Everybody Loves Isaiah...

Everybody loves Isaiah Mustafa... and with good reason. Down to earth and charismatic, Isaiah Mustafa is definitely a guy you'd want in your squad. Most people know him as "The Old Spice Guy," or as Luke from the Freeform show Shadowhunders, but that's just barely scratching the surface. Anyone who meets him will quickly discover that he is a modern renaissance man. Don't believe it? Well, here's a quick rundown of his many talents: actor, former NFL athlete, photographer (he let me play with his camera to shoot most of the photos for this story), writer, producer and director. And, as if that wasn't enough, we should also include father, soon-to-be father and burgeoning hockey player.

Although Isaiah is incredibly multi-faceted, his acting career is still the top priority. Acting has long since been a passion for Isaiah. In college, he wanted to major in Theater, but his hectic athletic schedule made it nearly impossible. As a result, he majored in History. Despite not majoring in Theater, he never lost the desire or drive to become an actor. His hard work and resilience are clearly paying off. For example, when looking at his first year in acting, the guy had a pretty amazing introduction to the business. His first movie role was Calvin in Madea's Big Happy Family by Tyler Perry - a role he landed as a result of his audition for another Tyler Perry movie, For Colored Girls. In that same year, he landed a second movie role in the first Horrible Bosses film. Here's how he explains his experience working with Tyler Perry:

It was definitely a fun experience, but tough. Tyler shoots and does everything so fast. He's so professional, but when you come on set Tyler Perry makes sure you are prepared because you don't have time to waste."

While discussing his career, one of the more classic Hollywood moments was the manner in which he found out he'd landed the role of Luke on Shadowhunters. He auditioned for the role at the end of the 2015 pilot season and honestly didn't think anything big about it. However, that weekend he started getting calls and messages congratulating him, but he wasn't sure why. A little bit later he saw the announcement on Deadline saying that he had been cast as Luke on Shadowhunter... Only in Hollywood.

When asked about his ideal role in the future, Isaiah would love to tackle a meaty dramatic role, but is happy with any role as long as he is learning and growing as an actor. Isaiah's career exemplifies the old adage "luck is when preparation meets opportunity" and he is definitely prepared for the next opportunity.

By Lowell Taylor