“There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs.”
I had the pleasure of talking with Jon Chaffin. Before he appeared in prestige dramas or landed a central role in a genre-bending television series, Chaffin was performing in church plays at a strip mall, sharing a parking lot with a Piggly Wiggly. The production managed roughly two performances before shutting down, probably, he suspects, because it was not making money. He had little idea how the business worked. He only knew that he wanted to act. “I believe we become clever with our mistakes,” he says. What could be remembered as an embarrassing false start instead became an early lesson in judgment: enthusiasm might get an actor into the room, but discernment determines which rooms are worth entering.
That distinction has shaped a career built through persistence without romanticizing the cost of persistence. Chaffin was born on Long Island and moved to Stone Mountain, Georgia, when he was five. He grew up in a stable home, the son of parents who have been together since high school, and describes himself as the artsy kid who took drama classes while some of his friends lived much closer to the streets. At Fort Valley State University, he studied mass communications and worked at a local news station during his junior and senior years. He wanted to be in front of the camera, but without relatives or close contacts in entertainment, he began behind it.
That education gave him an unusually practical view of the machinery surrounding an actor. He freelanced in Atlanta after graduation and once worked on the camera crew recording Tyler Perry’s stage plays for DVD. Years later, Perry cast him first on House of Payne and then as Warlock on The Haves and the Have Nots. The symmetry is tidy, but Chaffin’s account is not. Between those two positions were acting classes, uncertain projects, dead ends and what he calls the “piranhas and snake oil salesmen” who sold hope to inexperienced performers. He learned to read people, protect his time and “sniff out the nonsense” before it consumed too much of either.
Chaffin moved to Los Angeles in 2012 with his then-girlfriend, now his wife, and spent 13 years there before the family returned to Atlanta. The credits accumulated, including BMF, P-Valley, Quantum Leap and Perry Mason. The last of those brought another full-circle turn. On Perry Mason, Chaffin played the brother of Diarra Kilpatrick’s character. He now plays Danger, her childhood friend and complicated romantic attachment, on the series she created and stars in, Diarra From Detroit. What looks from the outside like steady advancement was repeatedly shaped by jobs he did not get and opportunities he decided not to take.
In 2022, Chaffin came close to landing a recurring role on an ABC series. The studio and producers wanted him, he recalls, but the network chose what it considered a more “marketable name.” A week later, a recurring part on a CBS series threatened a long-planned trip to Jamaica with his wife, a trip they were treating as the honeymoon they never had. He turned the job down. Within weeks of returning, he read with Kilpatrick and was cast in Diarra From Detroit. “Had I taken the CBS series job or gotten the ABC series, I wouldn’t have been available,” he says. The episode strengthened a principle he had learned through less glamorous disappointments: “Trust my instincts, stay firm, and hold the line.”
That patience now places him at the center of the show’s second season, which premieres July 29, 2026, on Paramount+, with two episodes followed by weekly releases through September 9. Chaffin describes Danger as a “Renaissance man,” a figure who belongs to the streets but is also well-read, reflective and burdened by a childhood story that shaped his identity. The resemblance between actor and character stops well before Danger’s criminal history. “I’ve never killed anyone,” Chaffin says. “That’s the big one!” What they share, he believes, is vulnerability, loyalty and a protective instinct toward the people they consider family.
His most demanding work, however, did not happen on television. Playing Bigger Thomas in a nonlinear stage adaptation of Richard Wright’s Native Son required him to move through 90 minutes without an intermission, shifting among memory, dreams and the character’s desperate attempt to escape the police. The role was physically punishing and emotionally difficult. Finishing it altered his sense of his own capacity. Afterward, he says, “I felt like there was nothing I would ever be afraid to tackle again.”
The distance between the Piggly Wiggly parking lot and a returning Paramount+ series can be compressed into a reassuring story about perseverance. Chaffin is more interested in what the distance taught him: when to keep climbing, when to walk away and how to remain a person others want beside them when the cameras start rolling. “There is no elevator to success,” he says. “You have to take the stairs.” His career suggests that the stairs do more than delay arrival. They teach an actor how the building works.
Yitzi: Jon Chaffin, it is really a delight and an honor to meet you. Before we dive in deep and talk about your amazing work, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share with us a story of your childhood, how you grew up, and particularly the seeds — the genesis — of all the amazing work and creativity that has come since then?
Jon: I was born in Long Island, New York, and moved to Stone Mountain, Georgia when I was five. I grew up and went to school in Stone Mountain, and then went to college near Atlanta at Fort Valley State University. From there, I caught the bug and wanted to get in front of the camera, but I didn’t really know how because I didn’t have any family or close relatives in the industry.
