10 Fast Facts About Actor Kofi Siriboe

Kofi Siriboe, aka Crenshawn on Insecure, Has Always Been a Hollywood Heartthrob

Fans of Insecure definitely enjoyed seeing a new handsome face join the show's cast in its final season! Kofi Siriboe, aka passionate artist Crenshawn, was a pleasant surprise who popped up in the second episode of season five, and fans couldn't help but gush over his role. It hasn't been confirmed if he'll have a recurring part in the HBO series, but we certainly wouldn't mind him making a few more appearances before the season is over.

Though Kofi may be new to the world of Insecure, he's someone you may recognise as Ralph Angel Bordelon from OWN's Queen Sugar. He also made a huge splash playing the part of Jada Pinkett Smith's young love interest in the movie Girls Trip back in 2017. The Hollywood heartthrob has been a fan favourite for years now, so here's to hoping we see much more of him in the near future! Now that he's made his Insecure debut, get to know some more fascinating fun facts about the actor ahead.

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1. He's Been Acting Since He Was a Kid

Before he transformed into Kofi Siribae, the actor was breaking into Hollywood by booking print work and TV commercials at just 6 years old. From there, his career elevated to more guest star and recurring roles on shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and MTV's Awkward. Years later, he finally caught the break of a lifetime playing the part of Ralph Angel Bordelon on OWN's hit series Queen Sugar.

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2. His Breakout TV Role Came From Working With Ava DuVernay

As we mentioned before, Kofi's first major TV role came from starring on OWN's Queen Sugar — which is created and executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay. She first met him when he was 21 years old, and said that his seriousness is what encouraged her to cast him on her show. "You have a lot of young actors who come in the room and they're just kind of feeling the moment and the Hollywood-ness of it," she told Vulture. "[Kofi] came in very prepared and connected to the material."

In regards to working with Ava, Kofi has admitted that the overall process "has been a dream." "I couldn't have asked for a better director," he told Rolling Out. "As an emerging actor, I feel blessed to have been paired up with somebody like Ava who is so intimate and just caring with her process."

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3. His Brothers Are Actors Just Like Him

The passion for acting seems to run in Kofi's family, as his two brothers have also starred in their fair share of TV shows and movies. Kwame Boateng, the oldest of the trio of brothers, has starred in films like The Least Among You and Not Easily Broken and has also had minor appearances in shows like Everybody Hates Chris and The Office. Kwesi Boakye, the youngest of the bunch, has been casted in movies such as I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Tazmanian Devil, and Unconditional. He's even done some voice acting in The Princess and the Frog, The Looney Tunes Show, and The Amazing World of Gumball!

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4. He Once Tried to Shoot His Shot at Issa Rae

Remember that time we thought Kofi and Issa might have been an item? This was, of course, before she got engaged and married to her husband, Louis Diame, but once upon a time Kofi made it known that he had a slight crush on the Insecure creator. Back in 2017, he posted a photo of himself on Instagram (which is now deleted) at the NAACP Image Awards with the caption, "Issa Rae is still bae," and also tagged her in the post. Four months later, he quoted-tweeted Issa's poster art for Insecure's second season writing, "issa bae" with heart eye emojis (also in a now-deleted post).

His antics had fans wondering if there was a potential romance between the two, but Issa quickly shut those rumours down in her 2017 The Breakfast Club interview saying, "He's fine! But you know, I've seen him around. No secret dating whatsoever."

Image Source: Getty / John Parra

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5. He Shared the Big Screen With Jada Pinkett Smith

Kofi has had the privilege of working with so many industry veterans in his career. One of his most-rewarding experiences as an actor was being casted in the blockbuster film Girls Trip as Jada Pinkett Smith's love interest — whom he shot some very intimate scenes with. "[It was] like a dream come true, literally," he told Essence about what it was like starring opposite of Jada. "I've been watching her since back, back, back in the day . . . To be a part of [the culture] in any way is very humbling."

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6. He Created His Own Media and Lifestyle Brand

For years, Kofi had been toying with the idea of creating a space where he could process the things he and others experience in life and remember them. So this year, he finally launched We're Not Kids Anymore, an interactive media platform and timeline that recaps major cultural moments that date all the way back to the early 2000s. "I've always wanted to do something... that's my entire algorithm of existence," he told Shadow and Act ahead of his platform's launch. "We're Not Kids Anymore was born, and it was one of those things where I just wanted to concentrate and illuminate time. Because things are moving so fast, it's so easy to overlook our own experiences and we're always trying to keep up with time and keep up with society and keep up with culture."

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7. He's Passionate About the Mental Health Gap in His Community

In trying to sort through his own mental health concerns, Kofi discovered that there was a huge gap in addressing mental health in the Black community and that notion inspired him to fill that gap by releasing a short film in 2018 called JUMP. The film featured several candid conversations where young people were able to discuss mental well-being. According to Kofi, his overall goal was to help people "walk away with a sense of peace and understanding knowing it's OK to discuss our feelings and seek assistance when it comes to mental health."

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8. He Was the Handsome Man Candy in Doja Cat's "Streets" Video

At this point, Kofi is famous for his unexpected appearances in TV shows, movies, and even music videos. His cameo in Doja Cat's music video for her song "Streets" was a pleasant surprise for fans who spotted him, and his pop-up nearly sent social media into a frenzy. One fan even tweeted, "doja really got THEE finest black man in the streets video. kofi siriboe, hallelujah."

9. He Played the Lead in Romantic Film Really Love

Kofi only needed to check one more thing off his bucket list to truly be declared a Hollywood heartthrob and that was starring in his own romance film. The actor starred opposite of actress Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing in Really Love, which tells the story of rising painter Isaiah and law student Stevie who both try to find the balance between being in love and chasing their dreams in Washington DC.

10. He Has a Knack For Storytelling Both On and Off Screen

Kofi isn't just passionate about telling stories as an actor, he enjoys being behind the camera, too. In a previous interview with O, The Oprah Magazine, he revealed that if he wasn't acting he'd be a photojournalist instead. "Telling people's stories is a passion of mine," he said. "If I wasn't able to do it through acting or filmmaking, I'd probably be taking pictures and writing."

Image Source: Getty / Kevin Winter