S.W.A.T., CBS‘ armored vehicle of a cop drama, which has twice staved off cancellation, batters its way into an eighth run with a new member of the unit, Devin Gamble (Annie Ilonzeh, Chicago Fire), who was recruited from the Oakland PD by team leader Hondo (Shemar Moore).
“She literally jumps right in, sprinting Sha’Carri Richardson-style, and dives off of a pier into the sand, catching a bad guy,” Ilonzeh says of the premiere’s opener. Gamble’s gold medal policing has to do with a deep need to overcome her crime family roots.
We spoke with the actress about joining the team. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
What’s Gamble all about?
Annie Ilonzeh: She’s a badass and works her ass off. She can shoot. She’s super dope. She’s athletic and that’s what I love. You see a woman and she’s in her femininity and she values that, but she’s an athlete and she’s in her masculinity too. She can outrun all of them. The season premier, we were running and gunning on the Venice Beach pier. It’s Gamble and Alfaro [Niko Pepaj]. And I’m like, “Niko, you better not outrun me!” Niko can run like Hussein Bolt!
Michael Yarish / CBS
How was she recruited?
Hondo saw that sparkle, that “it” factor, when she was a rookie in the LAPD a little over 10 years ago and said, “I want her in 20 squad.” [Back then] he took Gamble under his wing. When her dad’s shady past boiled over, Hondo decided, “let me protect you” and got Gamble to Oakland so that she didn’t catch the backlash.
Will we meet her crime family?
Her family will show up later in the season. We’ll see the tug of war. The audience will understand why Gamble is hard on herself and so determined to be the best SWAT member on 20 squad. A lot has to do with her father and what he’s done and who he is and a kind of redemption.
Does the team accept her right away?
Commander Hicks [Patrick St. Esprit] is very unsure of her motives. Deacon [Jay Harrington] and Gamble have great conversations about their fathers. That’s really surprising — the similar backgrounds with their father figures. She’s earning everyone’s trust and it’s a fun dynamic to play with that kind of shadow cast over her. I know that the fans are going, “Where’s Street [Alex Russell] and where’s Luca [Kenny Johnson]?” Buckle up because those questions will be answered immediately in this premiere in an unconventional way.
Bill Inoshita / Sony Pictures Television / CBS
What advice does Hondo give Gamble?
You are a Black woman, you’re a Black cop. In this career, there’s not many. You walk a just path and you do it with grace, you do it with empathy — and you’re a bad ass. To have all of those layers, you got to be tough on yourself. The outside world won’t always give you grace. You don’t necessarily have all the chances to make mistakes. So, Gamble doesn’t give herself those chances. It’s her default setting. A lot of that comes from the upbringing and the shadow that’s been cast from her father. That’s the path she walks.
Did your previous roles help you prepare?
Coming off Chicago Fire, and having done [the 2018 action/thriller] Peppermint and working with Jennifer Garner, I was like, I got it. I’ve done weapons training, martial arts training. I train on my treadmill and I’m a gym rat. The moment I got on the set, and they said “action,” I was in a whole other land! I worked with [technical advisor] “Odie” [Gallop] the SWAT coordinator, like, “How do we do this?” That’s a true testament that SWAT is unique. I’m not just saying this for this interview, it almost makes me really emotional. To have the jitters, the excitement, the adrenaline rush, the happiness, the chaos, but the magic swirling in this tornado — there’s nothing like it. This is everything I love.
