VIDEO: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Reveals Why His TOPDOG/UNDERDOG Character Is the 'Ultimate Role' For Him on CBS MORNINGS

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II sat down on CBS Mornings today to discuss appearing on Broadway in Topdog/Underdog.

During the interview, the star discussed why his character in the play is the "ultimate role" for him.

"I found this role about 16 years ago. It was the very first contemporary piece of theatre that I ever felt I found myself in. Shakespeare used to be my thing and then I found this and I said, 'Oh, they talk like me. I know these people.' So I found my comfort zone in this space and this was the first piece of theatre that really embraced me for who I was," he revealed.

Abdul-Mateen II also decribed his "intense" pre-show routine, how he ended up in his first theatre class as a dare, and how he hopes the play will inspire other people. Watch the new interview below!

Topdog/Underdog, a darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity, tells the story of two brothers, Lincoln (Corey Hawkins) and Booth (Abdul-Mateen II), names given to them as a joke by their father. Haunted by the past and their obsession with the street con game, three-card monte, the brothers come to learn the true nature of their history.

Susan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece Topdog/Underdog returns to Broadway for its 20th Anniversary production. This strictly limited engagement is directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun). The production is now in previews at the Golden Theatre and officially opens on Thursday, October 20th.

Watch the new interview here: