As a former professional basketball player, Darnell Kirkwood knows a thing or two about staying in the game. Case in point: His first audition for YOUNG AND RESTLESS. “I was actually up for something else at the time and I immediately hit it off with the casting director, Sheila [Guthrie],” he recounts. “I remember telling her, ‘If anything, this was just a great experience.’ As an actor, your first goal is just to go in that room and do your work. I felt like that happened, and the chemistry was really there.”
However, the-job-is-yours call never followed. “I didn’t hear from them for a while, so I just put it to the side, because you just have to do that in this business,” Kirkwood shrugs. “And then Y&R called with something else in mind. I didn’t have to read for it because they already had my audition on tape. It was a small role, I believe I was only scheduled for five episodes, but the executive producer, Mal Young, the staff and me started creating this character. It’s been great just finding beautiful moments in your work and to be able to work with other very talented actors, writers, and directors.”
Acting wasn’t on Kirkwood’s radar while growing up “in a very tight, big family packed with cousins,” but entertaining others sure was. “There were Sunday dinners and other gatherings,” he shares. “We’d make up events, like karaoke days or Michael Jackson and Prince tributes, just to spend time with each other. My brother, Adell, and I were like the Wayans brothers, Shawn and Marlon. We used to perform dance routines and make people laugh all the time with just our banter. I totally believed we could have our own show, and I just felt like somehow someone would let one of those Hollywood producers know there’s these two kids in Kansas City that are really funny and ‘We gotta get them on a show.’ I actually thought that would happen.”
It didn’t, and when high school rolled around, Kirkwood focused on athletics. “I played basketball, golf, baseball, and track and field,” he lists. “I tried football, but when I was a freshman, I got hit hard, and wobbled off the field. My mom said, ‘Okay, we’ve got to get you some basketball shoes.’ ”
Kirkwood excelled at the sport and received a full-ride basketball scholarship to Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. However, the gifted athlete also studied business and indulged in another passion — music. “I don’t know how I found the time to wake up early in the morning, have basketball practice or conditioning, then class, go to practice again, and in the evening time, sometimes skipping dinner, I was rapping,” he marvels. “I made friends with a communications major, and he would let me into the college studio when no one was there, and I’d rap until security came around and kicked me out. So, I was basically pursuing life with juggling basketball, school and music, to figure out what I wanted to do.”
Professional basketball became Kirkwood’s main goal after college, but that proved to be a rough road. “I hit a little adversity after leaving college in trying to pursue my dreams of playing pro,” he explains. “Because I didn’t have the best junior and senior year on the court, I couldn’t get on a team. I then had to become my own agent and represent myself, which was another job in itself because while you’re trying to train, play and get better in the game, you gotta go home for emails, calls, and everything else!”
Fortunately, an interesting offer came through. “My roommate in college was from Denmark and he went back to play for his national team,” Kirkwood explains. “They had a player on one of the teams that they were about to let go, and my friend called me up and asked me if I would be interested in playing for Denmark. After I talked to the coach, they took a risk on me and flew me out there to play with Horsens IC.”
Adapting to another country was challenging (see sidebar), and after two years of playing, his promising sports career came to an end due to an on-the-court injury. “I tore both of my labrums while dunking the game-winning basket of our last game of the season,” Kirkwood winces. “The buzzer went off and I couldn’t lift my arms, but it was a blessing in disguise. I was then watching an episode of HOT IN CLEVELAND and I saw Betty White [ex-Ann, B&B] on the screen, and I thought, ‘She loves what she does, and she’s put in the years of becoming who she is. I want to be able to still enjoy what I do in my later years.’ ”
To get there, Kirkwood returned to Florida and pursued a modeling career. As he became more comfortable in front of the camera, he realized acting is what he really wanted to do. He signed with a talent agency and after landing some gigs, decided to move to L.A. in 2014. “Oh, I loved it here right away,” he smiles. “Not only because of the weather and scenery, but there’s a difference of energy. There are many opportunities for series regular roles, leading roles, film roles, and I realized the type of energy that everyone spoke about. You’re surrounded by people who are passionate about this industry and you can feel it.”
Which is why Kirkwood is feeling mighty lucky about coming onboard at Y&R. He enthuses, “My experience here so far has been nothing short of amazing and I’m looking forward to finding out more levels of Jordan.”
A Stranger In A Strange Land
Kirkwood experienced some growing pains when he moved abroad. “On my first time going there, I had a stopover in Germany to catch a connecting flight,” he recalls. “I walked through the metal detectors with my hands in my pockets, because I didn’t know where else to put them, and that alarmed them. A cop comes from outta nowhere and puts his hand on his holster and is yelling to me in German. I said, ‘Hey! Can somebody tell him I’m not a threat?’ ” It took Kirkwood a while to be comfortable once ensconced in Denmark. “I’m a very social person, so if I cross paths with someone, I say ‘hello’,” he explains. “So, I’m walking down a main street and the first person I greeted flipped me the bird. I was like, ‘Yo, what the heck is this?’ Then the second person just completely ignored me. I got frustrated and I called the guy who negotiated the deal for me and I was like, ‘Man, you gotta get me outta here! I don’t think they like black people here!’ He travels to America a lot, so he knows the cultural differences, and he started laughing. He told me, ‘If they don’t know you, they don’t understand why you’re speaking to them.’ Once I started playing and becoming a familiar face in the community, they welcomed me with open arms and I hugged them right back!”
Just The Facts
Birthday: February 5
Born And Raised: Kansas City, MO
K Through 12: “I never missed a day of school. I was good at math, but hated English.”
Relationship Status: “I’m very happy with my lady, Danielle.”
What He Loved About Living In Denmark: “This is going to sound funny, but I actually love their Danishes. When I grew up, I only knew of the cream cheese Danish that you found in the packages from the grocery store. No, a true Danish is a lot lighter and flakier and just so fresh.”
Favorite TV Shows: “HOMELAND, POWER, BILLIONS and I love documentaries. But I still watch THE OFFICE and MARTIN reruns.”
The One Item Always In His Fridge: “Orange juice.”
