Keith Lee was interviewed on “Out of Character with Ryan Satin” to talk about a wide range of topics including his new character. Here are the highlights:
How much is his true self in the character he portrays on TV:
“It depends on which character you’re talking about. Previously, if you’re referring to anything in my time in NXT or when I first came up to the main roster, I would say that there wasn’t really a character. It was just me being me being me, having fun, and enjoying myself. I would say that was just me turned up to a certain level that was above average. I would say that Bearcat has some relevance as who I am, but in a more competitive level, almost football related. A guy that wants to get business done. Bearcat is a guy that just walks out there ready to decimate whomever is in the ring. It’s a really interesting switch for sure.”
The challenge of portraying the Bearcat character:
“One thing I’ve had fun with is that it’s been probably one of the greatest challenges. It’s something that people point out, ‘you’re a naturally nice guy, I want to see the other side.’ I’m like, ‘You don’t want that guy.’ The professional Keith is the best case scenario because the guy that played football and the guy who has been through a lot in his life is a different being altogether. They want it and it’s coming and there’s not much anybody will be able to do about it because when I get to that mindset and I’m so fixated, it’s kind of a jet that is hard to stop. Trying to stop a jet with a piece of paper. It’ll be interesting,”
If he struggles being a heel:
“It is. It’s not just because of that being more foreign these days, but it touches on things that’ I’ve experience in life. Like, a lot of people have really questioned the way that I speak and my choice of diction, my cadence, my tone, my voice, how I should narrate. Before, I was a book reader and learned to be me, the guy that just walked down the street, you can look at me face-to-face and it makes people uncomfortable. For lack of a better term, if I don’t have that approach that makes people comfortable immediately. If you saw me in real life and you had to bypass me, that makes people hard to see. If I’m walking through an airport and don’t have a smile on my face and I don’t speak to people kindly and I don’t, ‘How do you do? Greetings and salutations.’ If I just look at you, most people don’t handle that very well. When you learn to be different, it’s better. This character is very much that guy that makes people uncomfortable. We’ll see how it goes.”
Vince McMahon being hands on with his character:
“Yea, I would say that he’s been quite hands on. Honestly, that’s something that I need because I want to know what he wants as opposed to making a guess or some sort of estimation, hypothesis, or whatever the case may be. If I know what he wants directly, then it makes it that much easier to give him what he’s looking for. He’s the man. He runs this, and if he wants a specific thing out of one of his talents, then the job is to give him what he wants.”
H/T to Fightful for the transcription