Sterling Reputation

With A Hit Tv Show, Four Films In The Pipeline And A Trove Of Awards, Sterling K. Brown Has Proved He’s Hollywood Gold

- Glynis Costin

Sterling K. Brown looks ridiculously suave in bright pink jeans and a chequered Gucci coat as he nonchalantly unloads a bag of groceries from a vintage Porsche. This is the way all Hollywood stars dress to do chores, right? Nope. The in-demand actor is merely playing along for this photo shoot. Usually he is a fan of more dad-friendly athletic attire and deems the designer clothes he is wearing on these pages “expansive”. That word could also describe the 42-year-old’s career, 16 years of which he spent paying his dues (his “incognegro” period, he jokes). All that changed roughly two years ago, when he received his first Emmy nomination (and win) for playing prosecutor Christopher Darden in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. Next, his portrayal of the sensitive perfectionist Randall Pearson on hit series This Is Us earned him more awards, including another Emmy and a Golden Globe. And last year his brief but pivotal role in the runaway blockbuster Black Panther skyrocketed him even further into the celebrity stratosphere. Now, with four films releasing in 2019 (including The Rhythm Section with Blake Lively and Waves, a teen romance with a musical twist), Brown reflects on breaking through.

GLYNIS COSTIN: What’s your typical everyday look?

STERLING K. BROWN: I would call it athletic casual. As a dad [to sons Andrew, 7, and Amaré, 3], I want to be ready to play. I want to look presentable at an executive meeting, but then when it’s like, “Daddy, wanna come play soccer?” I can say, “Yeah, man, let’s do it.” So a comfortable pair of tennis shoes, a nice pair of jeans or shorts.

GC: You got a lot of attention for a certain Instagram picture you posted back in March 2017 of your super-fit abs...where do those come from?