The Story of How Damson Idris Got His Role on Snowfall Is Wild As Hell

We all know multi-award nominated actor Damson Idris for his role as Franklin Saint on the critically acclaimed drama, Snowfall. But what you may not know is how the British actor landed the part in the first place.

In a new interview on The Drew Barrymore Show on Tuesday, Idris explained what the final process was for him to secure the gig, noting that he was taken to South Central LA by the late John Singleton where he was propositioned.

“By audition number eight, Singleton took me to South Central, opened the car door, and said, ‘If you survive, you’ve got the role.’ And it really was an experience,” Idris said while laughing. “I was walking around South Central, I had to stay in character, so I wasn’t allowed to be British. 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.”

Of course, Singleton didn’t leave him all alone. In fact, as they both explained in a previous interview on The Breakfast Club back in July 2018, the two were walking together in the heart of South Central and spent time at a spot where formerly incarcerated men were transitioning back into society. It was there the Outside the Wire star had to drop his accent in order to sell himself.

The sixth and final season of Snowfall starring Idris, Isaiah John, Angela Lewis, Amin Joseph and Gail Bean airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX and streaming the next day on Hulu. Idris can also be seen next in the Donald Glover-created, upcoming horror-drama, Swarm, on Amazon Prime set to premiere Friday, March 17.