2009 Flashback: Atlanta actor in wheelchair lands Fox sitcom role

This story ran in 2009. The show “Brothers” only lasted 13 episodes. His co-star Michael Strahan is now a “Good Morning America” host.

By 2001, longtime Suwanee resident Daryl “Chill” Mitchell had built a solid resume as an actor: “House Party,” “Galaxy Quest,” “The John Larroquette Show,” “Veronica’s Closet.”

But a nasty motorcycle accident that year paralyzed him from the waist down. That might have ended the careers of a lot of actors. Mitchell isn’t like that.

After rehabbing at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, he nabbed a role as a fast-talking bowling alley manager on NBC’s “Ed” and a part in the action film “Inside Man.”

Now he’s co-starring in “Brothers,” a sitcom that debuted on Fox. It features Mitchell (who goes by Chill in real life and on the show) and Michael Strahan, a former NFL player, as bickering brothers. It’s the only broadcast network television show featuring a minority cast. And he’s the only lead character in a wheelchair.

We interviewed him before the launch of the show last week, which drew a relatively anemic 2.8 million viewers.

On being the only broadcast minority TV show: “It is weird. I tell everyone, we’re going ‘black to the future!’ I commend Fox for giving us a chance. And I’m not only part of an African-American family, I’m a person who uses a wheelchair. I’m not pitching for one community. I’m pitching for two. This isn’t just a TV show. It’s a movement.”

On his character on the show: “You won’t feel sorry for him. I’m a ladies man. But I don’t win all the time. That’s the key. That’s the reality of life. We deal with sexuality and disability. And I run a sports bar. This doesn’t mean I feel bad for myself and fall into liquor.”

How he and Strahan got to work together: “We met five years ago at a Nets game. He introduced himself, said he’d read my story. He said if you need anything, give me a call. A little while back, he said he wanted to do a TV show and wanted to work with me. He was a big character. This dude’s a celebrity. ... He knows the mechanics of working in front of a camera. I wasn’t worried about his abilities, but did he have the gas in the tank? Dude has more energy than a 6-year-old child!”

On moving to Atlanta in 1997: “I had a friend here who had moved back to Georgia. I came to visit. I was so intrigued by a place that caters so much to the young African-American community. And I didn’t realize what a big black college town it was with Spelman, Morehouse and Clark. There were clubs like 112 and Velvet. Whoa! Great restaurants, good plays. Then you had Freaknik. All these good things made me say, ‘I want to be here.’ ” [He also keeps pads in New York, his hometown, and Los Angeles.)

On his nickname: “A guy gave that name to me in high school. I was always a cool cat. Someone called me Chili Dog. Then it became Chill. ... That name don’t belong to me. It belongs to everyone and the fans.”

On his limitations getting roles: “All I ever ask for is an opportunity to show what I can do. I’m not asking for handouts or favors. If I’m extended the courtesy, I’ve often gotten roles that weren’t written for people of color, even before the accident.”