Snowfall’s Damson Idris Recalls John Singleton Taking Him to South Central and Telling Him, ‘If You Survive, You’ve Got the Role’
Snowfall’s Damson Idris Recalls John Singleton Taking Him to South Central and Telling Him, ‘If You Survive, You’ve Got the Role’
The television drama, Snowfall is entering its last season. The series focuses on the drug trade during the crack era surrounding a character named Franklin, played by British actor, Damson Idris. He explains to talk show host, Drew Barrymore the last process he had to take part in to secure his role in the FX drama.
Idris has been gaining critical acclaim for his portrayal of Franklin who is a young hustler moving “weight” throughout Los Angeles during the 1980s. The crack era has just started and the chronicles of that time are reportedly tied to co-creator, the late John Singleton as the series was reportedly inspired by his own life.
Idris tells Barrymore that the last test he had to face was going to the neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles to experience the environment of the character he is hoping to play. He was told that he needed to walk around that part of town, which is known for the dangers of street life in that urban city. But, not only was he to take a stroll in the hood, but he had to do it in “character.” He couldn’t be Damson, he had to do so as Franklin. He also speaks about Singleton’s mother immediately recognizing that he was definitely not from the neighborhood.
“By audition number eight, Singleton took me to South Central, opened the car door, and said, ‘If you survive, you’ve got the role,’ Idris says. “And it really was an experience. I was walking around South Central, I had to stay in character, so I wasn’t allowed to be British,” Idris, 31, recalled with a laugh. “And, I said to his mother, ‘Oh, how lovely your hair looks today. I’m just going to go and put this in a bin,’ and she goes, ‘John, he ain’t from here, huh?’ Nearly lost the part. But hey, six seasons later, here we are.”
Snowfall is currently airing the last season of the drama that started back in 2017. You can catch it every Wednesday on FX and/or view it on the streaming service, Hulu.
What matters the most is that the legacy lasts beyond just now.
All-new #SnowfallFX. Weds 10p on FX. Stream on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/SlVEAJ3ca0
— Snowfall (@SnowfallFX) March 13, 2023
Snowfall’s Damson Idris Recalls John Singleton Taking Him to South Central and Telling Him, ‘If You Survive, You’ve Got the Role’
