Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry on the perils of fame

Originally published June 4, 2018

Fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. As Brian Tyree Henry will tell you, making it as an actor sometimes means losing your privacy and watching your life get uprooted. Not only is this something he's experienced in real life, but it's also something his character goes through in the television series Atlanta.

Henry plays Alfred, who goes by the rap name Paper Boi in the show. The character struggles with the dark side of fame while he's making music. Sticking with Paper Boi through it all is his manager and cousin, Earn, played by Donald Glover.

The show, which just wrapped its second season, follows the two of them as Paper Boi rises in popularity. Meanwhile Henry — in real life — is also watching his star power grow. He just picked up a Tony nomination for his role in the Broadway production of Lobby Hero​ and you can catch him in the upcoming sci-fi action thriller Hotel Artemis with his best friend, Sterling K. Brown, who you might recognize from This Is Us.

Henry joined Tom Power from a studio in L.A. to take a closer look at some of the perils of fame. You can watch seasons one and two of Atlanta on iTunes and catch Henry starring alongside Jodie Foster and Sterling K. Brown in Hotel Artemis, which hits theatres Friday, June 8.

Listen to the full conversation with Brian Tyree Henry near the top of this page. 

— Produced by Tyrone Callender

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