Sheyi wears cotton t-shirt and shirt MIU MIU, cotton shorts CARHARTT WIP, cotton socks PRADA, jewellery his own, leather and rubber shoes KIKO KOSTADINOV
Grooming TAKUYA UCHIYAMA using BUMBLE AND BUMBLE., photographic assistants RORY COLE, styling assistants STOYAN CHUCHURANOV, ALVARO MERINO DE MENDOZA, ELOISE COLLET, production assistant GRACE CUTHBERTSON
star’s directorial debut, Boxing Day (2021), to get film studios’ attention, but reckons he is most recognised for a single Atlanta episode, 2022’s “The Old Man and the Tree”, where he plays a young artist scamming a wealthy white investor out of his money. “I was luck y enough to work with LaKeith Stanfield, and have a few days inside Donald Glover’s head – the coolest guy,” he says of the role, which left him with a bad case of impostor syndrome, swiftly remedied by the showrunner and musician. “The first time I met him in the make-up trailer I was like, ‘Thank you so much for allowing me to be here. I owe you a lot.’ He replied, ‘Stop all that, man. You deserve to be here more than anyone else.’”
The actor appreciates being named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, Dazed 100 and in numerous ‘rising star’ round-ups in recognition of his outstanding work, but isn’t getting carried away. “I’m obsessive: I look through reviews, tweets and articles first thing and before bed when I should be giving thanks to my saviour,” he says, adding that
“I’m quite resilient in that I’m not too shook if people don’t like a film”. Next up is a small but important role in Maxine Peake’s new short film, then maybe theatre. “The inspiration [for Peake’s film] came from Sarah Everard’s kidnapping and murder,” he explains. “My character is a catalyst of change, fuelling the ‘What would I do if I’d been approached by someone and had no way out’ thought in Maxine’s head.”
Away from acting, Cole is carving a path as a musician. The multifaceted storyteller is a tenor vocalist who loves to harmonise but doesn’t want to be pigeonholed. His “Someone Like You” Adele cover from 12 years ago is still on YouTube and he wasn’t ready to share anything else until “With Me”, an original song he released with Graver last year that captures sacred moments filming for Steven Soderbergh’s show Full Circle in New York. As we bask in the heady afterglow of a rare and dramatic Chelsea win, the actor passes over his iPhone earphones so I can listen to some music he’s been working on. “Heartbreaker”, released after we chat in May, is catchy and dancefloor-worthy, an amalgamation of funk, disco, R&B and soul that smoothly derides the offender as “a true manipulator”. “I just want people to dance, to really lose themselves in my music and experience the story,” says Cole, pointing out the gap for a male UK R&B artist delivering sensual songs that he could potentially fill.
Actors swiping character mementoes is standard practice: why wouldn’t you keep something tangible to honour your alter ego? One advantage of portraying some particularly stylish brothers is that Cole can archive and style bespoke pieces in real life. “I wear Alex Wheatle’s gold crucifix necklace with a brown shirt in summer and the orange-and-black Jordan space pants from Atlanta to the gym now,” he says, alluding to his strong fashion interest and love of trainers. His style is maturing with age and he says he wants to draw less attention to himself, gesturing to the tonal Burberry mac, Axel Arigato trousers and chunky Balenciaga Triple S sneakers he turned up in. “I wore shorts to The Beautiful Game premiere because I wanted to incorporate sports and fashion,” he says. “Specifically [London-based] Sierra Leonean brand Labrum as it’s important to show where I’m from.”
There’s no quarter-life crisis on the horizon with Cole turning 25 in June and, as the actor knuckles down on projects due for release next year, he says he might just celebrate with a cheeky Nando’s. “If everything goes to plan, I should be able to buy a house,” he says. “I want to release three singles and do a major studio film [this year].” Any downtime revolves around music, film, the pub or football. “Big up Dalston Lane studios. They had a jazz launch two days ago and it was inspirational: I’ve never been in a room with so much musical talent in my life.” Cole is very spiritual and says a potential return to church to quell future anxieties is also on the cards. “I should pray more and read my Bible more. There are a lot of coincidental parallels between real life and what is portrayed [in my work as an actor]. There’s got to be some form of being or entity aligning everything.”
Chelsea FC have blown hot and cold this season. In February, Cole and I both trekked to Wembley to watch them lose the 2024 Carabao Cup final against Liverpool in extra time. “The amount of opportunities we had – ridiculous,” the actor says, shaking his head before asking if I’m going back there for the Blues’ FA Cup semi-final versus Manchester City. Probably not, I answered at the time – it might turn toxic. But, as all football fans know, it’s the hope that kills you in the end. Maybe the infamous ‘Wembley curse’ is real, but thank God, I think to myself as we say our goodbyes, that Cole is proving a more consistent winner than his football club right now.
59
