Exclusive Interview: Yvette Nicole Brown Talks Big Shot Season 2, Sherilyn’s Arc, and More

Yvette Nicole Brown is one of the stars of Disney+’s Big Shot.

In Season 2 of Big Shot, Marvyn Korn (Stamos) returns to Westbrook with a new fire, ready to show that his basketball team belongs in D2 and that he’s still the championship-winning, powerhouse coach he was in the NCAA. Marvyn’s latest plan toward relevance is to get his team broadcast on ESPN and his method is to recruit an unlikely player: Ava (Echeagaray), a gutsy beach volleyball phenom whose public tantrum got her ousted from her own sport. Between losing their assistant coach Holly Barrett (Gilsig) to a rival school, new friction amongst teammates, a sudden and unexpected proximity to boys, and off-the-court disasters that no one could’ve predicted, this season, the Westbrook Sirens have even more to prove.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Yvette about Season 2.

PC: One of the benefits of television as a medium is the opportunity to flesh out characters over an extended period of time. As you headed into Season 2, what were you most excited about further exploring with your character?
Yvette: I knew going into this season that we were going to get to see a bit of her home and family life. Family is the missing puzzle piece to any human or character. Once you see where they come from or the people that they’ve made, you tend to understand them a bit more. I was super excited about that.

PC: Mentorship is such an important theme within this show, and many of your fellow castmates are getting their big break with this series. Have you shared any words of advice or wisdom as they traverse this industry?
Yvette: Absolutely. I’ve always been a very opinionated and bossy person by nature. [laughs] I finally reached the age where young people have to listen because I’m an elder statesperson. So, absolutely. The first season, I told all the young ladies, “If you have any questions about the industry or how to navigate this industry or doing a series, I’m here.” All of them took me up on that offer. Like I said, I’m pretty bossy and opinionated, so if I see something or some behavior on any set that I think is not becoming of the people that are working on set, I’ll go ahead and be like, “Come on now. You know you need to throw your trash away. You don’t talk to that person like that. That person working is just like you.” I would have moments like that. Thankfully, I’ve never had to do that on the Big Shot set because these ladies are lovely, but I have no problem entering that lane. It’s an honor to be considered a mentor or a role model, so I lean into it.

PC: One of my favorite relationships within this series is the friendship between Sherilyn and Holly and how they champion one another. Who have been the women in your life who have shown up for you in a similar way? What has it been like working with Jessalyn as you’ve brought this important dynamic to life on the screen?
Yvette: One of the biggest joys in my life is that I’ve kept friends from elementary school and junior high. I still talk to my friends Nicole, Stacy, Buffy (her name is actually Tiffany, but we call her Buffy). I have a great tribe of women out here in LA. It would take forever for me to name all of them. But it’s important that when you find someone that understands and gets you and that supports you and you support them you hold on for dear life. Friendships matter.

As far as the fabulous Jessalyn, she’s such a dear friend. I’m so glad that I’ve been taking the Big Shot journey with her. She’s kind, wonderful, insightful, and wise. We are the same age, and we’re navigating this industry at the same time. We’ve become each other’s champions. I’m so glad you asked about her because she’s working today with the fabulous Helen Mirren, by the way. She’s working and couldn’t do the press junket. I want to make sure that everyone knows that Holly has an amazing arc this season. You guys are going to love seeing all the ways her life unfolds personally and professionally on this season of Big Shot.

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve been really deliberate about the characters that you choose to play. What do you hope audiences learn from Sherilyn and what has she taught you?
Yvette: Sherilyn has taught me that it’s important to hold your ground when you’re right, even if it’s unpopular. I think that she’s the character that is most like my mom out of all the characters that I’ve played. Because my mom was very, “This is what you need to do.” But she also had such a joy for life and a silliness about her that would come out at different times. I love that this role is paying homage to my mom. That’s the great thing about her.

I hope that audiences learn that you can have it all, but you may not be able to have it all at the same time. I think Sherilyn herself this season (and hopefully if we get a third season we’ll see more of this) is learning that she can multitask but that there are some things that will not get the proper amount of energy when she does. She’s an amazing administrator, but she’s also an amazing mom. I don’t know that she can be amazing in both areas at the same time because each role requires so much from her. If she’s giving 100% to Marvin, Holly, the girls, and the school then she might not make it home to make dinner for her sons or help them with their homework and vice versa. It’s important to see that you have to sometimes pick and choose where your energies go, depending on what’s most important to you at that particular moment.

PC: Season 1 was so incredibly well received. How will Season 2 continue to build on that success, and did that bring any added pressure into this new season?
Yvette: No, I never feel any pressure in television because so much of it is out of your control. We could create the perfect show, and one thing goes wrong and people don’t tune in. I don’t worry about that stuff. I do my work, I hope for the best, and I believe that it’s going to play out how it’s going to play out. I think this season is going to be different in that we’re 30 minutes this year instead of 45 minutes to an hour. So if you are going to binge, which you can, all of our episodes are dropping at once on October 12th. So you could sit down, get yourself some popcorn, and just dive into this world—see the totality of this entire season in one sitting. And because we’re 30 minutes, you can do it real quick. It’s a fun binge.

To keep up with Yvette, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Season 2 of Big Shot today on Disney+.