On this episode of “Story and Craft”, Marc sits down with actor and writer Johnny Ray Gill (“Cross” Season 2 on Prime Video) for a wide-ranging conversation about Gill’s Portland roots in an all-Black Northeast community, his working-class family, and early artistic start in spoken-word poetry inspired by the film “Slam.” Gill shares how a rites-of-passage program shaped his cultural awareness, how an internship with writer Mike Rich opened doors, and how his path led from USC film school to Temple and then UC San Diego’s theater program. He recounts booking “Harry’s Law,” reflects on hip hop’s shift as commerce overtakes art, and explains why he feels artists owe audiences truth. Gill discusses his climate-focused script “Laying Pipe,” his love of animals and nature, learning Spanish, and the serendipitous way he was offered his role in “Cross.”02:24 From Portland to LA03:23 Working Class Roots04:48 Choosing the Arts08:09 Spoken Word Origin Story11:28 College Path and Drama School15:10 Hip Hop and Early Influences17:10 Art Versus Commerce20:25 Screenwriting and Truth22:03 Pitching Laying Pipe29:45 How Cross Came Together34:31 Persistence and Knowing Your Vocation36:31 New Passions Nature and Animals40:03 Plants Pets Travel41:40 Indigenous Symbiosis44:26 Cross Writing Process45:17 Bobby Trey’s Capitalism48:34 Shreveport Food Authenticity51:06 The Seven Questions