Today we’d like to introduce you to Darone Okolie.
Darone Okolie was born in Washington, D.C where his mom Sheila Lucas originated. His father Alex Okolie, who passed away in recent years, was born in Delta Nigeria. So, he was raised multicultural. Okolie embraces fatherhood from his other father John Nabinett, who is the role model in his life.
Growing up in a city with limited opportunities for career exploration, Okolie often envisioned a future bigger than what was accessible as a youth.
Okolie credits both his parents with providing the much-needed guidance and discipline to keep him off of the streets. He was heavily influenced by his mother’s role In church and inspired by his father’s selflessness as a man. Okolie’s father sacrificed his personal dreams of becoming a professional athlete, passing up on the opportunity to play in the NFL to provide for his family. Both parents instilled in him, a positive self-image.
Okolie was determined to be successful and participated in several extracurricular activities in school. With his father as his coach, Okolie excelled on the field in sports, such as baseball and football, and was presented with the opportunity to play on a collegiate level. In addition, he served as a leader with both The United Negro College Fund Program and The DC Achievers Scholarship Program in high school.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For Okolie and most of his peers, selecting a career focus was a difficult process because of the lack of resources. It was at age five when Okolie had told his dad he wanted to be in the tv. Yes, you read correctly. Nabinett corrected him and told him that it was fake; it’s called Acting. That response groomed Okolie to become an established actor. He was adamant about entertaining others and sharing his talent with the world.
It was during his senior year that Okolie had a revelation that he wanted to be a full time actor. Through UNCF, Okolie was featured on BET in 2012 as a scholarship recipient, sharing his post-grad plans of attending Clark Atlanta University to pursue a degree in Theater Arts. Okolie felt that moving to Atlanta was a very beneficial step toward his acting career based off of the growing entertainment industry in the city. Everything he needed to grow as an artist was much more accessible in comparison to D.C.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
2017, Okolie graduated with a BA in Theater Arts and secured one of the biggest opportunities of his career shortly after. He landed the role of “Bam” in the CW show, Black Lightning. For Okolie, the ability to participate in a superhero show where minorities were positively represented was described as a meaningful experience.
Okolie has appeared on several shows, such as Queen Sugar on OWN and most recently as Tre Houston on NCIS Los Angeles on CBS. When describing his creative process, he selects his roles based off the story, purpose, and audience. Finding something new about himself with every role he plays, Okolie vows to put his all into each character. According to Okolie, it is difficult to give himself a pat on the back. Each time he books a role, he treats it like it’s the first time. He has been inspired by films such as Remember the Titans, Antwone Fisher and In Too Deep.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
“Sometimes when we hit rock bottom we have to realize that God made the rock” Unfortunately, luck has never dealt cards in my life nor do I believe it. My mom raised me to know GOD so he’s always been first in my life. The energy you give out you shall receive. The success of my career stands on Discipline & Consistency. Actors that always inspired me was Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Jim Carrey.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5369072/
- Phone: MANAGER FRANCIS ONELUM
+1 (818) 307-8910
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @DaroneOkoli
- Facebook: @DaroneOkolie
- Twitter: @DaroneOkoli
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