MILWAUKEE — "I always had a passion for acting," Bobby Portis says. "I always been able to...Act and portray guys and I can mimic guys' voices and things like that."
The Bucks forward will be in the movie Sweetwater, which comes out on April 14.
"It was kind of funny," Portis says. "During the playoffs last year, they kind of hit my manager up about me being in it. I obviously had intentions of being in the NBA Finals last year. We got knocked out May 15. And three days after they called back and they're like, hey, are you still interested in it? And I'm like hell yeah!"
Portis will play Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in an NBA game. Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton was the first African American to sign an NBA contract.
"I'm just grateful," Portis says. "But it's going to be a great film. Three pioneers of the game. Black pioneers at that, that helped... Be the first three guys that played in the league. And the film is just gonna be great. Especially for kids that don't know the game like that and the history of the game and we're just bringing it back."
As far as acting chops? Portis loves doing imitations. Just not for public consumption.
"Talking in like TA (Thanasis) voice sometimes, I talk in Giannis voice sometimes," Portis says. "Like I talk in their voices so it's kind of cool just to like have fun and just be yourself."
TMJ4's Lance Allan asked Portis if he could give us an impersonation.
"Ah, what can I do?" Portis says. "Let's see, I can do, my boy. No, I'm not going to do him like that. I'm not going to do TA like that. I won't do him like that. I won't do him, I don't want this to go viral!"
Portis will act in the Sweetwater movie along with notable actors Kevin Pollack, Richard Dreyfuss, and Jim Caviezel.
