BET Awards 2022: Get to Know Actor Damson Idris
Growing up in the Peckham area of South-East London, British actor Damson Idris had dreams of one day becoming a futbol player and someday becoming the next Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he soon found his calling in acting and earned a degree in theater at Brunel University London.
His breakout role as Franklin Saint in John Singleton’s crime drama Snowfall has made him one of the hottest up-and-coming actors in Hollywood. Last year he was nominated for “Best Actor” at the BET Awards 2021 but lost to the late Chadwick Boseman. Ahead of this year’s show, hosted by returning host Taraji P. Henson, get to know the British star.
He wanted to play professional soccer
Before eventually going on to snag the role as Franklin Saint in John Singelton’s Snowfall, Damson has dreams of playing futbol professionally and becoming the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Luckily for fans, the star found his calling in acting.
A rapper helped him with his American accent
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Damson revealed that he learned his American accent from his dialect coach,west coast rapper WC, who is best known for being a member of Westside Connection.
Denzel Washington is his biggest inspiration
Like many aspiring Black male actors, Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington may almost ways be found at the source of their Hollywood dreams. During an Interview Magazine, Damson shared that “My hero is Denzel Washington. Then I looked at someone around a similar age to me who was American who is also an idol, Michael B. Jordan.”
He’s also done some voice-acting
Aside from taking on living action roles, Damson has shown interest in voice-acting. In 2017, he voiced the fictional character Marcus Corell in the video game Squadron 42.
He was scared filming his first action movie
During an interview with CBR, the actor admitted that when he started filming for Outside the Wire, “I was petrified, I was really scared, not only to be doing my first action movie but to act when things aren’t actually there.” Interestingly enough, Damson also did his own stunts, noting that running was his favorite and most challenging thing.
Tune in to the BET Awards 2022 Sunday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET.
