Keegan-Michael Key getting back to his acting roots

(WJBK) - Glad to be back home, Keegan-Michael Key joined us on The Nine to tell us about his latest acting endeavors. He's best known for his work on MADtv and the Comedy Central sketch series Key & Peele. 

He grew up in Southfield and went to Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak where he got into acting. He then went on to get his fine arts degree from University of Detroit, and then went off to get his masters at Penn State before returning home and founding the Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck.

"I was a dramatically trained actor; I'm a Shakespeare actor," he says. "That's my thing, and then I ended up taking this 19 year detour -- I came home from school to make a drama, a gritty, independent drama, that a friend directed here in Hamtramck, and then I met a bunch of comedians and blep! There I go!"

He says after 19 years of sketch comedy, he's looking forward to going back to his roots with his latest film, "Don't Think Twice."

"It's a perfect synergy of my training because it's actually a drama about comedians, and their dreams and their life," he explains. "So it was the perfect transition piece to go from being a sketch comedian to making a movie about sketch comedians."

The movie is about an improv group who is great at what they do, killing it onstage night after night at New York City. Then they get word that their theater is shutting down, and scouts from a hit TV show come to a performance looking for talent. Only two cast members get the nod, upsetting the dynamic of the group and leaving its future in doubt.

You can hear more about the movie from Key by watching the full interview in the video player above.