Mo McRae returns to the Bay Area to join the cast of "Murder in the First" following his stint on "Sons of Anarchy."

McRae starts his arc on the TNT series tonight as gangster boss Malcolm "Suger" Monroe, who some consider the unofficial mayor of the San Francisco housing projects. His position puts him in the political sphere of the city where he'll cross paths with homicide detectives Terry English (Taye Diggs) and Hildy Mulligan (Kathleen Robertson).

"He's dialed in all across the board," the 32-year-old actor tells Headlines & Global News in an exclusive interview.

In addition to "Murder," McRae has several movies coming out, one of which he shot in Detroit, a city he has come to love. He's determined to bring more projects to the Motor City and spotlight the resurgence of the people as opposed to the "poverty porn" shown frequently on the news.

Read HNGN's interview with the Los Angeles native and be sure to tune into "Murder in the First" tonight at 10 p.m. on TNT.

Headlines & Global News: What kind of man do you play in the new season of "Murder in the First?"

Mo McRae: I play a guy named Suger. My character comes from the housing projects in San Francisco and he has worked his way to become the unofficial mayor of the streets and that has led him to the political sector as well. He's dialed in all across the board. He's the guy you definitely want to be on your side because once you cross him, the outcome is never good. But he also considers himself somewhat of a benevolent leader and he feels responsible for what's happening in his community. He wants to see everyone in the best possible position by any means necessary.

HNGN: Is he also trying to turn over a new leaf in his own life?

MM: He's trying to find how to stay the way that made him a leader and respected and also find a way to transition out without everything he worked so hard for to fall apart in the process.

HNGN: Where does he want to go if he can transition out of the projects?

MM: He's trying to get to a place of peace, as cliché as that might sound. He ultimately wants to find a place of peace.

HNGN: What brought you to the role of Suger?

MM: One of the executive producers, a guy named Robert Munich, who I worked with before and he's a friend of mine. Soon as the character came about, he called me when they were still in the writers room and he said, "There's this character coming up on the show that you'd be great for, I really want you to do it." He gave me a brief synopsis on the character and I loved the idea of where he was and where he was trying to go. Shortly after, it went to my agent and I was in Detroit working on a film at the time so I had to put together a tape of myself, an audition to show them my take on the character and then after that I had to come in and meet with TNT and Eric Lodal, the creator, and Steven Bochco and that was it. They wanted me to join the show and come on and play.

HNGN: Was it different joining "Murder in the First" as it rebooted in its second season compared to joining "Sons of Anarchy" halfway through its series run?

MM: It was very different. There's also a big shift tonally in ["Murder"] this season. They wanted to do something edgier because it's bigger now. It wasn't difficult per se but it definitely was different. It also was a fun experience because it felt like I was part of the creative process in a different way and I was helping to shape it as opposed to something like "Sons" where there's a tone that I don't want to stray to far away from. This was almost like doing a pilot for a brand new show. We're kind of finding it together in this brand new world we created.

HNGN: You've worked steadily over the last 15 years. How did you start acting?

MM: High school drama department. It was a total swing. I was a basketball player in high school, thought I was going to go to the NBA and I had fourth period drama class as an elective that I did not select. I just wound up in it. The teacher really took a lot of pride in the drama department. I grew up in the inner city and he wanted this to be like a beacon of light for the community so he held the production to a very high standard. In class I would do these exercises and he kept pressing me like, "You're something special. You should take this seriously. You're really good. You have a lot of raw talent. You should do a play." I said, "Nah, I don't want do a play. I want to play basketball. Only the nerds to the drama department." [laughs] He told me he'd give me an A in the class if I participated in one play. I said, "You'd give me an A for the whole school year? For one play?" And he said yes. So I did the play and was good and at that moment I quit playing basketball and decided this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. At the ripe age of 15 or 16, I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

HNGN: Where did you go to high school?

MM: That was Washington Prepatory. It's in South Central, Los Angeles. So I was living in the middle of South Central coming home after doing plays. I'd be walking at night, from doing the theater, walking through the neighborhood. It's crazy when I look back on it. That was like 1998.

HNGN: How long after graduating high school did you start getting on-screen roles?

MM: Essentially after high school, but it didn't happen as fast as I would have liked it to. I'm like the classic impatient. I wanted to go to NYU but I had to stay local because of family issues and my position in the family at the time. I was always the man of my house since I was a kid so I had to hold a job and stay local, bagging groceries and doing other things. That led me to being discovered by an agent, which led me to getting those on-screen roles shortly after high schools.

HNGN: What can you tell me about your new movie, "Destined?" Does it follow two alternative universes?

MM: Exactly. It's really interesting. It was one of the most complex scripts I read last year where you have this moment that you follow how this teenage boy and his life can go. It goes two totally different directions based on the outcome of one specific moment. So the film follows each of those and they collide at the end. We play both roles in the parallel universes of the film. As an actor that means you get to play two versions of the same character that are completely different in completely different worlds.

HNGN: The film was shot in Detroit. What's it like filming in a city that seems so devastated when you see it in photographs?

MM: I'm so happy you asked me that because I have an extreme affinity for the city of Detroit and the people of Detroit. A lot of [what you see of] the city is what they like to call "poverty porn" and it's all the run down buildings and the pain and the devastation but it misses the beauty, the artistry, the integrity and the pride of the Detroiters. Detroit people are incredible. There are a lot of beautiful areas and the restoration project is in full swing.

So when I was there, I was inspired by Detroit and I would love to bring more projects there that show more of the beauty that we haven't seen. In the '70s when Detroit was the heartbeat of the country, we saw the finest of Detroit. They were making music and cars and everything was coming out of there. Now there's a resurgence. There's a very interesting art movement. It's very eclectic and very creative and intelligent.

I'm very proud of the people there. They're really bouncing back. They were forgotten for a bunch of years. They kind of picked themselves up by their bootstraps and now they're back in a position to compete.

HNGN: How about your other movie, "November Rule?"

MM: That's my first romantic comedy as the lead guy. That was a really great experience. Queen Latifah is an executive producer. She gave me a huge opportunity to be the lead in a romantic comedy. The female lead is Tatyana Ali. We have a great cast - La La Anthony, DJ Qualls and Jay Ellis. I'm a big sneaker fan in real life and this character is a sneaker fan and he also is a guy who has a very interesting way of dealing with women. So based on personal issues and things he's trying to work through emotionally and I've been that way in my own life. So it was a character that I was really able to bring so much of my own life to.

HNGN: Have you worked on projects mainly in Los Angeles or have you had the opportunity to travel around the country to work?

MM: I've been a little bit both - all over the country and then home - a pretty good balance. I actually enjoy, although my friends and family are going to kill me for saying this, but I almost prefer shooting on location because it's easier for me to just dive into the character. I'm totally there. I'm not running errands [before coming to set]. I do miss my daughter though when I'm on set. She's seven.

HNGN: What other projects do you have coming up?

MM: I'm directing a short film. It should be coming out in a month or so. It's actually starring one of the guys from "Murder in the First" whose a musician, whose now acting on the show. His name is [Marcus] Hopsin. I directed a short film for him. It's going to be pretty epic, I believe.

HNGN: Is this the first thing you've directed?

MM: I've actually directed several things at this point and I love it. I'm really into directing and producing, putting together things on my own. This short film with Hopsin is something I really want to share with as many people as possible.