Trevante Rhodes has joined the list of prominent Black actors and actresses in Hollywood with praised and versatile roles in films like “Moonlight” and Netflix’s “Bird Box.” The former college athlete has shown range in roles where he battled the Predator and captured Kelly Rowland’s attention on screen.
Early life and beginnings
Trevante Nemour Rhodes was born on February 10, 1990, in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, to Demour Dangelo and Jessi Rhodes. The family, which included brother Giovanni, eventually moved to Little Elm, Texas, when Rhodes was ten years old. While at university in his home state, Rhodes would become an All-American sprinter and Longhorn’s football team running back. He even won a gold medal at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in 2009.
College is also where the acting bug found him. As a track star at the University of Texas at Austin, a typical jog around campus changed his life when someone invited him to audition for a role. Fast forward to 2012, and the corporate communications major moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting after graduation.
Upon moving to Los Angeles, he made his debut in the short film “I Came Back” in 2012. By 2014, he got an uncredited role in the horror film “Open Windows” and made his TV debut in the drama “Gang Related.” In 2015, he worked with Tyler Perry for the first time on his show “If Loving You Is Wrong.”
Breakthrough role in ‘Moonlight’
In 2003, playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney wrote “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” which became the basis for the Academy Award-winning film “Moonlight.” Rhodes earned praise for his portrayal of a Black American man struggling with his sexuality and identity in the landmark role. The coming-of-age drama featured the main character, Chiron, at three ages/stages of his life and portrayed by three different people.
Rhodes captivated the screen in the third act as the adult Chiron, although he originally auditioned to play the childhood friend, Kevin. When speaking to the Hollywood Reporter in 2016, the actor said:
“Not even halfway through the audition, Barry [the director] stops me and he says, ‘I want you to read for the other role [of Chiron]’.” He continued, “I enjoy learning about other people. I really didn’t understand that until Moonlight.”
The film went on to win the 2017 Academy Award for Best Picture — after presenters incorrectly announced “La La Land” as the winner in a bizarre mix-up.
“The car was moving (before ‘Moonlight’), but I was in the 10 mph lane, which is fine because I’m moving and I’m appreciative,” he said. “But for so many reasons, this movie put me in the fast lane,” Rhodes told the LA Times.
In addition to more acting opportunities and Oscar buzz for his nuanced portrayal, the Texas native also landed a Calvin Klein campaign.
Versatility across genres
In the 2018 release “12 Strong,” Rhodes played Sergeant Ben Milo in a docudrama about the Special Forces unit that went to Afghanistan right after 9/11. As the actor told The Mississippi Link:
“My preparation included speaking to quite a few veterans. They were very open and honest about both their downtime and battle experiences. They shared the good, the bad, and everything in between.”
The actor once again played a soldier that year— but this time in a science fiction role — when he went toe-to-toe with the famous alien in “The Predator.” His character, Nebraska Williams, showed his action and humorous side while fighting against extinction from the often invisible weapon-packing invader. The same year, he played Josh Malerman in “Bird Box,” opposite Sandra Bullock. The dystopian film showed the actor’s compassionate side as he tried to survive a world almost brought to extinction by a mysterious entity causing people to self-harm.
Rhodes also tried his hand at biographical performances. In 2021, he played federal agent Jimmy Fletcher in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” Anyone with Hulu’s screening service got to see him take on the role of legendary boxer Iron Mike Tyson in the miniseries “Mike” in 2022.
He also showed off his comedic chops in the family comedy “Candy Cane Lane” in 2023. Rhodes played a weather forecaster who traded humorous lines with legend Eddie Murphy as the characters focused on winning the neighborhood’s annual Christmas decorating contest.
Latest projects in 2024
Rhodes once again collaborated with Tyler Perry in 2024. When starring in “Mea Culpa” with Kelly Rowland, the actor left many viewers wondering whether or not his character, ladies’ man and artist Zyair Malloy, was actually guilty of murder. His smoldering charm stood out in the dark romantic thriller, despite the film’s reviews.
As the Baltimore Beat stated:
“So, even though the audience is supposed to be leery of Zyair, a man who may have killed his girlfriend, it becomes difficult to root against his palpable chemistry with Mea. Sure, he might be a murderer, but he’s a hunk who paints pretty portraits and looks like Trevante Rhodes.”
In addition to the Netflix thriller, Rhodes will once again work with Perry — this time as a filmmaker. The actor is set to make his directorial debut in the film “T” in 2025, a project he dedicates to his adopted home of Chicago. Like his mentor, Perry, who handles several aspects of production, Rhodes wrote and will direct and star in the film. Perry is also an executive producer.
“For five years, this film has been my private passion project. I started writing during the isolation of 2020, and I haven’tstopped since. It’s my ‘Citizen Kane’,” he told EurWeb.
The actor is also funding the project with his production company, Toula Capital — a venture he started with his University of Texas at Austin teammates. The company was also behind his Hulu series “Mike” and the film “Bruiser.”
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