DB Woodside is taking over our TVs with roles on Single Ladies and Suits. The New York native get candid about everything from romance to roofing.
ESSENCE: When did it hit you that your dreams were coming true?
Woodside: When I finished Yale School of Drama and got my first acting job in Los Angeles a few weeks later. I’ll never forget being on Wilshire Boulevard at a stoplight at 5 a.m. It was the first time I was happy and at peace that early—I’m not a morning person.
ESSENCE: When is a woman her sexiest?
Woodside: Right after a shower or when she first wakes up. I’m old-school. I like a woman freshly scrubbed and earthy. It takes a real person to be dressed down and comfortable in her skin.
ESSENCE: And when do you feel your sexiest?
Woodside: Even though I wear a lot of suits for work, I don’t love them. I feel my best in beat-up jeans, some sneakers and a T-shirt.
ESSENCE: What has your full attention lately?
Woodside: HGTV. I love all the home renovation shows. When I was younger, I worked in construction. I can’t build a house, but I can definitely do your roof and paint your walls.
ESSENCE: The real single ladies want to know: Are you on the market?
Woodside: I’m sorry to break any hearts, but my heart is currently occupied by a beautiful, giving, opinionated, strong woman.
ESSENCE: How has becoming a father to Dakota, 5, changed you?
Woodside: Fatherhood automatically gets you to stop thinking about just yourself. As a Black man raising a little Black girl, I pay more attention to what Black women go through in this country. She gives me purpose.
This article was originally published in the November issue of ESSENCE magazine, on newsstands now.