NEW YORK – As Shemar Moore's run continues on "S.W.A.T. Exiles," the spinoff of the CBS drama "S.W.A.T.," he says art has imitated life.
"S.W.A.T. Exiles" (Fridays on Starz) picks up two years from when viewers last saw Moore's character, Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson Jr. In the new series, the sergeant returns from retirement to lead a new generation of recruits in Los Angeles. Hondo is also dealing with changes in his personal life, including a divorce and the death of his mother, while navigating fatherhood with a daughter.
"That's very similar in my own life," Moore, 56, tells USA TODAY. "My mother, Marilyn Wilson Moore, passed about six years ago, just before COVID. That rocked me because she was my best friend. She was my mentor. She was my purpose."
Moore is also a father to a three-year-old daughter, Frankie, whom he shares with his partner Jesiree Dizon. The actor says his little girl "saved my life." After his mother died, Moore says he was in "a dark place" and "didn't want to get out of bed." Through happenstance, he reconnected with Dizon and they had a child together.
"She gave me purpose again," Moore says of his daughter, while showing off a tattoo of her on his forearm . "She brought my light back. Now my life is about being the best version of myself.
"Career wise, Hondo needs to finish what he started," he continues. "Now Shemar is inspired to see how high I can continue to fly."
Shemar Moore embraces his 'Unc' status on 'S.W.A.T. Exiles'
Moore, an Emmy-winning actor who came to prominence with his role on "The Young and the Restless," has played "Hondo" since "S.W.A.T." premiered on CBS in 2017. The show went through a few potential cancellations before ending its run with Season 8 in 2025, and now, landing a spinoff on Starz.
Moore dishes that Sony Pictures Television is already planning a second season of "Exiles."
"Sony believing in the franchise, Starz jumping on board, now there's going to be a little more freedom," he says of the move from broadcast TV to streaming.
"Don't get it twisted, when you hear that theme song, you know that's 'S.W.A.T.,'" he says. "And so you're going to get the helicopter chasing you. You're going to get the the gun battles. You're going to get the hand-to-hand combat. You're going to get all the superhero cop stuff.
"But you're you're also going to meet a new cast of characters," he adds.
There are a few familiar faces who return in guest spots, including Jay Harrington, Patrick St. Esprit and David Lim. But the new characters include a force of Gen Z officers led by actors Ronen Rubinstein, Freddy Miyares, Zyra Gorecki, Lucy Barrett and Adain Bradley.
Moore notes that his first day of work in Hollywood was April 12, 1994, on "Restless." None of his new costars were born yet.
"I think that's what's interesting about this run of the show is you got OG [slang for "original gangster"] Hondo, who's set in his ways, a marine, very structured, very orderly, from the streets," he says. "And now you've got these butterflies that are all over the place with technology and social media.
"We've got a character, Sammy [Barrett], who's a badass with a gun, but she runs around with her own ring light," he adds. "You know, doing social media, trying to get clicks and things."
The generational divide has also blurred the lines between art and life on set. "They make jokes off camera, which have landed on camera," Moore says.
In fact, the younger colleagues even call Moore "OG," "Unc" (slang for Uncle, an elder) and "pops."
"I get along with this cast," he says. "They're great, but they are young and they are different-minded. And they dance to their own drum."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shemar Moore says his daughter 'saved my life' after he was in a 'dark place'
