Let your gaze move from sleepy eyes to broad shoulders, from wide smile to wicked grin. These talented fellas specialize in make-believe. Like a good lover, they can convince us that anything is possible. Want to feel a thrill? Have a laugh? Fall in love? Just dim the lights, and let these breathtaking men take yours away.
Mos Def
On maintaining the mystery: “My grandmother would say, ‘The less said the best said.’”
Don Cheadle
On actors and job security: “There are probably four actors who are just brazen about their careers, like ‘It’s good! It’s all gonna be good.’ In fact, fewer than four. Probably two, and
one is just crazy.”
Dennis Haysbert
On being compared to Sidney Poitier: “It’s a grand compliment. But people seem to think that when we see Black men as gentlemen, it’s going outside the norm.”
Mekhi Phifer
On racism in Hollywood: “We all know there’s racism. But if you’re going to cry and moan, you might as well get out of the game.”
Damon Wayans
On who’s the boss: “I’m going about it the same way Cosby did. I have control over my show. The show is my voice.”
Omar Epps
On his future plans: “I don’t want to feel comfortable. I want to feel like I’m growing and going to new spaces. I want to go into the unknown creatively.”
Gary Dourdan
On the film that won’t go away: “I did this independent movie a couple of years ago. The script was great but the execution was horrible. Now it keeps getting picked up by cable channels. Every day someone says to me, ‘I was watching TV late last night…’ and I’m like, ‘Oh no, don’t tell me.’ ”
For more on Men of the Moment, pick up the April issue of ESSENCE magazine.