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Donald Paul: Crafty Celebrity Stories
Actor Donald Paul joins The Beer Connoisseur for the next installment of Crafty Celebrity Stories, which features the best tales of ale (and more) from leading actors, celebrities and persons of interest.
Paul was born in Boynton Beach, Florida and has starred in CBS's SEAL Team as General Lionheart. He will also be featured in season 2 of Donald Glover's Golden Globe-winning FX comedy series Atlanta as Boogz.
Beer drinkers like to laugh. What’s the funniest drinking story you can share with us?
I think everyone at some point has had a heartfelt conversation with a random girl or guy at a bar. My random heartfelt conversation started two urinals down from where I was in the bathroom of the bar. "Hey bro," out of nowhere the conversation starts. Then, he proceeded to say “Bro when you're finished can you do me a favor? Can you check if the woman in the blue jeans and red top is still at the bar?” I reluctantly say “OK.” I peeked my head out the door of the bathroom to scan the room for her and there she was, the woman in the blue jeans and red top. But before I can shut the door again, she spotted me, and we made eye contact. I’m thinking at this point “Damn, what do I do now?!" So to play it off cool, you know... I just walk out of the bathroom -- leaving the random guy in there, without saying if I saw the women in blue jeans and red top. Who knows if he’s still waiting for the answer? It ended up being the guy's go-to bar and the woman in question was actually his wife looking for him!
Who's the coolest person you've had a beer with?
During the filming of the CBS pilot show SEAL Team, my costar Ahmed Lucan and I had 3 days off before resuming filming. At the time we were filming in New Orleans so Ahmed came up to me after our last scene of the day and asked me if I had ever been out in New Orleans; I hadn't. So I said I'm pretty tired, but let's check out Bourbon Street for a little while. We said to ourselves that we would have a drink or maybe two -- no more than two. Well, that definitely didn't happen. I didn't make it back to my hotel room until about 9am the following morning…. New Orleans was fun.
What are a few of your favorite craft beers and why?
Dogfish Head 90 Min IPA -- it’s full of flavor, and is so hoppy it’s almost sweet (plus its high ABV).
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale -- a complex and classic American IPA that's full of hops.
Lagunitas IPA -- a great beer that is LITERALLY at every bar!
Do you have a favorite (craft) brewery or breweries and why?
Man, this is a hard one. I guess I’m going to give a shout out to Abita Brewing Company… it was definitely my choice beer when I was shooting SEAL Team in Louisiana.
Have you attended any beer events or festivals that you particularly enjoyed?
I haven’t, but I did go to Sam Adams Brewery for a tour, and it was pretty amazing to learn the history of Sam Adams. Did you know that Sam Adams is the largest craft brewery in America and that it has helped pave the way for the American microbrewery culture?! Probably not! But honestly, the best part was the tasting at the end!
What projects do you have brewing?
I just wrapped production on the television show “Atlanta” and I am currently filming “Quantico." It should be a good year ahead!
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