So, I started working behind the scenes. I was a mass communications major and worked at a local news station during my junior and senior years. I parlayed that into freelance work when I got back to Atlanta after graduating. Around 2009, I started taking acting classes, and from there, I was able to get my first on-screen job on Army Wives way back in the day.
From there, I kept hustling in Atlanta before moving to LA in 2012 with my then-girlfriend, now wife. We were out there for 13 years, and we just moved back to Atlanta last year. Now I’m here, and we’re going to keep the story going.
Yitzi: You probably have some amazing stories from your successful career, and I’m sure it is difficult to single out, but can you share two stories that stand out in your mind from your professional career in entertainment?
Jon: One would be working with Tyler Perry. The funny story is that I was actually part of the camera crew shooting the DVDs back when he was doing stage plays, before he started doing television. He was putting his stage plays on DVD and selling them, so I was part of the crew that shot those. Fast forward a few years later, and I got cast first on House of Payne and then on The Haves and the Have Nots. That was a nice full-circle moment for me and a really good time.
Another moment would be Perry Mason. That was my first major recurring role on a really big show. There, I met Diarra because I played her brother on the show. Now I’m playing her friend — somebody who is like a kindred spirit to her in Diarra from Detroit. Playing alongside her on Perry Mason and now on her own show was another great full-circle moment.
Yitzi: Amazing. There is a saying that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story like that? Do you have a story about a funny mistake you made at the beginning of your career and the lesson you took away from it?
Jon: I believe that. I believe we become clever with our mistakes. When I was first starting out, I didn’t really know what to do or how to go about it. I was doing plays at churches — and I’m talking about a church in a strip mall, sharing a parking lot with a Piggly Wiggly. I didn’t know what I was doing; I just really wanted to be a part of this actor’s life and journey. We did about two shows before they shut it down, likely because they weren’t making any money.
The lesson in that was that I needed to be more strategic with the projects I attached myself to, lent my time to, and pursued. It also taught me to read people better, especially in this industry. Around 2007 or 2008, there were a lot of piranhas and snake oil salesmen selling hopes and dreams. As someone who was impressionable and inexperienced, I followed a lot of leads that led to dead ends.
I learned how to be strategic, read people, and sniff out the nonsense ahead of time so I wouldn’t waste my time. Starting off in this career, you take a lot of bumps and bruises along the way before you finally get your groove.
Yitzi: Amazing. On a related note, there is the idea that “no” is not rejection, but redirection. Do you have a story like that where you received a “no” for an opportunity, but that led to an even better one?
Jon: Absolutely. In 2022, I was up for a recurring role on an Emmy winning ABC series. The studio and the producers wanted me, but the network said, “We really like him, but we want a marketable name for this role.” So they ended up hiring someone else. I was so close.
The next week, I was up for a recurring role on a CBS series. However, my wife and I already had a vacation scheduled to go to Jamaica for a wedding. Since we didn’t get to have a honeymoon, we were treating this trip as one, but the CBS series was going to interfere with that schedule. So I turned it down. Having missed out on an ABC series and turned down a CBS series, I decided to go on vacation and have fun anyway.
A few weeks after coming back, I got the call to read for Diarra from Detroit. I did a chemistry read with Diarra and got cast. This all happened within about two months, from mid-September to the end of October.
It is crazy how that “no” opened me up for this. Had I taken the the CBS series job or gotten the ABC series, I wouldn’t have been available for Diarra from Detroit. That was a “no” that served as a redirection. It taught me to trust my instincts, stay firm, and hold the line.
Yitzi: Great answer. What has been the most challenging project or role you have taken on so far, and why?
Jon: Honestly, it wasn’t even in film or television — it was in theater. I did a stage play adaptation of Richard Wright’s novel Native Son, where I played Bigger Thomas. The playwright adapted it in a non-linear way and added a character called the Black Rat. My character was running around the stage for 90 minutes with no intermission, shifting between present day, the past, and dreams.
It was the most physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding role I’ve ever had. My character was constantly trying to escape because the police were looking for him after he accidentally smothered a woman while trying to keep her quiet. After completing that, I felt like there was nothing I would ever be afraid to tackle again.
Yitzi: Please tell us about Diarra from Detroit. Tell us why readers have to stop everything and watch it.
Jon: This is one of the most original shows on television right now. It is Nancy Drew meets Murder, She Wrote — a crime drama, comedy, thriller, suspense, and mystery all in one. It sounds like a lot because it is, but the way Diarra and the writers infuse all of those elements into this one story is simply beautiful and masterful.
The first season was amazing, and we are still holding a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It has been doing phenomenally well. The second season is about to drop, and we have some of the most recognizable and legendary names in the community joining us — including Phylicia Rashad, Glen Turman, Method Man, Bokeem Woodbine, Harry Lennix, Valerie Pettiford, Anna Maria Horsford, and Ernest Thomas. We have so many incredible people who came to play with us this season, and the audience is in for a real treat.
