The All American Scene That Gave Daniel Ezra A Lot Of Anxiety

"All American" brings sports dramas back to The CW, something that's been missing from the network since the glory days of "One Tree Hill." Although the series leaves some things out of its true story inspiration, it's a clear hit, making lead Daniel Ezra a star in the industry both in front of and behind the camera.

As one would expect, performing on both sides of the camera comes with a fair amount of stress, but it's all worth it in the end. "I would say the Ferris wheel scene," Ezra said when Deadline asked him about his favorite scenes to direct. "That was one of those scenes that came out exactly how I intended it to, and it's obviously such an important scene that it was one that I was very anxious to get right."

The scene in question happens in Season 5, Episode 13, "Day Ones," in which Spencer (Ezra) takes Olivia (Samantha Logan) to a pop-up carnival to forget about her troubles. At the top of the Ferris wheel, he encourages her to speak to her late father, Billy (Taye Diggs), coming to terms with his passing. It's an incredibly emotional moment, and Ezra describes it as one that took a collaborative effort. "There's your vision, there's the showrunners' vision, then there's what the camera sees and there's the actors. ... So that was one of those ones where everything just fit," he told Deadline.

While acting and directing are challenging professions individually, some individuals want to explore both sides of the camera, and "All American" allowed Daniel Ezra to do just that. During his Deadline interview, the actor detailed what it's like to have both responsibilities on the same episode.

"It's just honestly just switching your brain," Ezra said, detailing the challenges of switching back and forth between actor and director. "You go from thinking universally as a director because you have to think about everything from the actors' performances to the shot to the speed of the camera, everything that's supposed to be in the scene. ... You have to think about the whole picture. Acting is very specific. You're thinking about literally moment to moment your reaction to what's happening in front of you."

Ezra's first time acting and directing on "All American" was in Season 4, on Episode 12, "Babies and Fools." He said switching viewpoints and mentalities on the fly was an incredible challenge for him. However, his Season 4 episode prepared him for returning to the director's chair for Season 5, allowing him to hone his strategy for pulling double duty. This time around, he said, he set everything up how he wanted it, then handed it all over to the writer and director of photography, allowing him to focus entirely on bringing the scene to life with his performance.