Underground's John Legend Talks About Playing Frederick Douglass

The news that John Legend would be playing author, abolitionist and American hero Frederick Douglass on WGN America's hit Undergroundwas as surprising to him as it was to some of us; as he says in this exclusive video with TVGuide.com, "I never imagined playing Frederick Douglass. I thought of myself mostly as a musician most of my life."

Legend says that his scene as the um, no longer alive leader and selfie pioneer (no, really; Frederick Douglass was actually one of the most photographed people of his day) is short, he says, but luckily, he was prepared through a lot of previous research. Even with his small presence as the historical giant, Legend says that Underground is must-see television.

Underground releases a heart-pounding Season 2 trailer

"The Underground Railroad is an important part of American history," he says. "There's some elements of the Underground Railroad that make really great television."

Underground returns for Season 2 Wednesday, March 8, at 10/9c on WGN America.