Most American viewers who watched Snowfall assumed Franklin Saint was played by an American. He was played by a young man from Peckham, south London, with Nigerian parents.
Damson Idris spent six seasons playing Franklin, a teenager who builds a drug empire in 1980s Los Angeles. The role made him a star.
Peckham
Idris grew up in Peckham, one of London’s most diverse areas and home to a large Nigerian community. He studied drama at Brunel University and began acting on stage and British television.
Snowfall
Snowfall premiered on FX in 2017. It was co-created by John Singleton, the director of Boyz n the Hood, who cast Idris after an audition. The series follows Franklin as he enters the drug trade at the start of the crack cocaine epidemic, set against the involvement of intelligence agencies in the drug trade.
Idris had to master an American accent and portray Franklin from an ambitious teenager to a hardened kingpin over years of story.
John Singleton
Singleton, a pioneering Black director, died in 2019. Idris has spoken about Singleton’s mentorship and the responsibility he felt to carry the show forward after his death.
The ending
Snowfall ended in 2023 after six seasons. Its final episodes were widely discussed, and Idris was praised for his performance.
Playing Franklin
Idris had to show Franklin changing over six seasons, from a clever teenager who thinks he can control the drug trade to a man consumed by it. Critics praised his ability to make a morally compromised character sympathetic.
Other roles
Idris has appeared in films including Outside the Wire and Farming, the drama about British-Nigerian children fostered by white families. He later joined major Hollywood productions, including a racing film alongside Brad Pitt.
British-Nigerian actors
Idris is part of a generation of British-Nigerian actors, alongside names such as John Boyega, Cynthia Erivo and David Oyelowo, who have found major success in America.
Staying connected
He has spoken with pride about his Nigerian heritage and his upbringing in Peckham, and he returns often to London.
An accent nobody questioned
For six seasons, American audiences believed in Franklin Saint of South Central Los Angeles. That the actor behind him grew up on the other side of the Atlantic, in a Nigerian household in Peckham, is the kind of detail that only adds to his reputation.
