“Ben Johnson doesn’t mind being made fun of”: Shamier Anderson on his new Olympic mockumentary

Hate the Player is a comedy about one of the most scandalous events in the history of Canadian sport. How did you square that?
Ben Johnson doesn’t mind being made fun of, and our story comes directly from him. The showrunner, Anthony Q. Farrell, and I spent a lot of time with him. We shot it mockumentary style, and similar to I, Tonya, it tells a story that everyone already knows but from a new perspective.

You were negative-three years old in 1988, when Johnson suddenly became the villain of the Seoul Olympics. When did you become aware of him? I’m from Scarborough, like Ben, and our families are both Jamaican, so I was familiar. In the ’90s, I was too young to understand what doping was. Instead, I gravitated to this Jamaican person who was an Olympic champion. My family, and many others in our community, believed Ben was wronged.

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Was it important that Johnson sign off on the show? Yes. If a project is about a real person, my policy is to decline unless the subject or their family has given their blessing. Along with asking Ben questions, I spent weeks poring over archival footage, categorizing videos under Sincere Ben, Cocky Ben, Young Ben and Fitness Ben. And I had a month to get into Olympic shape.

Was that brutal? My trainers were amazing, making sure I spent all day, every day at the gym. But it was tough. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do as much research on Jamaica or Scarborough. This was the first job where my acting coach was my mother. She helped me with every single Jamaican swear word. I would call her from set, and she would read the script, telling me when to dial it up or down.

Most people have preconceived notions of the man. What was it like to speak with the actual Ben Johnson? Publicly, he’s shy and quiet, but behind closed doors, he reminds me of one of my uncles: gregarious, fun, loves food, loves having a good time. The first time we met, I called him “Mr. Johnson,” and he told me to call him “Ben.” With everything he’s been through, you’d think he’d be jaded, but he’s always smiling.

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Probably a good thing given that your character on the show walks around with a needle stuck in his butt. Was there a particular bit that cracked Ben up? Anything that made fun of Carl Lewis. He wanted even more jokes about Carl, and rightfully so.

If this project is about reframing Johnson’s legacy, is it fair to say his current legacy is one of cheating? I can’t speak for people whose opinions are 40 years old. The point of the show is not to validate doping. It’s about how famous people have bullseyes on their backs. Everyone makes mistakes, but some people’s mistakes get magnified. The fact is that Ben became a scapegoat for a much larger problem plaguing sports.

Was the target on Ben’s back also related to his being a Black immigrant? Absolutely. First, he was Canada’s Ben Johnson. When he was accused of doping, he became Jamaica’s Ben Johnson. That narrative shift is something we expose in the series—in a fun way. I think of Hate the Player as a chocolate-covered vitamin. We present serious issues hilariously.

The series was shot in Scarborough. Was it fun to be home? To be back with my community was so great. We shot three minutes from my old high school, Wexford Collegiate. The production was a revolving door of friends and family. I love the burgers from the Real McCoy, so I got the restaurant to cater a barbecue.

You and your brother, actor Stephan James, founded the Black Academy in 2020 to support young Black artists. Where do things stand today? Some writers who started with us are now nominated for Canadian Screen Awards. This year we’re launching The Legacy Lounge: think David Letterman meets LeBron James’s The Shop. Our first guests include actor Amanda Brugel and Wes Hall from Dragons’ Den. One of our guiding principles is to celebrate Black achievement. I want a Scarborough kid to watch me and think, Wow, Sham came from community housing on Bay Mills, and now he’s doing this!

Where do you see yourself in five years? Oscar nominee? Superhero? Both? Let’s revisit this then and see how I’m doing. For now, I’m just going to stay in the moment and thank God for another day.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.