Sultry actor Tyler Lepley plays Benny, the son of maid Hanna, on Tyler Perry’s juicy OWN drama. Benny is a blue-collar brother and a dutiful man who makes his mother proud. If you’re wondering where we’ll be on Tuesday nights, look for us on our couch spending some quality time with him now that the show is back for a new season.
“I am an only child, so it’s just us three,” says Lepley. “My parents are my mom, dad, brother and sister all in one. I love them with every ounce of my being and would not be where I am today if I didn’t have them as a support system.”
“It was fun where I grew up, but as I got older it started to become very hard for me to live in Philadelphia,” admits Lepley. ‘I am a big dreamer, and it started to feel as if my dreams were being suffocated. What I loved best about my childhood are my parents. I have the best parents in the world. They’ve always had my back.”
Lepley was discovered while working out at a Santa Monica gym, where he was a personal trainer. “I was approached and told I had a great look and personality and that they thought I would be right for a role in this horror film they were casting,” he recalls. “They set me up with an audition that changed my life. Prior to this, I had never acted or even really thought about it. I went in and booked the audition and that’s how my acting career began.”
“I love what I do beyond words,” he says. “For me, it starts as an actor but it is a tool to let me be able to have an effect on the world. I want to have a stage big enough to make a difference and to make a change in the world we live in. I think it takes a collective effort that we all have to be a part of, and I have found my path to give that help, I believe.”
Arm candy, anyone? Lepley, who was a personal trainer prior to joining the rising stars of Hollywood, doesn’t waste time when it comes to keeping his body healthy, tone and fit.
“What inspires me to keep going is that I am nowhere close to where I want to be in my career,” says Lepley. “For me, this is just the first step.”
“I’ll have to have a stage that is global if I want to have an effect on everyone in it,” says Lepley. “To make this change I want to see, I have to keep expanding my horizon through dedication and hard work, and that is my inspiration.”
“I try to go to the gym about four times a week, but I stay active six or seven times per week,” totally toned cutie Lepley reveals. “My secret is in the blueprint, and consistency is the key. This all has to be supplemented with a nutrition plan that is right for you. It’s almost counter-productive to do all this work to your body and not feed it the right things. Remember, abs are made in the kitchen!”
“I consider myself a life explorer,” says Lepley. “But most would recognize me as an actor.”
“My favorite hobbies are ones that better me in some type of way,” says Lepley. “I just started writing in my journal again. I love to do this because I feel like it lets me be free, and in a strange way, it is very therapeutic.”
“I got started on a low-budget, independent horror film,” Lepley tells us. “I’ve come a long way from that film to have some breakout moments like The Haves and The Have Nots, Baggage Claim and 90210, to name a few.”
“I love where I live,” says Lepley, who grew up in Philadelphia but lives in Santa Monica, California today. “Growing up in Philly, where the seasons change, is very dramatic. It’s relaxing to wake up every day in what I like to call ‘paradise in Los Angeles by the water.’ It puts me in a different mood to always feel the sun on me, and that’s what I like most about it.”
Lepley looks so darn good in a suit, we’d probably follow him anywhere. Admit it ladies, who wouldn’t want to be the date on this sexy bachelor’s arm?
“A real woman deserves time and dedication,” says Lepley. “She deserves to be her man’s number one priority.”
“When my competitive juices start flowing, I take it to the basketball court to slam dunk on some people,” Lepley admits. “Yes, I’m six feet tall and I can dunk.”
Lepley earned a scholarship to play college football and was a three-year starting running back for Kutztown University. He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science.
