Snowfall star Damson Idris has recalled a humorous encounter he had with JAY-Z while the two were speaking during a phone conversation.
Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday (March 13), the actor discussed how he prepared for the role of Franklin Saint, revealing that Snowfall‘s creator, the late John Singleton, allegedly dropped him off in South Central LA to help him adjust to the local environment.
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“Singleton took me to South Central, opened the car door and said ‘if you survive, you’ve got the role,'” he said.
Later in the conversation, he opened up about his friendship with JAY-Z and Beyoncé. The U.K. actor noted that he’s been around the famous couple “many times.”
Idris then gave a quick, funny impression of Hov while explaining his almost paternal behavior toward him. “Yeah, I’ll be in Miami, it’s late. I’ll call them up, and I’ll be like, ‘Hey, I can’t get reservations at Carbone,’” he said.
To which Idris claimed the Brooklyn-bred MC responded by telling him to “win a few more Emmys before having that clout.” While the actor’s ego may have been slightly bruised, he seemed to take the comment in good fun, and called him and Queen Bey “the sweetest.”
Idris also noted that he and Jay have “connected in many ways.”
This wasn’t the first time the actor opened up about his relationship with JAY-Z. During a recent interview with The Breakfast Club, the 31-year-old actor revealed Diddy gave him some valuable advice after meeting Jigga for the first time at an Oscars party.
“It’s funny, like I’m about to be nervous but they know so much about my work that I’m almost not allowed to be nervous anymore,” he explained. “I remember when I first when I went to the Gold Party at Oscar night and Puff [Daddy] introduced me to Hov – that’s how I met Hov, through Puff. And Puff was like, ‘Yeah, Hov, this is Damson Idris, he’s like the new Denzel [Washington].’ And I was like, ‘Nice to meet you.’ And Hov walked away and Puff was like, ‘You see how you’re acting right now? Like ain’t nothing a big deal? Yeah, keep that… keep that.’”
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He continued: “So ever since then, if I meet anyone – and it isn’t like some hater stuff, like I love them, but keep it in. At the end of the day, like I said, if ever meet Denzel, it’s just ‘thank you.’ I’m not asking for a picture, I’m not asking for advice or anything. Just ‘thank you.’ You’ve already given me everything through existing.”
