Marion “Pooch” Hall is best known for his role as the San Diego Sabers wide receiver Derwin Davis on the comedy-drama series “The Game.”

By KEVIN ‘CHILL’ HEARD

Managing Editor

Marion “Pooch” Hall is best known for his role as the San Diego Sabers wide receiver Derwin Davis on the comedy-drama series “The Game.”

With a fanatic following, that wouldn’t let the show and its characters die after the CW network dropped it, “The Game” found a new home of BET.

Hall’s Derwin character became a fan favorite as the boyfriend of Melanie Barnett but had an affair with recording artist Drew Sidora. After getting dumped by Melanie, Derwin finds out ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his baby. Our man Derwin weathers the storm by marrying Mel and emerging as the Sabers’ star player and main pitch-man.

In the new film “Jumping the Broom,” Hall is the best man (Ricky) of the soon to be wed, Jason, played by Laz Alonso. Jason is caught between a rock and a hard place as his family is not quite cut from the same cloth as his fiancé’s family.

Hall said his character, Ricky, “does come from good stock” and describes his role as a “good angel” verses Jason’s cousin, Malcolm, played by comedian DeRay Davis, who is a type of “bad angel” with Jason caught in between.

Hall’s character on “The Game,” despite all of his drama is seen as a good guy by most viewers and so it is in “Jumping the Broom.”

As far as his burgeoning “good guy” image, Hall said, “As far as me coming into my own in Hollywood, people recognize me as a good guy. So, right now, that’s how people are looking at me. But, as far as my acting range, I can go anywhere.”

Hall later added, “But, trust me, the process an actor has to go through to show your muscle is kinda crazy.”

“Jumping the Broom,” boasts and cast of stars.

Happy to be counted among Hollywood celebs such as Angela Bassett, Mike Epps, Loretta Divine and Paula Patton, Hall makes use of sports metaphors to explain how he sees it all coming together.

“When you have an all-star cast, it’s an all-star team,” related Hall. “You are gonna put each person in a position that’s going to be strong for the team and for us to win the championship. It’s a hard job putting together a team.”

Fortunately for Hall, the coach of this “Jumping the Broom” team is Salim Akil, director/writer for several episodes of “The Game” and husband of Mara Brock Akil, “The Game’s” creator.

“We had a great leader in Salim Akil,” said Hall, “and when you have a great coach, you gotta trust that the coach is gonna call the right plays… That he’s going to give the ball to who needs the ball and call timeouts when he needs timeouts. So, if we trust our team leader, we’ll be safe. If we mess up, he’ll let us know. It’s a trust and respect thing. We want this whole movie to be good.”

Hall’s take on the return of his TV show to BET is simple.

“It’s really hard to find work in Hollywood and to find something like ‘The Game.’ And for everyone to get behind ‘The Game’ and bring it back is part of the reason I got to be in ‘Jumping the Broom,’ due to people watching my work and allowing ‘The Game’ to be on is the how people got to say ‘Hey, this kid has something.’”

From the looks of it all, “Jumping the Broom” has taken an all-star African-American cast and done just what the team set out to do – make a good movie!

“Jumping the Broom” opens nationwide Friday and is rated PG-13 with some sexual content.