WHEN IN Rome

The multihyphenate discusses his journey to stardom, mental health and why he thinks the best is yet to come

- By Akili King

Jacket, Louis Vuitton.

Killer smile aside, if there's one thing that's obvious about Rome Flynn, it's that he moves with intention. That was true even when he worked at McDonald's and neighborhood grocery stores—long before landing his first role, as Leon in Drumline: A New Beat, at 22. "People are always shocked that I've worked everywhere," the Chicago-born artist says. "Those jobs prepared me to take on certain roles."

This includes playing Frank Lucas in Godfather of Harlem. "I deeply resonated with this character,"Flynn says. "For so long, people seemed to think I hadn't struggled, and put me in a box to play certain roles. But I know what it's like to be without," he adds, nodding to the fact that he's faced homelessness on his road to success.