As his hit series Snowfall comes to an end and he prepares for the next chapter of his career, Damson Idris is revealing secrets about how he got started. In an interview with Complex, the Swarm star explained that it was an unlikely source who helped him make the big move from England to America It turns out that superstar rapper/businessman Jay-Z was actually one of the references for Idris’ green card. As you would expect, that’s not really a favor the “Dirt Off Your Shoulders” artist is going to just randomly offer.
“Hov didn’t offer that up! I had to ask,” he said. “But he’s done many things for me over the years, he’s always supported me. He supports everyone. He supports so many people that you don’t even know. Genuinely, I should tell everyone this right now: if you ever run into Jay-Z, just say thank you and keep it moving. Because he is definitely a pioneer of the culture, but of everything. And I’ve never told him this, but he’s a huge idol of mine. Thank you for that reference.”
In the digital cover story, the usually private Idris reveals stories about his childhood, his very short career as a stand up comedian and the difficult audition process for Snowfall. However, while he does discuss his friendship with the rap legend, he’s still keeping some of their interactions private.
“I won’t tell you how it happened because there’s a couple more favors that I’m gonna need in the future,” Idris said, “He hooked me up with that. Rich Paul did too…a bunch of people hooked me up. They’re people who just believe in me, believe in this journey that I’m on and I’m gonna repay the favor to the people coming behind me, too.”
We all know that Jay-Z can spot talent, so it makes perfect sense that he could see the potential in Damson. With Snowfall ending and the actor receiving praise for his work in Swarm, it seems like he’s set to become the next big breakout star. Maybe Jay will be the one asking him for favors at some point.
Snowfall airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX and is available to stream on Hulu. Swarm is available on Prime Video.