Devale Ellis is a former NFL player turned actor. He is currently starring in the TV drama series Tyler Perry’s Sistas as well as his very own spinoff show, Zatima and the Lifetime movie, Single Black Female. Ellis can also be seen on Freeform’s Everything’s Trash, AMC’s legal drama 61st Street and the OWN holiday movie, A Christmas Fumble.
Ellis is also the creator of The Ellises social sitcom on YouTube and Facebook and co-hosts the iHeart radio podcast Dead Ass with Khadeen & Devale with his wife. Their relationship book, We Over Me, came out February 7.
One thing I try to do every day is…
participate in a 30-minute physical activity.
I describe my vibe as…
deliberately positive and fun.
I feel most alive when…
I’m watching my sons live freely.
A show that changed my life was…
Martin.
My favorite quote is…
“Those who say they can and those who say they can’t are both usually right.”
To avoid distractions, I…
remind myself that discipline, not desire, will determine my destination.
I handle negativity by…
remembering that I am always in control of my emotions.
One thing that is difficult for me but I enjoy is…
reading books about history.
When I need a creative spark, I…
watch old movies.
The most surprising thing about me is…
that, although I played in the NFL, I never wanted to be a professional athlete.
The biggest risk I ever took was…
moving my family to LA without a guaranteed job.
I want people to know me for…
inspiring others to have empathy for those who think and live differently.
In 10 years, I hope to…
be headlining a major motion picture with a theatrical release.
I define success as…
a person’s ability to build a legacy not defined by their own personal greatness but by the masses they inspired to be greater than themselves.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2023 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photos by Joshua Dwain.