Darrin Henson
Darrin Dewitt Henson plays Lem Van Adams on the hit Showtime series Soul Food. For four seasons, Henson has given a compelling performance of a street hustler turned husband, father and businessman.
His character struggles to balance a drama-free life embodying loyalty to his family with an unstable past life, which included familial dysfunction and repeated prison stays.
Depicting Lem was no difficult task for Henson because he believes there’s a little Lem in every brother. In Henson’s words: “We all want to fight through adversities and feed our families.”
The show’s success definitely took Henson by surprise. Happy to even be on TV, he didn’t expect the audience to make Soul Food a paradigm Black families could model themselves on. He proudly brags about his chemistry with the cast, saying they’re like family both on and off the set.
With Soul Food on hiatus, returning February 2004, Henson is increasing his repertoire by showing off his directing skills in the movie Violation. Starring Malik Yoba (New York Undercover) and Cynda Williams (Dorothy Dandridge Story and Mo Better Blues), Violation depicts two Gulf War veterans whose relationship may be compromised by their opposing outlooks on war.
As an incomparable choreographer whose dance abilities has blessed such artists as Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and N-Sync, Henson got his start with the late legendary hip hop DJ, Scott La Rock at age 14, when he joined La Rock’s Vermont school tour. Henson’s most recognizable dance routine by far is N-Sync’s Bye, Bye, Bye. His video, Darrin’s Dance Grooves, has also proven successful and he looks forward to starting production on a movie version in the future. Henson is also trying to get more involved in his community. In an upcoming AIDS awareness campaign, he will speak to inner city youth about their choices in an effort to increase understanding of HIV/AIDS.
While he works a lot, he does try to make time for a private life. Henson admitted to Obscure that he is single, and said he likes women who are strong, intelligent, focused, and ambitious with a sense of humor. His turn offs include women who complain and those who are not athletic. When asked how he feels about being a sex symbol he responds, “I don’t consider myself a sex symbol. For me it was really a shock. I mean it [the reaction from women] came in spurts when I was choreographing, but now that I’m on TV it’s something totally different.”
Much more than just a talented actor and choreographer, Henson is a true soldier in the entertainment game. He has extended his tenure in a very difficult industry by drawing on his talents to reinvent himself time and again. Henson will be doing this for years to come because he is talented, and he has the temperament for it. He balances life and industry with ease by valuing his privacy, trusting his abilities and remaining humble in his success.