Yitzi: Tell us a bit about your character.
Jon: Danger is, as I like to refer to him, a Renaissance man. Yes, he is in the streets, but he is also very well-read and a philosopher in his own right. He is multifaceted and carries a lot of internal stress from past trauma.
At the end of Season 1, a revelation is made in his life where he realizes that a lie was told to him and that what he believed happened when he was a child never actually took place. For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, I encourage you to go watch Season 1 so you’ll be caught up and ready for Season 2.
In Season 2, he is really on a journey of self-discovery, finding himself and redefining his purpose. His whole identity was based on a lie he believed as a child, so who would he have become had that not happened to him? In the second season, he is going to discover who he truly is. He starts at Point A, and by the season finale, he reaches Point Z in a complete 360-degree arc. I’m really excited for the audience to go on that ride with him.
Yitzi: How would you compare and contrast your personal character, John, with Danger? How are you similar, and how are you different?
Jon: As for similarities, I am just as vulnerable, loving, and passionate about those I love. I am a protector and a provider.
As for how we’re different — I’ve never killed anyone. That’s the big one! Danger has a few bodies on his hands. I’m not a gangster, I was never in a gang, and I didn’t run the streets. I had friends in that life, so I was adjacent to it, but I was more of an artsy kid taking drama classes.
I also come from a solid background and a good home; my parents have been together since high school, and we have a beautiful relationship. Danger’s home life and relationships were murky and dysfunctional. I think that’s why he clings so strongly to the people he cares about — they are his family and give him something he didn’t have growing up.
Yitzi: This is our signature question. John, you’ve been blessed with a lot of success, and you must have learned a lot from your experiences. Looking all the way back to when you first started, can you share five things you’ve learned over the years — perhaps sometimes the hard way — that someone starting out today can benefit from?
Jon:
- There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs.
- Trust your instincts. Your intuition is right 99.9% of the time.
- Be a good person. Be someone people want to be around and work with. Honesty and integrity are the keys to any successful life — not just financially, but personally, through rich relationships and having people speak highly of your character when you aren’t around.
- Enjoy the journey. It’s about the journey, not the destination.
- There are no mistakes, only lessons. Apply each lesson you learn to the next opportunity.
Yitzi: Can you share some of the self-care routines you do to help your body, mind, and heart thrive?
Jon: I recently bought a sauna, so I love to sit in there and quiet my mind. I’m not the type of meditator who sits cross-legged with incense burning, but I do like to take time to just be with myself in silence — no electronics, just me and my thoughts.
I also like going to the gym and getting a good workout in to stay physically active. My five-year-old son keeps me active enough on his own, too!
Lastly, I make sure to surround myself with good people. We are a product of our circle. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people who want the best for you and don’t push you into non-beneficial situations is a major win. I spend as much time as I can with those people.
Yitzi: This is our final aspirational question. Because of your amazing work and the platform you’ve built, it is not an exaggeration to say that you are a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most people, what would that be?
Jon: Dispelling the illusion that money brings happiness. If there were zero lack, everyone would be content because there would be no envy — you wouldn’t crave what someone else has because you have enough of your own.
I would love to spread the idea of reaching a place where money and power are no longer the driving forces behind decision-making. If we looked at each other and realized we are far more alike than different — looking beyond appearances and into each other’s souls — we would see that we are all the same.
It’s a big idea that may not happen in my lifetime, but if we could stop, be more mindful of our neighbors — not just those who live next door, but those who don’t look like us or live near us — we could accomplish truly amazing things. That is the dreamer in me speaking.
Yitzi: Beautiful answer. How can our readers continue to follow your work, watch Diarra from Detroit, and support you?
Jon: You can follow me @Jon.chaffin on IG and Jon Chaffin on FB
As for supporting my work, watch the show! It comes out on July 29th on Paramount+. They are dropping the first two episodes then, with new episodes releasing every Wednesday through the season finale on September 9th. You can also binge Season 1 right now on Paramount+. It’s eight episodes of hilarity, suspense, drama, and comedy, and everyone I know who has watched it loved it. You can support me by supporting the projects I do.
Yitzi: John, it has been a joy to meet you. I wish you continued success, good health, and blessings. I would love to do this again next year.
Jon: Absolutely. After the season wraps, we should come back and do a recap.
Yitzi: I would love that! John, thank you so much. Have an amazing day, and I look forward to sharing the draft with you and your team.
Jon: Awesome. Thank you, and have a great one!
Yitzi: You too, my friend. Thanks so much.
Jon Chaffin on Sniffing Out the Nonsense and Taking the Stairs to Stardom was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.