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Daryl
“Chill” Mitchell
had no intention of being an actor.
He had no plans to work with some of the
greatest and most intellectual people in comedy.
He never predicted that he would become a
consistent staple in American prime time
television.
And, he never thought he would spend a
significant portion of his adult life in a
wheelchair.
Yes,
life has thrown him a lot of surprises: some good
and some bad.
But if Mitchell has proven himself to be
anything, it’s tough, resilient and completely
unafraid. With
the good and bad, Mitchell is rolling with the
punches.
Mitchell
started his entertainment career as a rap artist
with the group Groove B. Chill.
As the group rose in popularity, Mitchell
found himself with an opportunity to
take on a significant role in the hip-hop
blockbuster House Party – and
boom, Mitchell just got into acting.
“I
didn’t get into acting, really, acting got into
me,” said Mitchell.
“I tried to seize the opportunity for a
different benefit.
I was doing rap, and we didn’t have the
radio, video and other avenues that we have today.
I was thinking, ‘do a couple of these,
and we can sell more records.’”
But
Mitchell had been very fortunate to connect early
on with talented, nurturing actors and mentors.
As time went by, what had started as a
promotional activity turned into a career, and a
notable one at that.
To date, Mitchell has appeared in more than
20 films and television shows, and has performed
in lead roles on Veronica’s Closet
and The John Larroquette Show.
His film credits include Galaxy Quest,
Disney’s The Country Bears, Black
Knight and House Party I and
II.
He is currently the newest cast member on
the prime time hit Ed.
Along
the way, Mitchell has had access to some amazing
comedic minds, including four-time Emmy
winner John Larroquette, and one of
comedy’s greatest living legends, Bill Cosby.
“”Work-wise,
the best teacher I ever had was John Larroquette,”
said Mitchell.
“He’s very intellectual.
I learned a lot from him, and he learned
from me. His
mind was always open.”
Bill
Cosby proved to be another source of inspiration.
With his success across so many different
facets of the business, Cosby was an inspirational
role model for Mitchell.
“I was just in awe…” said Mitchell.
Mitchell’s
good fortune, however, doesn’t just happen and
it isn’t typical of most people trying to get
into the business.
Success in
Hollywood
takes a lot of sacrifice and hard work, and
Mitchell is no stranger to either.
“I
say (to young, new actors), get good at the game
of monopoly, because it’s all a game,” he
said. “If
you’re a sore loser, then don’t play.
This isn’t the game for you.
You have to be made for this.”
Life
Throws Mitchell Another Curve
In
November of 2001, everything in Daryl Mitchell’s
life changed.
A tragic motorcycle accident left him
paralyzed from the waist down.
Undaunted, Mitchell kept moving on.
He began painful, intensive physical
rehabilitation, and then ventured down the even more challenging road
of emotional recovery.
“I
always say, a little adversity goes a long way,”
said Mitchell.
“After the accident, I came to see that
there are so many disabilities that we can’t
see. There
have been so many times in life when I wasn’t
allowed access to information, resources, or
whatever, because of my color.
The only difference with this is, I can
feel it, physically.
Basically, it’s the same thing.”
As
an example, Mitchell cited the invisible walls
that often arise when people encounter him.
“When I come into a room, I can see and
feel when people aren’t connected to me socially,
whether it’s because of the chair or my color.
People draw back.
I’ve always dealt with it.”
Where
most people get angry about such realities,
Mitchell’s perspective is a more creative one,
which is not a surprise coming from a man who has
spent his life overcoming adversities.
To
help break down the barriers that exist between
people, Mitchell advocates the proverbial walk in
another’s shoes.
“We need an exchange student program in
this country,” declared Mitchell.
“And it doesn’t have to be racially
based, either.
It can be economically based.
If you’re living in
Beverly Hills
and don’t know how people are living in poverty,
then go and check them out.
If you live in the projects and have never
been to Bel Air, go check them out.
Find out how other people are living, and
why. Check
your history.
Then, do a self-check.
The problem is we don’t do that – we
don’t take care of our own.”
Mitchell
takes the idea of taking
care of one's own to heart.
His philanthropic efforts are about as
extensive as his film credits.
He has worked with such notable community
efforts as the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, The
Make a Wish Foundation, and he has worked with Whoopi
Goldberg in her give-back efforts.
To honor a dear friend who was paralyzed
after being shot in the back years ago - (the
friend was an innocent bystander in a violent
shootout) - Mitchell got involved with the Wheelchair
Games. This
was long before his own need for a wheelchair.
