Board Walk Empire’s Justiin Davis Volunteers At Mission Society In Harlem (video)

By Madafi Pierre

Do you know Justiin Davis? No? Well, allow me to introduce him to you. At first glance you’re not sure of his age or what he does in life, but you see something different. You feel something different; something special about him. He has a familiar face and easy disposition. You ask yourself, ‘Have I seen him before? Does he live in the neighborhood? Is he one of my kids’ friends?’ Most likely the answers to your questions will be yes, yes, and probably no, in that order. Justiin Davis is one of the new dynamic and very handsome young stars in Hollywood. Straight from Brooklyn, USA, with a Harlem swag, Davis has now made his way to the boardwalk, and I’m not talking about Coney Island either. Justiin plays Lester White, son of Chalky on the HBO hit and much talked about Board Walk Empire, produced by Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg.

That something special you get when you see Justiin Davis, is confirmed when you speak to him. He’s articulate, poised, funny, determined, and has very big dreams. In a few weeks Davis will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Department of Theatre at Brooklyn College. A feat he has been working on for four and a half years. When asked why he chose Brooklyn College as oppose to NYU Film School or any other institution in California, he shares his decision like it’s a secret. Davis picked Brooklyn College for a couple of reasons, one being that he wanted to stay closer to home, but also because the classes were smaller and had the same NYU professors teaching at BC for much less. Did I mention the boy’s also on top of his money?

Justiin Davis has been performing since the age of two. Raised by his grandmother and aunts, Davis remembers performing in holiday shows at a very young age, showing potential even then of being a star. One of his cousins who also noticed his talent introduced him to a dancer/actor by the name of Merlin Santana who would end up playing Romeo on the Steve Harvey show in the 1990’s. By age nine, while at St. Cecilia’s Catholic School, Justiin started taking acting classes and his grandmother was already taking him to auditions. He’s been with his manager Hillary since the age of ten doing television commercials for Sprite, Lincoln and J. C. Penny at 13. While listening to Davis talk about acting and his experience thus far, you can’t help but think; this young man can’t just be doing this for the money. He has a real respect for his craft and respects what life has given him. For years he’s juggled going to auditions, filming, and going to college. When asked why he wanted to go to college instead of spending more time going to auditions and working, he said he “… didn’t want to have regrets.” His family instilled in him the importance of going and finishing school, college included. Plus he wanted the personal experience.

Unlike many young actors (and older actors for that matter) being on Boardwalk Empire hasn’t gone to Justiin Davis’s head. The experience of working with Academy Award Director Martin Scorsese and actors like Steve Buscemi and Michael K. Williams has been “amazing” he says. He looks forward to working with other notable actors like Phylicia Rashad, Meryl Streep and Viola Davis. He has great admiration for Tony, Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe Award Winner Whoopi Goldberg for her versatility and accomplishments. He’d like to work with Brad Pitt one day. Before or after Brad retires, doesn’t matter to Justiin. More than money, Justiin Davis wants longevity. He dreams of spreading his wings and being great not only on the silver screen, but the small screen and theatre as well.

On December 8, Justiin participated at the New York City Mission Society Holiday Board Event in Harlem. The NYC Mission Society provides activities and programs for Harlem residents of all ages, such as sports, arts and drama which will be lead by Justiin, himself. It’s a program he was very excited about. His volunteering efforts don’t just stop in Brooklyn. He’s also sharing his love, time and talent to Harlem, which we all know isn’t a stranger to great theatre and television actors.

From the look of things, it looks like Justiin Davis is on the right path. Growing up friends tried to discourage him from chasing his dreams. They just couldn’t see a black boy from Brooklyn making it. But he proved them and all the other doubters wrong. Justiin dared to dream and with diligence and the support of his family, he’s making his dreams come true. At the end of our conversation he mentioned something to me fit to be on a billboard, “If you try your hardest you’ll never fail yourself or be disappointed.” Good job young man! Next stop Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Here’s a bit more about Justiin Davis from Frank Ishman on Vimeo.