KODJOE SHINING UNDER HOLLYWOOD’S BRIGHT LIGHTS By: Scott Day (VCUathletics.com)


June 17, 2010


In tennis, patience is an attribute that could play a signifi- cant role in the outcome of a match. A player needs pa- tience to fight through unforced errors, patience to figure out the opposition’s weakness and patience that the shots will eventually drop.


With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that pa- tience has played a key role in the career of former VCU tennis standout Boris Kodjoe.


After starring for the Rams from 1992-96 and graduating with a marketing degree, Kodjoe launched a stellar model- ing career, which quickly led him to the bright lights of Hol- lywood. He spent years acting in supporting roles on televi- sion shows like “Soul Food” and “The Steve Harvey Show”, movies such as “Love and Basketball”, “Surrogates” and “Brown Sugar” and even an appearance on Broadway in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”.


It wasn’t until recently that the former Ram got his break when landed the role of Steven Bloom, a recalled CIA agent, in NBC’s upcoming fall drama “Undercovers”, di- rected by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Felicity).


“Success in Hollywood is very random,” Kodjoe said. “You have to be patient and stand in line for a long time until your number is called. There’s no such thing as overnight success out here. The drive to keep wanting to get up every time you’ve been pushed to the ground really keeps you going and that’s what led me to this point in my career.”


When Kodjoe found out about the newest project from Abrams, he was eager to get involved.


“Everybody in Hollywood was curious what his new project would be,” Kodjoe said. “I hate to sound cliché but when I read the part I thought it was made for me and believed it was my turn. I had to read for the part like everyone else, but once he called to tell me the part was mine, I was extremely excited.”


His newest acting role is just one of Kodjoe’s many endeavors. He is also teaming with his brother Patrick, a former VCU basketball star, on a new clothing line, ALFA, which provides customers with an opportunity to design their own hand-made dress shirts.


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