Sterling K. Brown doesn’t want to be seen as a sex symbol.
The 43-year-old “This Is Us” actor doesn’t mind people admiring his looks but he doesn’t want his appearance to be the only thing he is admired for.
Brown told Playboy: “It’s a slippery slope, and it’s one that is dangerous. It’s nice to have your sexuality celebrated, as long as you’re being celebrated in total, as a whole human being and not fetishized as one particular thing.
“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a job because of the way I was built. People have seen me as being a good actor, and they hire me for things in which they need a good actor.”
While Brown doesn’t trade on his looks to get work, he admitted he is “sneaky fit.”
“I’m not popping out of my clothes per se, but if I ever take my shirt off, you’d be like, ‘Oh snap, I didn’t see that one coming’.”
Sterling also joked that he has become a “total d—” since finding fame.
Asked how he has changed since he became a huge success in Hollywood, he said: “I’m a total d— now. I have narrowed my peripheral vision.”
And Brown has called upon successful Black actors to help provide opportunities for others.
Explaining that he “frowns upon” Black actors who usually work opposite white or Latina actresses in order to make their projects more universally appealing, the actor said: “Will Smith has the strength to pair himself with whomever he wants and sell that movie globally. He can provide an opportunity to a sister to shine in a way they may not be able to if it weren’t a Will Smith movie.”
