and television shows. Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney and Carl Edwards notably nabbed cameo roles in the upcoming Steven Soderbergh-directed, racing-themed film “Logan Lucky;” which stars Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig and Riley Keough among others. Likewise, several movie and television stars have flocked to the often-unfamiliar race tracks, particularly the Southern California-based Auto Club Speedway and Wine Country’s Sonoma Raceway.
RELATED: NASCAR meets Hollywood in ‘Logan Lucky’ movie
While he is just starting to learn more about NASCAR, Chestnut already sees parallels between NASCAR and Hollywood, primarily the storytelling aspect of both.
“I think they’re both very entertaining,” Chestnut said. “Like I said, I didn’t understand the sport … but once he told me the intricacies of the storylines that are involved and how intimate the fans can be with the drivers, it’s a whole other level of entertainment. Even the story within the story, the story within the races with some of the drivers and what happens before they even come to the race.
“There’s just so many interesting things, I think it’s just a natural relationship the two can have. Hollywood has stories — we tell stories with our show every week. The more you know about our show, the more interested you may be. The more I know about NASCAR drivers, the more interested I am in the sport. It’s very similar. They’re both very strong forms of entertainment.”
Catch Dillon and Chestnut on the season finale of “Rosewood” on Friday, April 28 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.