Damson Idris talks NAACP Image Awards win, shares biggest lesson he’s learned in Hollywood

Damson Idris spent six seasons portraying Franklin Saint, a young street hustler and entrepreneur in search of power, on FX’s Snowfall. While BET Awards and NAACP Image Awards nominations were common for the show and his role, this year marked the first win for the actor, who took home the Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.

Speaking of the honor, he told Essence, “Robert De Niro once said, ‘Just be calm when things are going well. Don’t think you are on top of the world.’ That win definitely has me struggling to do that. For the fans, Franklin and co-creator John Singleton, it feels like so many of us won.”

With the show now wrapped up, Damson’s focused on other projects, including a Formula One film in which he plays a young rookie driver named Joshua Pearce opposite Brad Pitt. He tells the mag, “[I]t’s going to be a huge film that’s not only great for the movie business but great for the culture.”

If he was ever casted for a rom-com, Damson says he’d want the subject to be “love — but just real life. Everything we experience today.”

“Love is something everyone can relate to, no matter their background,” he continues. “I tend to play really dark characters, but it would be fun to be in the Bahamas on a beach, wearing a bunch of oil.”

As he continues to work and hone his acting in Hollywood, there’s one lesson he’ll take with him along the way.

“The biggest life lesson I’ve learned is to remain humble,” Damson says. “I love the saying, ‘The giant looks in the mirror and sees nothing.’ Humility is such an important thing that can take humans far.”

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