DETROIT – Ammar Nemo is back in Detroit to continue working on his craft, not only as an actor of the hit TV series “BMF” but also as a martial artist at Total Martial Arts.
Nemo calls his training “professional development” as it continuously plays an enormous part in his acting career.
“It literally changed my life with martial arts,” said Nemo. “I’ve done different martial arts when I was younger, but the past couple years, I’ve really grown to it.”
He said the breathing teachings ultimately changed his life as they helped him relax.
Mastering the arts seems to have paid off as his lifelong skillset landed him the role of Sam in the hit TV series Black Mafia Family.
“My character is Sam and I own the gas station,” said Nemo. “I am friends with Meech and Terry Flanery on the show. I’ve known them since they were kids, and I am kind of their Gatekeeper.”
He continued, “I know what they do, but it’s kind of on the lowkey.”
Many know the rise and fall of Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry (Southwest T) Flenory; The two brothers who rose from the treacherous streets of Southwest Detroit in the late 1980s.
The brothers and their crew created one of Detroit’s most influential crime families in U.S. criminal history. BMF was one of the most significant drug trafficking and money laundering schemes in the history of Detroit.
The BMF series is produced by music mogul Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and since debuting on Starz back in Sep., it has grown in stratospheric popularity as it is picked up for season two.
Nemo is so grateful for the opportunity to play Sam as he feels a personal connection to the role for a multitude of reasons.
“Real-life character,” said Nemo. “I used to actually manage a gas station for a few years back in Florida.”
“My dad owned restaurants and fruit markets, and I owned a business on the show, so a lot of my character came from him.”
You can catch Nemo Sunday; Hopefully, he says, on the big screen soon.
80s action heroes Sylvester Stallone and Jean Claude Van Damme inspired Nemo to get into the martial arts, but he now feels some resemblance by a new Marvel character.
“New Marvel character that’s out right now called The Sultan, he is an Arab American Muslim, and I hope I get the opportunity to audition for that,” Nemo said.
Although Hollywood is a long way from Detroit, the distance did not stop him from making his dreams come to fruition, and it should not contain any actors here in town who, too, have dreams of being an actor.
“Everyone and everybody is going to tell you, hey, don’t do it; This is like winning the lottery. Even if it is your parents, don’t disrespect them but don’t listen to any naysayers.”
Read more: Detroit native, showrunner of ‘BMF,’ gets a chance to tell story based in hometown