THREE'S COMPANY: Lee with his co-stars in "Zeke and Luther" (Disney XD Channel)
Story Published:
Oct 9, 2009 at 6:11 PM PDT
Story Updated:
Oct 9, 2009 at 6:11 PM PDT
An actor and aspiring hip-hop artist, Daniel Curtis Lee is living the Hollywood dream right now — especially since being signed to the omnipotent Disney brand.
But in that uncertain way of showbiz he could also have been back home in his native-Mississippi right now possibly playing on another big stage.
Lee, 18, stars as Kojo in “Zeke and Luther,” a skateboard comedy on the 10-year-old Disney XD Channel (formerly Toon Disney). Kojo is a bit of a rival to his neighbors, Zeke and Luther, who dream of becoming world-class skateboarders.
According to Lee, the role came out of the blue having wrapped an earlier sitcom, “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide,” on Nickelodeon where he played a character called Cookie.
“It’s crazy to me that I’m in the show,” said Lee, who lives with his musical sibling in Long Beach. “One of the directors on ‘Zeke’ liked the [Nickelodeon] show and got in touch. I didn’t really think too much about it. I was actually thinking of moving back to Mississippi.
I love music and athletics. I played football on and off through high school. I started off playing linebacker, but got smaller and faster and played outside linebacker in my senior year.”
In the show, Lee plays the egotistical kid who likes to think he’s all that.
“Yeah, he’s a bit of an antagonist,” said Lee. “He just jars at people and likes to push them to the edge. But he’s just trying to fit in.”
The show features some action-packed skating, although stunt doubles are used for the more dangerous stuff. It’s a world that Lee loves to be in.
“I didn’t start skating until I was 11, but I became better than most of my friends,” he recalled. “One of my biggest highlights is that recently we filmed at Tony Hawks’ house. We bring in pros like Jimmy Gorecki and they’re all supercool, chill guys. The world would have fewer problems if more people were like that.”
Outside the show, Lee is happy to lead a low-key, non-Hollywood life where he can concentrate on his music.
“Me and my brother have a hip-hop production team,” he said. “I write the lyrics and he does the beats. Our stuff is not hard-core, we just like having fun. I mean rappers say these things, but most of them have never shot anyone. We have a catalogue of songs, but we’re holding off on a CD [until we’re ready]. We have the utmost respect for the fans.”
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