February 25, 2021

By Lapacazo Sandoval

Contributing Writer

 

Gravitas, this is the best word to describe actress Kron Moore and actor Ed Quinn who play the first couple in TYLER PERRY’S “THE OVAL,” written, directed, and executive produced by Tyler Perry.

There isn’t a dull moment in “THE OVAL.” A strong, political drama that follows the complicated life of U.S President Hunter Franklin (Ed Quinn) and first lady Victoria Franklin (Kron Moore). They are a power-hungry (interracial) couple, who present a  the perfect family picture to the world while indulging in escalating scandalous behavior behind closed doors.

An apple never falls far from the tree, they say, and their children Gayle and Jason -- bring their brands of crazy and excess to the Executive Residence. The series also focuses on the stories of White House staff members whose lives become intertwined with those of the first family. Head butler Richard Hallsen is an ex-serviceman who struggles to maintain his integrity in the face of greed and corruption. This series is never short on betrayal, depravity, scandal, and sex.

TYLER PERRY’S “THE OVAL” also stars Paige Hurd, Daniel Croix Henderson, Javon Johnson, Ptosha Storey, Vaughn Hebron, Teesha Renee, Lodric Collins, Ciera Payton, Taja V. Simpson, Walter Fauntleroy, Brad Benedict, Travis Cure, Matthew Law, Bill Barrett, and Derek A. Dixon.

TYLER PERRY’S “THE OVAL” is executive produced, directed, and written by Tyler Perry. Michelle Sneed serves as Executive Producer of the series for Tyler Perry Studios.

Before Ed Quinn stepped into his role of U.S President Hunter Franklin, he pursued a path in music before considering a career in acting. Born in Berkeley, California he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and lettering in Rugby and embarked on modeling throughout Europe, including Paris, Milan, and Barcelona. Upon his return to the United States, Ed began his acting career.

His first big break was on the television series “Young Americans.” Ed found work mostly on television during the early 2000s, including “Jack & Jill” (1999) and “Crossing Jordan” (2001). He appeared in the video sequel “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation” (2004). Other television appearances included episodes on “JAG” (1995), “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2000), “CSI: NY” (2004), and most notably on vampire series “True Blood” (2008) and the Sci-Fi comedy/drama series “Eureka” (2006) in a Series Regular role. In recent years he has joined the casts of hit shows such as “2 Broke Girls,” “One Day At A Time,” and “Mistresses.” As a musician, Ed studied with instrumental rock guitarist Joe Satriani. After playing in the Los Angeles-based bands Mad Theory and Scattergood, Ed went on to cut his first solo demo CD, entitled “Quinn.”

Before Kron Moore stepped into her role as first lady Victoria Franklin, she grew up on the west side of Detroit, always passionate about the arts, especially music. She completed her solo album in 2002 and contributed lead and background vocals to several R&B, Gospel, Jazz, and Hip-Hop artist's recordings. Kron holds a B.A. in Psychology from The University of Alabama and graduated at the top of her class from the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts Video program.

Some of Kron’s credits include Tyler Perry's “The Haves and the Have Nots” (TPS), “Swamp Murders” (ID Channel), “The Bewick & Mack Show” (PG Productions), “The Outsourced” (Rod Oliver Productions), “Mirror on Fire” (Prince of Peace Productions), “Game Over” Short Film (Rod Oliver Productions), “This Must Be The Place” Feature Film (Cheyenne Pictures), “Detroit 1-8-7” Pilot Episode (ABC Studios), “Sucker” Feature Film (Sucker Prod., LLC), “Johnson & Johnson” (Luxe e Media), “Merillat Kitchen” (Hanson, Inc.), “Cottonelle” (Biggs Gilmore), Ford- Television Commercial (Metro-Detroit Ford Dealers), “Into the Light” Feature Film (Rod Oliver Productions), BASF- Industrial (Matthew Hieber Prod.), GMAC- Industrial (MoonKochis Prod.), Ban Deodorant- Web Commercial (Enlighten Productions), “InZer0” Series (Jamie Sonderman, Dir.), “Company Policy” Short Film (Marshalle Montgomery, Dir.) and “The Movie Show Plus” (WB20-TV). Kron is also the lead vocalist of the Detroit- based band: Merge.

Here is what Kron Moore and Ed Quinn, the first couple in TYLER PERRY’S “THE OVAL,” had to share about working with the writer, director, and executive producer Tyler Perry.

L.A. WATTS TIMES: Tell me, are there any surprises as you entered your second season?

KRON MOORE: Listen, I am surprised with all of the episodes that I read, from season one to season two—there has been no different.

LAWT: So more sex, greed, family dysfunction, and political intrigue. Perfect.

KM: Yes. For each episode, there is a cliffhanger and it gets crazier and crazier, and then more crazy. I’m surprised every time I turn the page, so more of that for season two.

ED QUINN: It’s almost like he [Tyler Perry] creates these bigger messes. Like Kron just said, at the end of every episode there is a major cliffhanger, and things just keep getting messier and crazier and when we think we can’t get through it, somehow we do and then you just raise the bar, and the next calamity is even worse.

LAWT: What is it like working with someone as hands on, as Tyler Perry is?

KM: It’s amazing. He’s such a visionary and he knows exactly what he wants. He’s there with us from the beginning of the day until wrap. His work ethic is unmatched. I challenge you to find anyone that works harder than he does and just having him — as an example—that he set for everyone, is amazing. It’s a very controlled environment. It’s very safe there. We can express ourselves the way we want to, creatively, and it’s been an amazing experience, so far.

EQ: Speaking on Tyler’s [Perry] work ethic. He didn’t have to shoot season two, last year [COVID-19]. We got shot down right before the pandemic, right before. He could have taken a year off but he chose to work. A global pandemic is incredibly serious and making a television show is frivolous by comparison. ‘THE OVAL’ is the number one show on cable. So to be able to deliver another season under quarantine is amazing. They had to move heaven to earth to pull it off and it was such a heroic feat. The amazing thing about Tyler being the writer, creator, director, executive producer, and his name is on the studio head, is that he can move heaven and earth and there is not a whole lot of people that can do that.

LAWT: I was just speaking with David and Tamela Mann, and I asked them what piece of advice they received from Tyler Perry that resonated. I ask you both the same question. They said, he told them to dream bigger.

KM: That’s a common theme throughout Tyler Perry’s studio. Dream bigger encourages us to have our dreams and to outdo them, every time. The main building on campus is called THE DREAM building. That’s where actors live when we are filming, it’s called the dream building for a reason. 

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Category: Arts & Culture