Exclusive Interview
‘All American’ Cast on Show’s Latest Romantic Vortex: Inside the New Love Triangle & More
All American may have gone back to high school and recruited a new generation of stars in Alexis Chikaeze, Nathaniel Logan McIntyre, Antonio J. Bell., and Lauryn Hardy, but the CW football series is still serving up that piping hot romantic drama. Season 7 is not just about the Crenshaw and Beverly football teams going at it to claim the state championship title, but there’s a second-generation vortex whose interweaving romantic entanglements will make who succeeds on the field even more complicated.
Preach’s (Kareem Grimes) daughter, Amina (Chikaeze), is currently at the center of the drama. She goes to Crenshaw and is close friends with Khalil (Bell), but would love for the relationship to evolve into more. The problem is that Khalil has some gang affiliations that he can’t shake, and he doesn’t want Amina getting caught up in any dangerous situations because she’s involved with him.
“One thing I love about Amina and Khalil is that they have a really dope friendship at the heart of everything,” Bell Jr. teased to Swooon in a recent interview. “Fans can expect them to continue to bring out the best in each other throughout the season, starting from that foundation.”
Chikaeze agrees that the friendship is what strengthens the connection between the two. “It’s lovely that we get to see the ebbs and flows of the relationship, the highs and lows. That’s what makes life so exciting,” the actresses added. “You just never know which one you are going to get at what time. They have a really beautiful friendship, and it’s going to be really beautiful to see that blossom as the season progresses.”
Troy Harvey / The CW
Of course, it wouldn’t be a CW teen drama without this becoming a love triangle. The Season 7 premiere introduced KJ (McIntyre), the new quarterback for Beverly, who Amina kisses at a beach party after Khalil rejects her.
“Amina is a 16-year-old girl. So if you see someone and they also look good – she’s curious. She took note of him at the beach when he first threw that football. They share a look with each other, and I feel like she remembered that later on that night. There’s something she can do there to make the person that [she] is trying to get the attention of jealous,” Chikaeze said, defending her character. “One thing about Amina is that she is not afraid to just go for something. When we first met her as a character she introduced herself to Preach like, ‘Hi, you’re my dad.’ She’s very outspoken and very confident. She moves through life that way, which is really beautiful in a Black girl because it’s beautiful to see her stand in herself.”
While Amina and KJ may have been introduced because of a physical reaction, they’ve already established a friendship as KJ gets adjusted to living in Southern California and feels like a fish out of water at Beverly.
“KJ was sad about this whole situation. He was at a moment of distress and confusion with his parents. That moment in the Hangout where Amina runs into him, they have a conversation and that was the first time KJ felt like, ‘Oh, this could actually be a friend in LA,'” McIntyre said of KJ’s feelings for Amina. “It felt genuine. She truly cared, and she helped him when he needed somebody to support him. I feel like that started to build their relationship.”
Amina goes to Crenshaw though, while KJ is across town at Beverly. In the second episode of Season 7, KJ met Tori (Hardy), a cheerleader who is just as driven to succeed in her sport as KJ is. There was also an immediate spark, meaning the love triangle has officially become a square.
“Tori is on the opposite end of it. It’s more flirty and fun energy involved, especially in this episode,” McIntyre elaborated. “KJ thought he was still that hot shot guy in Oakland, but she kind of knocked him down a couple of steps. They have that banter in a way, so it’s fun to see the difference between the relationships. They both bring something different, so whatever way it goes, I’m happy.”
It’s still early days, so who knows how these romantic threads are going to cross over and get tangled. Can they outdo the mess that Spencer (Daniel Ezra), Olivia (Samantha Logan), Layla (Greta Onieogou), and Asher (Cody Christian) created in Season 1? They’re already off to a good start.
All American, Season 7, Mondays, 8/7c, CW
