Don Benjamin Talks Role In ‘HIM' And His Next Big Projects

Don Benjamin refuses to be placed in a box. From appearing on our television screens in 2013 on Cycle 20 of America’s Next Top Model, the show’s first co-ed season, to building a successful modeling and content creation career, Don Benjamin is now diving headfirst into acting and producing films.

2025 has been a booked and busy year for the multihyphenate, who made his feature film debut in Justin Tipping’s HIM, starring Marlon Wayans and Tyrique Withers and produced by Jordan Peele. He also starred in the music video for Cardi B and Kehlani’s song “Safe,” featured on Cardi B’s chart-topping album Am I the Drama?

As if he weren’t busy enough, Benjamin also creates content both on his own and with his wife, longtime creator Liane V, and their two children on their family channel, The Benjamins. Their family content has even led to their daughter, Zaia Sky, landing her own brand deals.Benjamin is forging a creative pathway to success for his children’s future by working not only in front of the camera but also behind it. We chatted with Benjamin about his feature film debut, his upcoming Tubi film Adopted 2 , and the apocalyptic horror film holySmoke, which he not only stars in, but also executive produces.

HelloBeautiful:Did you ever see, when you auditioned for America’s Next Top Model, that you would be on this trajectory?

Don Benjamin: I mean, to tell you the truth, yes. I went into that with a game plan to get me where I am and where I still see myself going. But yeah, I just knew I needed an opportunity like that. But the funny thing is, I didn’t even really know about Top Model. A friend of mine hit me up about it and it just kind of transpired. I was like, ‘yo, if I get on this show, no matter if I win it or if I come in last place, I’m going to take this opportunity and go crazy with it.’

HB: So you always wanted to be in entertainment. You always wanted a career in this industry?

DB: Yeah. So I moved to L.A. in like 2006 to pursue acting and music and not so much modeling, but in 2013, when I went on Top Model, that kicked the door open for modeling, which then set everything else up in place.

HB: We love to see that you’re acting, modeling, and you’re also a content creator, and you’re stepping into producing. Which of these roles do you feel most comfortable in right now?

DB: You know, I think I’m loving dad mode and it’s transpiring into my on-screen characters. HIM, I play a dad. Adopted 2 on Tubi, I play a dad. I think that’s where I’m at right now is big dad vibes.

On His Role in HIM

HB: In HIM, you play a dad who is really invested in his son’s career and future. As a dad yourself, how do you kind of balance wanting to mold your children and believing in your children and also making sure that they forge their own path?

DB: Yeah, I mean for me, with my kids, my father wasn’t around as much as I would have liked when I was younger. So for me, I always, like, ‘yo, when I have kids, I want to be a very present father. I want to be hands-on. I want to make sure  I’m championing them in everything they do.’ And so for me, that’s my main goal, just being as present as possible, but also seeing that a lot of people I see that are successful had their parents kind of help guide them, right? Because it’s easy to be trying to do a million things. And when you’re a kid, you want to play this and play games and be with your friends. So I want to be able to kind of guide my kids to set them up for success, as opposed to them having to figure it out and try to figure out what works for them.

HB: Can you talk to us more about that experience—being on set filming, and if there’s anything you took away from Justin, Jordan Peele, Marlon, or Tyrique, or just from being part of a feature film like that?

DB: I mean, Marlon out of this world, Justin Tipping, amazing director, his eye for everything and being around. I wasn’t around Jordan too much the days that I was there, but the rest of the Monkey Paul team, Jamal, Ian, were all amazing. I mean, these are all people that I look up to. They make amazing work. Their passion for the craft is unmatched. And Tyrique, this kid is about to be the next big star. So to be involved in a project like this with the talent that it had attached to it was just a blessing for me. And my main goal was just to bring as much as I could in my character, to make sure I fill that puzzle piece to this beautiful project as much as I could. Every day we had fun when we weren’t working. And Marlon, one minute he’s dead serious, next minute he’s making everybody laugh. It was amazing.

HB: Do you have any major takeaways that you learned from being in that film?

DB:  I think the biggest thing is just the storyline within it is real in this industry. Like, what are you willing to sacrifice to get to where you want to be? But also, what morals are you going to hold on to that you’re not willing to give up? What’s really true and endeared to you? That’s a real thing that I try to have implemented in my life as well. In this industry, you can get so caught up in feeling like you have to do any and everything to get what you want out of life, when realistically you can get farther by staying true to yourself and knowing that the right opportunities will come at the right time. 

Just seeing people’s drive, ambition, and hustle, and even Marlon, being inspired by him and how long he’s been doing this.  Because I’m still, in essence, early in my career, especially my acting career. I’m just now starting to get more film roles as an actor. And so to see how long your trajectory can go as long as you stay grinding at what you love, you know, that’s very inspiring for me.

On “Safe” and Being Multi-Hyphenate

HB: You were a video star in the “Safe” music video with Cardi B and Kehlani. Talk to us about that experience. How is being on set for a video? Is it more like a photo shoot for an editorial? DB: Yeah, it’s fun because I haven’t done music videos in a while. Usually, music videos are long days, a lot of waiting around, but this one was fun because it was narrative driven, so we were actually acting out scenes. And then Cardi B’s hella cool, she’s hilarious. The personality that you see on camera is who she is on the regular. Kehlani’s amazing, I’ve known her for a while. It was cool to do this one and then to act, and Cardi B hasn’t really done much acting stuff, so for us to be acting and we have to try to pull some stuff out of her to get those emotions shown on camera was fun. Right now, I’m blessed to have so many different things going on and be involved with a lot of amazing projects. And the record is good too. I genuinely like being involved with things I genuinely enjoy that I would watch even if I’m not in it. So that’s been the fun part about all these projects. I genuinely like the record that Cardi and Kehlani did. The video came out fire.

Do you have any advice for someone who may be modeling like you were and is trying to pivot into different industries? 

I think what’s worked for me is not waiting for people. I’m trying to create my own opportunities. Like, social media influencing came from me not waiting on opportunities, and then we found a platform where we can do what we wanted to do, and then we grew a mass amount of following doing it. Same with the acting, I wasn’t waiting for roles. I was like, ‘let me figure out how to go make my own movies.’ I’m gonna raise money, put my team together, and we’re gonna get it done. By doing these things on my own is now opening doors for me to get auditions, to book a Jordan Peele movie, for a director that I worked with when I was doing music of my own to hit me up to be in Cardi’s music video. So, doing things and not waiting for others just opened the doors for everything to kind of funnel in.