“Ironic,
isn’t it,” he said.
“I spent a lot of time around wheelchairs
– bringing my friend around and to the games.
My friend used to tell me – you can think
you know what it’s like (to be in a wheelchair),
but you just don’t know.
He was right.”
However,
Mitchell’s history of being there for others has
come back to him in spades – and he’s
definitely a man who remembers who is in his
corner.
Family:
A True Source of Strength and Support
One
group that has certainly made things better for
Mitchell has been his family.
As a husband and father of three,
Mitchell’s family has been a true source of
strength and support.
“All
the way, all the way, my kids have been there,”
he said happily.
“They don’t care (if I’m in a chair).
I’m a big hit at the school – all the
kids want to get in the chair.
I have to get out.
And when I have the power chair – look
out! You’d
think I was the roller coaster at Six Flags.”
Like
many other things, Mitchell says that attitude can
change they way people receive you, regardless of
the situation.
“With
kids, it’s all in the outlook,” he continued.
“If you’re older, then it’s a wheel
chair. If
you’re younger, then it’s a go-kart.
One little girl pointed and shouted ‘Wow!
A robot chair!’
They’re not pushed back by it –
probably because I, also, keep a positive attitude
about it.”
Children
don’t feel sorry for Mitchell, and you dare not
try to either.
He won’t accept it – and he certainly
doesn’t waste time feeling sorry for himself.
“People
sit around after things like (the accident) and
say ‘why me,’” said Mitchell.
“I say, ‘why not me?’
People ask ‘why now,’ and I say ‘why
not now.’ I’ve
always been a fighter.
I’ve never cared what people thought,
even when I fell on my face.
I’ve never been one to lie down.”
That
doesn’t mean that Mitchell makes it through life
alone. He
counts his blessings every day, and he knows
what’s really important in life.
“Love,
family and support,” he continued.
“Blood doesn’t make you kin, and not
being blood doesn’t mean they’re not your
family.”
Moving
Back to Prime Time
One
team that Mitchell considers family is the hugely
talented cast and crew of his latest show Ed,
on NBC. He
plays Eli, the supervising manager of the Stuckeybowl
bowling alley.
The opportunity to read for the show came
through a director that used to work with Mitchell
on The John Larroquette Show, John
Whitesell.
After
the accident, Whitesell came to see Mitchell to
check on his progress.
Whitesell was impressed with how strong and
healthy Mitchell was, both physically and
emotionally. Mitchell
told him flat out, “I’m ready to work.”
Whitesell, confident in Mitchell’s talent
and strength, told him “Whatever happens,
you’re going to be all right.”
Whitesell
contacted the writers for Ed, who were
looking to fill a regular spot on the series, and
told he them he had an actor that they really
needed to see.
They agreed to see Mitchell, who was more
than able to take it from there.
“It
was truly a case of
Hollywood
at it’s best,” said Mitchell.
“They weren’t looking for a character
in a wheelchair, but they knew what I could do.
We were sharing different things.
I told them stories about adjusting to the
chair. I
had a chance to open up, and let it be about me.
Then they said, ‘Hey, let’s do this.”
The
cast and crew have been equally welcoming.
Since coming onto the show, Mitchell has
forged a strong emotional bond with the team - a
bond that shows in the performances.
“I
can look at the show and see that I’m doing a
hell of a job – and that’s because the cast
and crew are…incredible,” said Mitchell.
“In some scenes for the show, they feel
what I’m going through.
That’s because they forget (that I’m in
a wheel chair).
There was one scene that took place in a
rehab center, and (my character) Eli is in a
standing frame.
I hadn’t been in a standing frame for two
years. The
cast and crew, they had never seen me stand up
before. The
whole set – the crew, the cast, the craft
services table – everything just stopped.
They felt it.
My crew is my family.”
It’s
a powerful example of how Mitchell’s strength
and experience have enriched those around him.
Ask Mitchell, and it’s just another
example of him doing the best with what he has –
not much different than overcoming many of the
other obstacles that pop up in life.
“I
hope I fill a need for others,” said Mitchell.
“Regardless of whether or not you’re
looking to be a ‘role model,’ these things, as
they say, drop into your lap.
It doesn’t trouble me to talk about it.
I have no problem opening up.
In the end, if you can make things better
for other people, then you can make things better
for yourself.”
The
End
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