Bold and the Beautiful Alum Rome Flynn Tackles Real-World Drug Lord Role

From 2015 to 2017, Rome Flynn played Zende Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. He would go on to several other TV shows, including The Haves and Have Nots, Grey’s Anatomy, and Chicago Fire. Now, he’s got an exciting new role coming up that’s going to push his acting skills to the limit.

From Country Boy To City Boy

According to Deadline, Flynn is going to appear on Godfather of Harlem, on the MGM+ streaming service. In the 2007 film American Gangster, Denzel Washington played real life drug lord Frank Lucas. GoH is a prequel series, and Flynn will be playing a young Lucas during the time in his life when he went from being a kid from the country to Harlem. 

Eventually, he encounters Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) and after the two butt heads, he “rises to become Bumpy’s fierce defender and right-hand man.” The outlet described the first scene Flynn appears in, in which Lucas gets off the bus in New York City. “What was life like for him as he’s stepping off that bus?” Flynn asked, and then answered, “I think he saw a new beginning.”

READ THIS: Take a look at what’s coming up on B&B.

He’s Unforgiving

Flynn considers Lucas to be one of the most popular gangsters from the 1960s. But he purposely didn’t talk to Lucas’ real family or delve too deeply into parts of the mobster’s life that don’t directly fall into the timeline the show is portraying. We’re basically seeing the journey of Lucas from North Carolina to Harlem, and how he and Bumpy initially are at odds. Flynn will be pushing his acting skills as he becomes the embodiment of Lucas.

Flynn also mentioned the initial Denzel vehicle, and remarked, “Denzel Washington famously played his character in American Gangster but there are no comparisons except that we’re both playing the same person.” Flynn focused on the small details of Lucas, and praised the television format for being able to develop his character over a longer period of time than the movie was able to do.

“There’s an adolescence about him when he’s as ruthless as can be and is also unforgiving,” he stated, adding, “I have to find those characteristics and commonalities because that’s what the viewers care about.” (Learn more about when Flynn joined Chicago Fire.)