Titus Makin Jr. stood his ground, pushed for change, and helped The Rookie tackle real-world issues before leaving after Season 3.
The Rookie took over ABC screens in 2018 and brought the police drama to a whole new level. Fans quickly got hooked on its amazing storylines and well-built characters. While Nathan Fillion was leading the way as John Nolan, other characters were also not far behind, especially Alyssa Diaz as the strong-willed detective Angela Lopez.
The audience absolutely adored her role. But when it comes to being a fan favorite Titus Makin Jr. also showcased his versatility through his role as Jackson West. While he was among the most popular characters on the show, due to a specific reason, he almost quit before Season 3.
Why did Titus Makin Jr. wanted to quit The Rookie before season 3?
Before stepping into The Rookie universe, Titus Makin Jr. already had some acting experience, having worked on projects such as Glee and Pretty Little Liars, to name a few. But it’s safe to say that the police drama truly brought out his acting chops as Officer Jackson West. While Makin enjoyed playing the role, these emotions changed just ahead of the third season of the show.
He found himself at a crossroads in 2020 when the Black Lives Matter movement was gaining momentum and real-life cases of police brutality were in the spotlight. This made him feel unsure about playing a police officer on television, so instead of quietly going along with the script, he decided to raise his concerns.
He took the matter to the creators of The Rookie and detailed how the show should address these ongoing issues.
The creators listened to his advice carefully, and changes were made in the third season to ensure that real-world topics were handled with care. He talked about the same in an interview via Nicki Swift and added:
Yeah, so I did have concerns before starting to film Season 3 and I just brought them up with our showrunner and he so graciously addressed them, allowed me to sit with it. And we met in a really beautiful middle space, and I couldn’t be more than thankful that that conversation did happen.
He continued:
I’m definitely happy that I kind of stood my own ground and took the strength that I was learning to take the stance, even during this time, to kind of speak and see what my own opinion kind of cultivated.
Beyond these issues, his main concern was that shows of such nature should be as authentic as they can be. So, after the production took his concerns seriously and made the necessary changes, he felt comfortable continuing with the show. Even though he left the project after the third season, his role as Jackson West left an indelible mark on everyone.
Nathan Fillion shared a fan note that won the internet and left him impressed
Being one of the most recognizable faces on television doesn’t help when a celebrity is traveling, as fans often ask them for pictures or create a scene. But much to the surprise of Nathan Fillion, a fan he came across on a flight made a move that was classy in so many ways. He was so impressed that he acknowledged her on his Instagram profile as well by sharing a note that she passed along to him.
A girl named Alyssa spotted the actor on a flight, but rather than making a huge deal out of it, she simply handed him a note. It was on the back of a flight ticket and read, “I didn’t want to out you, but wanted to say that you were fantastic as Captain Hammer. Respectfully, Alyssa.”
