Miles Mussenden Talks ‘Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger’ [Exclusive Interview]

Miles Mussenden is a man of many roles, and I recently chatted with him about family, inspirations, and his new show — Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger. His candor and excitement were, in fact, quite contagious.

Mussenden plays Otis Johnson, father to the superpowered Trevor, in the soon to be released show on FREEFORM.

Besides the fact of it being a “Marvel show,” several other factors drew Mussenden to the series. “From the audition, I loved the character. I loved the depth of the character — the nuance. I felt like I knew the character, maybe as a father or something,” Mussenden said.

As he went on about the show, he explained why he felt the fans should be excited for it.

“I think this story is different from a lot of the superhero shows that we see on television. There’s a lot to do with family. You see the humanity of these superheroes.”

“Without any superpowers, or any of that, I think it’d be a great story. It’s a great show and when you put those two together, I think that we have a winning combination, and the people should want to embrace it,” he continued.

When referring to why non-superhero fans should tune in, Miles commented, “We deal with some heavy subject matter that is very relevant for what is going on today, very relevant for what’s going on with teens, and very relevant for what’s going on with families.”

“There’s no sugar coating. It’s real — and it’s now. I think people are just going to gravitate towards it,” he added.

Oftentimes, actors try to envision their roles outside of themselves, and Miles Mussenden sees the character of Otis Johnson very clearly. “Otis is a guy that is trying to keep his family safe, keep his family prosperous and successful. He is trying to protect his son,” he said.

“There’s some trauma in this family. So I feel like, in some ways, there is some level of traumatic stress disorder that Otis is dealing with — or not dealing with — that comes out. It’s the elephant under the rug.”

Later on in the conversation, Mussenden discussed how this new role is different from other characters he has played in the past.

“I’ve played a lot of authority figures, cops, lawyers, and that type of thing. With this role, I get to do a lot more.  I get to play in a whole world of all these different things,” he explained.

“If I’m playing a cop, I’m trying to solve this problem or that problem. But as a father, it’s a whole life. There’s a whole life I get to explore and interact with Adina, played by Gloria Reuben, who plays my wife. And my son and that whole world.”

Despite the fact that his character is part of a fantasy world full of superpowers and supervillains, Miles Mussenden sees some similarities between himself and Otis.

“I have some of the same fears that Otis has for his own children. He wants to keep his son safe, and so do I. I want to keep my son safe from things that he may not think he should be concerned about. I know as a father, that he does need to be concerned about it, and I’m married, so I have the whole family life going on as well. We have our ups and downs,” he shared.

But don’t confuse the two, because their parenting style is a bit different. “I think maybe at some point, I was a little controlling as a parent. I teach them, bring them up in the way they should go and hope that they don’t part from it.”

“I don’t try to control my kids. I don’t try to overprotect them, because some of the things that have happened in Otis’ life. He tries a little bit too much to protect Tyrone, whereas I try to give them soft guidance,” he continued.

Mussenden also revealed his favorite childhood superhero.

“Spider-man — isn’t that everybody’s? I’m not sure if that was everybody’s, but Spider-man. And the Hulk ―from the time they were playing the Hulk with Lou Ferrigno, I was watching that,” he said.

“The resurgence of these Marvel films and this kind of stuff — I love it — and I love that Cloak and Dagger has this element of realness. It’s a fantasy world, but you can really suspend your disbelief. You can believe this world because of the way we are delivering this story. It feels real — like it’s really happening.”

It’s often fun to think about what superpowers we’d want if it were possible, but I questioned Mussenden on a superpower that he would never want.

“I wouldn’t want the ability to read minds. I wouldn’t want to control people, and I wouldn’t want to see, or know, what everyone is thinking. Because I think what we think sometimes is so crazy and off the wall,” he pondered.

Approaching Otis Johnson as a real person, Mussenden felt he could lend him some advice.

“If I met Otis on the street, I would say, ‘man listen, take your family and get some counseling. You have all been through a traumatic experience. Until you all really deal with your loss, it is never really going to go away. But if you can find some coping mechanisms, your family and your life will be better off’,” he fancied.

Playing this new character hasn’t just been fun and games for Mussenden. In fact, at times it became quite grueling.

“We deal with some very intense things and some very heavy subject matter. I had some highs, but there were some pretty low lows. At times, it’s almost depressing for me,” he admitted.

He was able to find help, though. “I was fortunate, because between the pilot and shooting Season 1 I was able to spend some time with a coach. Susan Batson Studios in New York do a lot of emotional work. And I was doing that stuff for like five days a week, so that helped me get emotionally available for things that were called for to play this role. It was a challenge, but I found a way to get through it in a way that I think helps the character.”

Breaking away from just Cloak and Dagger, Mussenden mentioned that he has a few rituals he uses to perfect his craft.

“I meditate. I don’t regularly practice, but when I have a character, I feel like it makes me more creative,” he explained.

In addition he said, “When I’m dealing with heavy things, or very emotional subject matter — I do a dance. I do a dance, and I kind of get myself in a space where I am letting go. Trying to get rid of Miles, basically, and just be free and open.” 

I pleaded, but unfortunately, he wouldn’t send me a video of the dancing.

As for what Mussenden hopes his acting career might be known for someday, he had a clear answer.

“I want to play roles that are meaningful. I remember as a kid, I used to love going to the movies and we would go a couple miles down to the movie theater. I would come out of there, and I would feel like I could do karate. I would feel like I could do the things I saw on the screen. It would kind of empower me —I would love to be able to impact the world that way.”

“Even with this project now, with Cloak and Dagger, there’s these things we are dealing with and the family is going through. There is a lot of people that this is happening to in the real world. If I could do things, and be part of things that are important — that could raise the consciousness of the people — I would be very pleased and satisfied,” Mussenden commented.

With that being said, he left with some final remarks about Cloak and Dagger, and what the show means to him and the entire crew.

“I hope the people will love Cloak and Dagger the way we do. It was a labor of love for me. It was a labor of love for everybody. Everybody was operating in excellence,” he stated.

“I think when there is that level of love —it can translate through the screen — and people will be able to feel and sense that, and love it as much as we do.”

Cloak and Dagger premieres Thursday, June 7th at 8/7c on FREEFORM.

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