months. I just got back into the gym about one month ago; I took a five-month hiatus because I don’t like working out.”
Since being on screen so much, you would think acting was Yahya’s first love. Acting is actually the second career for this rising star, who obtained his undergraduate degree in architecture from UC Berkeley. After getting laid off in 2010 from his job as a city planner in San Francisco, Yahya decided to follow his passion and attend the Yale School Of Drama. “Being laid off was one of the best things that happened to me,” he tells ESSENCE. “I was pretty good at my job and passionate about it, too. But getting laid off just provided an opportunity to go and try something else.”
A New Orleans native, Yahya grew up in Magnolia Projects, and later relocated to Oakland, California where he attended high school. Having accomplished so much in his career, the actor says he’s trying to “learn how to allow myself to celebrate my success.”
The handsome star admits that he’s constantly striving for excellence. “I’m pretty tough on myself, but I had to learn to