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Da’Vinchi has appeared in many television series such as All American and Grown-ish but it was his role in BMF as Terry Flenory that helped propel his career forward. Since starring in BMF, he made his Broadway debut with Thoughts of a Colored Man and is currently shooting an undisclosed movie in Vancouver. The 26-year-old actor is beginning to see the fruits of his labor and so it’s hard to imagine that he almost went in a different direction. Da’Vinchi spoke with xoNecole’s Dana Blair for our xoMan series about acting, being a sapiosexual, and protecting his peace.
The Brooklyn native was involved in sports when he was young but shared that he was also headed down a destructive path. It wasn’t until he moved in with his father at the age of 13 that he began to focus on his love for the arts. “They say when a man finds his life’s work, that’s where his purpose is, and honestly, me finding my life work is what saved my life,” he said.
xoMan: Actor Da'Vinchi On Self-Care, Fame, Love, and His Type
“It gave me purpose so I have to take my career as seriously as I take oxygen–the oxygen I breathe. It’s like my entire living circumstances have changed. I went from one dimension to another based off me really taking my work so seriously. I could never not take that seriously. To me, it’s one of those things… It’s like my heart. I have to take that serious.”
He added, “At the end of the day, that’s what got me through a lot. And now it’s become bigger than me that it’s affecting people around me. My mother’s retired now. She’s chilling. There’s certain things people around me don’t even have to do anymore. So it’s like I gotta take this serious.”
Da’Vinchi credited changing his environment, reading, and staying centered as the foundation to having a thriving career. The Alchemist and Outwitting the Devil: The Secret to Freedom and Success are two of his favorite books that have impacted his life. “I practice meditation and prayer, that stuff religiously, you know what I’m saying? Because I understand like this business is… it’s an interesting business,” he said about the acting industry.
da’Vinchi on Instagram: "🤘🏾"
“It’s an interesting world. There’s a lot of people that have different perspectives on a lot of things and it’s just like I just try to stay centered in what got me here so I just keep doing those things. And I know that’s going to keep propelling me.”
As a tall (he’s 6’3''), dark and handsome man, the Haitian-American actor has also garnered a bevy of female fans. But according to him, he doesn’t look at himself as a sex symbol. “No. I mean, I’m appreciative of it,” he said. “It was with Grown-ish. I was like damn, people are really seeing me like this? I was like, man this is interesting. I just see myself as a person, that people kinda like but I’m not. Chris Brown is a sex symbol. All those R&B singers. But me, I’m a person.”
While his relationship status is unknown, he did share what he looks for in a woman.
“I definitely do [have a type.] I think if you’re a person and you don’t have a type, then it’s like you’re just drifting through life aimlessly,” he explained. “I’m big on the brains and smarts. And not just book-smarts. And of course, I’m not just going to sit here and act like she’s just gotta be this nerd and I don’t look at looks at all. No, of course, I look at looks as well.”
He continued, “To me, what’s bigger than just the ‘eye test’ is the brains. The way I really start to get connected with a woman, it’s her mindset. It’s her mindset. When I’m like, ‘Yo, I can really build with this shorty, you know what? This one right here. This is a keeper.’ And you don’t find that a lot of times because a lot of times women will think men are just heavily–like we’re beings that are really just programmed to only want the body.”
“A lot of us are like that and that is our instinct from nature but I think some of us are more evolved than that now. And we’re not that primal anymore. So if you want a good man, I think you should work your brain because that right there is where longevity comes from. Anything that’s physical, that deteriorates. I go straight to the heart, soul, and mind. And that right there, I’m a sucker for.”
xoMan: Actor Da'Vinchi On Self-Care, Fame, Love, and His type
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