'General Hospital' Alum Sean Blakemore on Having to 'Fight' for Opportunity: Hollywood Can 'Lock You in a Box' (Exclusive)

The 'Cruel Summer' star tells PEOPLE that he and other actors of color have to consciously resist being "typecast in certain types of roles because we are beyond that. We are everything"

Sean Blakemore is opening up about his journey as a Black man in Hollywood.

The Cruel Summer star, 55, exclusively told PEOPLE at the show’s season 2 premiere on Wednesday that he still needs to “fight” for opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Blakemore, who plays Sheriff Jack Myer on the Freeform series, explained that actors of color are still fighting for “pay equality” and “voice equality to not play certain roles or be typecast in certain types of roles because we are beyond that.”

He added, “We are everything.”

Related: 'Cruel Summer' Gets Literal with Ride-or-Die Friendships in Dramatic Season 2 Trailer

The General Hospital alum — who portrayed Shawn Butler on ABC soap opera — shared the importance of being able to transform to play a wide range of characters.

“To be a diverse actor as an African American male — tall, I'm 6'1, 220 [pounds], dark skin — they can very easily want to lock you in the box,” he said. “And you have to fight that. And you have to make sure that you're seen as a vast character, not just a strong image.”

Blakemore also hopes to break the stereotypes that exist in the industry for Black actors and encourage people to see the “many layers" he, and others, possess.

Related: 'Cruel Summer' Season 2: Everything to Know

“As an actor, you want to be able to partake in that and not just get locked in [to] a couple of stereotypical type roles or however they see you,” he explained.  “So I'm not [just] a Black actor. I love being a Black man — let's be clear — but I'm an actor, so it's [more] about: 'Can this person portray the role, period?'"

He continued: “And if color has to do with something that's specifically pertaining to the story that moves it, okay, that's different. But even then, can he or she do the role? Because it should be based upon your skillset, not your skin tone.”

In Cruel Summer, Blakemore plays the local sheriff investigating a mysterious death after a body appears in the town's lake. Speaking about the show's success, Blakemore credits the "character development."

"I love projects that focus on character development because with character development, you have better story. And with this, because it's a mystery, there's so many twists, and makes you have a great story, it makes you more invested, and that's the ride," he said. "That's what you want. You want people to be invested. So you want them to be a journey. You want them to go along the process and you want to affect them."

He added: "For an artist, when we have a lot to chew on, it makes it more enjoyable for us."

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Season 2 of Cruel Summer will kick off with a special two-hour premiere June 5 at 9 p.m. ET on Freeform before moving to its regular 10 p.m. ET timeslot.

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