Evolving Talent: Jahi Di'Allo Winston's Acting Growth

Few new talents in Hollywood are as exciting as Jahi Di’Allo Winston. The now 20-year-old from Atlanta hasn’t had plenty of big roles in film yet, but has shined in almost every second he’s appeared on screen. And if he keeps up his stellar performances, we could be witnessing the rise of a legend in the industry.

Despite being relatively new to the scene, Jahi Di’Allo has already grown a lot in his acting. And with several projects underway, fans are all very excited to see what the young black actor has in store for us!

Jahi Di’Allo made his acting debut in 2016 as Andre in the series Feed the Beast. But the people really began noticing the rising star in 2017, when The Upside came out. Winston was cast alongside huge names like Bryan Cranston, Nicole Kidman, and, of course, Kevin Hart.

In the movie, Winston plays Anthony Scott, who lives with his single mother. His father Dell (Kevin Hart), tries to get back into his son’s life. While the main plot of the movie has more to do with Dell’s friendship with Philip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston), Winston’s talent shined through in his short but emotionally loaded scenes.

While this wasn’t exactly Winston’s breakthrough moment, his performance here no doubt landed him in other projects in the coming years such as Proud Mary (2018), The Dead Don’t Die (2019), and Queen & Slim (2019). Once again, Winston demonstrated his ability to feel real in highly emotional roles, but he also showed he can have light and fun performances in the comedy The Dead Don’t Die.

Jahi Di’Allo Winston’s first main role, and breakthrough moment, came in 2020 with the release of Charm City Kings. Once again, it showed the world how capable Winston was of playing dramatic roles. In the film, he played Mouse, a teenager with a huge love for motorbikes. In the film, he’s torn between following his mother’s wishes or taking to the streets.

His performance in this film was spectacular. It was so good, that he was nominated for the Outstanding Breakthrough Performance Award by the NAACP Image Awards. And even though he didn’t win, it was this film that pushed Jahi Di’Allo Winston into the mainstream.

After Charm City Kings, Winston had a short break, before coming back into the scene in 2023 with We Have a Ghost where he starred alongside David Harbour. The film has a completely different tone from Charm City Kings. Instead of a deep, emotional, and dramatic storyline, We Have a Ghost is a light-hearted comedy.

This goes to show that Winston is capable of handling various roles. He plays highly emotional roles but is also great when it comes to drawing laughs from the audience. This style has got fans super excited to see where he stars next. Because at his young age, the possibilities are truly endless for this bright young talent!