The debate over foreign-born actors landing prominent roles as African Americans took a new turn this weekend, when BMF alum Da’Vinchi weighed in with blunt comments about the American work ethic.
The actor sat down with former NFL player Cam Newton for the Oct. 2 installment of his “Funky Friday” podcast. Newton asked why Hollywood frequently casts Black British actors as African Americans.
Da’Vinchi said the decision sometimes comes down to money.
“What I had to learn early is that this is the entertainment business, not the entertainment arts,” the actor said. “So when there’s a business, there’s certain things involved… sometimes if you get a British actor that plays the part just as well as a Cam Newton, it could be cheaper.”
Da’Vinchi, 30, was born in New York to Haitian parents. The actor, whose real name is Abraham D. Juste, rose to prominence playing drug dealer Terry “Southwest T” Flenory on the hit Starz drama BMF, which ended its run in 2025.
As the conversation continued, the actor suggested concerns about the American work ethic could also influence hiring decisions.
“I do think the work ethic of Americans is one that people in a higher position, it’s hard for them to trust it. Like, I feel like my generation, our generation and what we’re seeing is like humans are becoming more incompetent and America is producing, like we baby our kids in a way that is like unheard of,” he said.
As an example, Da’Vinchi said: “I mean, you got people that’s 25, 30, 35. Like I mean these are kids. They can’t do their own laundry. They can’t wipe their own a–.”
The actor compared that to his own upbringing. He said his grandmother, who did not speak English, raised him and encouraged him to be self-sufficient at an early age.
“I could take care of myself like fully at like 8 years old. But in America, no shade to you guys, the way the culture has like moved a majority of its citizens, it’s like you’re just incompetent for a really long time,” he said.
Newton then asked whether he thinks Americans are lazy.
“I think this country promotes that,” Da’Vinchi said. “I don’t think it promotes us really like being able to think critically and being hard workers, being able to think outside the box.”
Da’Vinchi most recently had a role in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Again? and will soon co-star in Perry’s upcoming Netflix firefighter series Where There’s Smoke.
His comments came amid a growing debate about Hollywood producers and directors casting British actors as historical African-American figures.
Frequently mentioned examples include David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Daniel Kaluuya as Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, and Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman in Harriet.
Cam Newton also mentioned English actor Daniel Ezra as Spencer James in The CW’s All American, which was inspired by the life of former NFL linebacker Spencer Paysinger.
In a 2023 interview on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast, Larenz Tate offered a different explanation, saying Hollywood power brokers undervalue African-American actors.
“I feel like Hollywood believes there’s more value in British Black actors than they do in Black actors,” Tate said.
The Chicago native added, “Also, I think that Hollywood is in love with the U.K. and all things British.”
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