As the son of renowned Broadway actor Michel Bell, it’s only right that Coby Bell pursued a career as an actor. While fans recognize his work on the small screen on the USA Network’s Burn Notice and BET’s The Game, the role that Bell is most proud of is that of a loving father to his two sets of twins–identical girls and a fraternal pair, one boy and one girl. Despite his hectic schedule, the devoted family man still makes time to serve as a Big Brother to a young man he’s mentored for the past several years. BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Bell, who discusses how he juggles his career and parenting, his musical ambitions and working with singer/actress Brandy as a love interest in the upcoming season of The Game.
How has it been juggling two popular television shows on separate major networks at the same time?
Luckily it hasn’t been exactly at the same time. Last season Burn Notice ended, and then a week later The Game started. This season, The Game started about two or three weeks before Burn Notice. I was juggling [both] for two or three weeks, and that was kind of crazy flying from Miami to Atlanta and then back to Miami. And I go to L.A. every weekend to see my wife and kids. The only part that weirds me out about it is being away from my family, so I do a lot of flying.
That’s understandable being that you have two sets of twins at home. How do you fit in daddy duty with the hectic schedule of being in two shows?
It’s challenging, but it’s the best thing in the world. The traveling, the long hours; everything I do is for my kids. But when I got these jobs out of town, I said the only way I can do this is if I go home every weekend. There’s no way I can go more than five days without seeing them or being with them. [And] once The Game is done, I’m going to have two or three months just being home and just being dad before I have to go back to Burn Notice. I’m not saying that it’s easy but being a father is just the best thing in the world.
So what’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you’re home?
I guess just being with them. Whatever it is that they’re doing or whatever it is that they want to do–you know, taking them to volleyball, piano or dance or picking them up from pre-school… just all that day-to-day stuff. What’s really cool is we just have fun as a family. We really enjoy just hanging out together and every Sunday before I have to go back to the airport, my wife gets to sleep in and I take the kids to Long Beach to this restaurant we’ve been going to for the past two years. And every time they have our table ready for us, it’s like this nice little tradition we got going.
In addition to your own kids you’re involved with Big Brothers of America as a mentor. How did that relationship come about?
I was on my first series regular gig, L.A. Doctors (1998-99), and I was just a nurse on the show. So I only came in for work one or two days a week, I had all this spare time, so I figured I might as well help out a little bit. That’s when I became a Big Brother. He’s 23 now and we haven’t been officially part of the program for years because at a certain point they’re like, If you’re obligation’s over and you want to keep hanging that’s cool.†We’re like family now so he’s always going to be part of my life.
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Switching gears a bit, Burn Notice is getting ready to wrap up the fall season, what’s been the best part about playing a role so different than what fans are used to seeing you as on The Game?
Other than working with Bruce Campbell, who’s become a really good buddy of mine, I think the show kind of has something for everybody. It has action, it has comedy; I think it gives me the chance to do all of that with one character. I love the fact that we go undercover as different characters to trick the bad guy. I get to create these little sub-characters–I love when they give me scenes like that.
That’s quite different from The Game where they always give you beautiful women to play opposite of. How is it working with your latest love interest Brandy in the upcoming season?
Oh, she’s awesome! I’ve really been blown away with how she’s been able to just jump right in, because I know exactly how that feels–I did it on Burn Notice. [The show] had been going for three seasons, and I hopped onto that moving train and figured out who my character was. Brandy just jumped right in out of the gate kickin’ ass! She’s always prepared; she never half-asses; she’s just a real professional. I’m really enjoying working with her.
Last season your song “The Dip & Pitts†became a trending topic. How did you come up with the song and the dance?
Well, I didn’t come up with it by myself. There was a running joke for a couple episodes with me talking to Chris Webber about “The Dip & Pitts†and he’s like, he didn’t know what it was. And I was like, “Come on, man. Don’t act like you don’t know what it is.†It was supposed to be this song that [my character] came out with when he was a rookie… There was an episode that was short and they needed another scene at the end. So Kenny Smith, the executive producer, said, “Alright, we’re going to have you do ‘The Dip & Pitts.’†I was like, “Hell, yeah!†We did it and we made the song and we knew it was funny, but I didn’t think it was going to do what it did. And as far as the dance, I just made that up the night before we shot the scene. I’ve never been a part of anything like that. It’s pretty weird.
Does this mean there’s a budding music career on the horizon for you?
It’s funny you said that. It’s kind of always been in my life. My dad is a singer, so it was always either music or acting with me. All the way up through college I was doing both, and even after college I was in a reggae band. Then the acting really started taking off so the music had to become a hobby. But lately I’ve been putting together this project where the music and the comedy kind of come together. Hopefully within the next couple years I can get that going.
What other projects do you have on the horizon?
I’m actually really excited about hooking up with a couple of writers from The Game and one of the writers from Burn Notice. We’re trying to turn this idea into a movie. The character’s name is Milky Jr. and the name of [his] band is Milky Jr. & The Milky Way. I want to finish that one, and what’s really cool is Brandy and I have been talking about life after The Game, trying to get something together TV wise. So I’m really excited about that, too.