'Hacks' character is 'a bit repressed'; Carl Clemons-Hopkins is anything but

Carl Clemons-Hopkins is hard to miss.

Despite a measured, amiable demeanor, the stage veteran who just received their first Emmy nomination for their supporting work in the comedy "Hacks" somehow seems even bigger than their frame, which the actor says is "6-foot-4 and change." Clemons-Hopkins, who uses the pronouns they/them, was born and raised in Lithonia, Ga.

After kicking around stages for more than a decade, Clemons-Hopkins has landed the role of Marcus, the ultra-driven business manager of Jean Smart's aging comedian on HBO's "Hacks" during the pandemic.

So how does a queer, nonbinary Black kid from small-town Georgia wind up on big stages in big cities, and now with a hit show and an Emmy nomination?

"My parents would take me and my cousin to see [Alvin] Ailey. My dad would take me to the opera. I was into theater since I was 6," Clemons-Hopkins says. "I majored in musical theater. In my mind it was like, 'There'll be so much opportunity. I'll come north, the land of opportunity.' "

After college in Philadelphia, Clemons-Hopkins did the struggling-actor thing in New York, bartending and managing restaurants. Then was cast as "Man 6" in the ensemble of the Chicago production of "Hamilton" while understudying George Washington, Hercules Mulligan/James Madison and co-lead Aaron Burr.

"Hamilton" sharpened the actor's professional mettle. But the play that helped Clemons-Hopkins blossom creatively was a world premiere by R. Eric Thomas, "Time Is on Your Side."

"I had separated in my mind my Black identity from my queer identity. He introduced me to the fact that 'They are all in you, so they're one,' and it could actually be part of the storytelling of your career. Don't limit yourself — you can include this in your artistic journey.

"It was, you know, tens of people a night [in the audience], I was sleeping on the floor of my friend's house, but it was one of my absolute favorite theatrical experiences because I didn't have to deny a part of myself. I got to invest the fullness of my experiences into a character, similar with Marcus," who is also queer.

"I can relate to this person, and I don't have to feel like I'm having to limit myself to the agreed, acceptable existence for my body and my personage," the actor says.

While Clemons-Hopkins uses they/them, "I ascertained very quickly that Marcus is a 'him' because my personal exploration of my identity has come from a lot of time that I devote to that, a lot of research and a lot of unearthing whatever. That's time that Marcus doesn't allow himself," Clemons-Hopkins says with a gentle laugh.

Beyond the sheer joy of the series, Clemons-Hopkins says, they've also learned to be more comfortable in the work, with help from veteran actor Jean Smart.