Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who grew up in Oakland, stars as John Creasy in the Netflix series “Man on Fire.”
Juan Rosas/Netflix
Even though Yahya Abdul-Mateen II grew up in Oakland and worked for the City of San Francisco’s planning department, he hasn’t visited the Bay Area much since relocating to New York to pursue an acting career.
But there he was at Oracle Park on opening day of the Major League Baseball season in March enjoying the rare, very warm spring day for the San Francisco Giants-New York Yankees game with his brother.
“Man on Fire” (TV-MA) begins streaming on Netflix on Thursday, April 30.
“It’s always nice to be back in the Bay Area. The Giants didn’t pull it off, but it’s all good,” the UC Berkeley alum told the Chronicle of the Yankees’ 7-0 victory. “It was still good to be in the building.”
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Abdul-Mateen thinks it might have been his first visit to the city since December 2021, when he graced the red carpet at the Castro Theatre for the world premiere of “The Matrix Resurrections,” which was partially filmed in the city.
This time he came as a guest of Netflix. The streaming giant, which broadcast the MLB game, was in full promo-mode for Abdul-Mateen’s new series, “Man on Fire.” The show is based on the 2004 Ridley Scott movie that starred Denzel Washington and A. J. Quinnell’s series of novels.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II at Oracle Park in San Francisco during the Opening Night game of the 2026 Major League Baseball season between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants on March 25.
Debora Coleman/Netflix
Abdul-Mateen, who won an Emmy for his work on the HBO series “Watchmen” (2019), stars as John Creasy, a recovering alcoholic and ex-CIA agent trying to overcome his failure at a recent mission. When one of his best friends (Bobby Cannavale) is killed in a terrorist attack in Rio de Janeiro, Creasy must protect his friend’s daughter (Billie Boullet) and root out those responsible.
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All eight episodes are set to premiere on Thursday, April 30.
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After his career was slowed by the pandemic, 2026 is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for Abdul-Mateen. He was the star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe series “Wonder Man,” which debuted on Disney+ in January. Later this year he will appear alongside Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth,” a sequel to Tarantino’s 2019 hit “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and alongside Mark Wahlberg in the crime movie “By Any Means.”
But first, Adbdul-Mateen recently spoke to the Chronicle about his proud Bay Area roots and how they continue to shape his work.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, left, as John Creasy in the Netflix series “Man on Fire.”
Juan Rosas/Netflix
Q: You’ve lived in New York for years, but you started a production company called House Eleven10. Why did you call it that?
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A: That was the (address of the Oakland) house that I grew up in, which was a house that had a lot of energy, a lot of love, adventure and passion. (It’s) where some of my earliest creative thinking and inspirational thinking happened.
We’ve been quietly putting together some really, really good projects. I really wanted to create a brilliant location where like-minded artists can come and express their voices and build a culture.
Q: You’re the latest artist with ties to Oakland to break through. Of course, there’s Ryan Coogler, Delroy Lindo, Zendaya, Marshawn Lynch, Mahershala Ali, Boots Riley, even Olympic figure skating champ Alysa Liu — and I could go on. What is it about Oakland?
A: Oakland definitely knows how to make some noise. I’m really, really proud of the city right now.
It’s important for young artists in Oakland and in the Bay Area to be able to see themselves on the national stage. That’s good for the soul and that’s good for inspiration for myself. I’m happy to be part of the conversation.
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John Creasy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) protects Poe (Billie Boullet) from assassination in the Netflix series “Man on Fire.”
Juan Rosas/Netflix
Q: I hear you once had quite the athletic rivalry against Marshawn, who went on to become an NFL great and has now turned to acting.
A: Not in football. We played basketball, I played at McClymonds (High School), he played at (Oakland) Tech. We also ran track. I ran the 100 meters against him.
Q: In 2022 you made your Broadway debut in a revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ “Topdog/Underdog,” and received a Tony Award nomination for best leading actor. How did that experience inform your film and television acting?
A: It sharpened my instrument, sharpened my mind and my body. Coming off of 120-plus shows on stage, then go to Los Angeles to play this character (in “Wonder Man”), Simon Williams, whose dream is to be an actor and who had a real strong appreciation for and love for the craft; one thing just played right into the other.
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I showed up ready, game to play. It just really reminded me to rely on the craft and to play and have fun.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as John Creasy in the Netflix series “Man on Fire,” a reboot of the 2004 movie.
Juan Rosas/Netflix
Q: In “Man on Fire,” your Creasy is so different from Denzel’s Creasy. You play such an introverted character, a man of few words. Every sentence is measured. How did you delve into such an interior character?
A: What was interesting about Creasy was the fact that he was a man that was put in a situation that he was not ready for. Throughout the course of shooting, I laughed a lot (off screen) at the reality that Creasy should not be here. He was thrust in the middle of a situation having to be a hero, when he was at the same time needing to save his own life.
So that was exciting, walking that fine line of figuring out when to preserve himself and when to put himself on the line for someone.