Kofi Siriboe

With starring roles in the critically acclaimed Ava DuVernay drama Queen Sugar and the indie film Kicks, this former child actor has more than come into his own. On a rare day off, the 22-year-old talks going “full-on prom” on the red carpet, embracing his Ghanaian roots, and prepping for a sex scene with Jada Pinkett Smith.

- Faye Penn

The first thing you notice about Kofi Siriboe when he walks into the lobby of New Orleans’s Windsor Court Hotel is his top—a short sleeve button-down in an exuberant, African-inspired stripe pattern—and you’re not the only one. “Excuse me,” says a professorial, gray-haired man who seems an unlikely admirer. “That’s a really cool shirt.” The next thing you spot is Siriboe’s chest, made easier by the fact that the aforementioned garment is halfway unbuttoned. Peekaboo pecs (usually adorned with a gold chain) have become a signature look for the breakout star, and no one’s complaining. Certainly not Oprah Winfrey, who was snapped with her hand on Siriboe’s bare sternum at a recent party, eliciting jealous comments from his Instagram followers. The former child actor and model is still getting used to the attention—and there’s likely more on the way. Siriboe plays single father Ralph Angel in Queen Sugar, the Winfrey produced, Ava DuVernay–directed TV drama that débuted to raves on the OWN network last month. And in Kicks, a difficult new indie film about poverty and aspiration, he plays Flaco, a gold-grilled sneaker thief, with surprising complexity. Best of all, following our interview, he’s off to do a hot scene with Jada Pinkett Smith, his co-star in Girl Trip, a comedy about four friends heading to New Orleans for Essence Fest. “I’m not just going shirtless,” he confesses, betraying a hint of bravado tinged unmistakably with the jitters. “I’m getting absolutely butt naked!” Somehow, we think he’ll handle himself fine.

Tell me about the naked scene in Girl Trip. How do you feel?