Anton Peeples has been at this for a while, and he’ll be the first to tell you it hasn’t always been easy. From the suburbs of Detroit to the stages of New York to the grind of Los Angeles, the actor, singer, producer, and media personality has spent years building a career that refuses to be defined by a single lane.

Today, he’s a familiar face across television, with credits on Insecure, The Chi, All American: Homecoming, and more, while simultaneously preparing to drop new music and expanding his footprint as an entrepreneur. His latest project, the thriller Night Shift, starring alongside Apryl Jones, is out now on Tubi.

Peeples grew up in Mount Clemens, a small town about 15 to 20 minutes outside of Detroit, but spent most of his time in the city itself. “Detroit, Motown definitely had a huge influence on me, on my career, on my life, on the choices that I make in life, on style, on the swag,” he shared in our exclusive interview. “Ain’t nothing like a fly Detroit dude.”

That Motown DNA runs deep. His mother sang to him in the womb, something she did with none of her other children, and Peeples believes that’s where the gift came from. “Nobody else in my family can sing like that. So shout out to my mom for doing that.”

Growing up surrounded by the sound of Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and Marvin Gaye, music wasn’t something he chose so much as something that chose him. “You can’t not sing. You can’t not be musical in some way, because some of the most powerful music that have ever come out has come from Detroit.”

At 16, he packed up and moved to New York, where his sister was in her third year at Juilliard, to chase both music and acting. He attended a musical theater high school, the same one Alicia Keys came up in, and began working with songwriter Stacey Barth, who has written for everyone from Brandy to Chris Brown. “She was the first one who kind of told me, you have a gift. Not only for singing but for songwriting too.”

When Peeples eventually made the move to Los Angeles, he couldn’t find an agent for the first six or seven years. So he poured everything into music instead, opening for Mario, Eric Benét, and Tweet, and producing a music video alongside the late Nelsan Ellis, who became like a brother figure to him.

For a stretch, though, the love for music faded. Acting became the priority, and the music took a back seat. “In order to continue to do something in the arts for so long, you have to love what you do. And if you don’t love what you do, people are going to feel it.” Now, he says, the love is back, and with it, intention. He has new songs on the way and an EP coming later this year.

The transition to Los Angeles came with its own adjustments. His first major break in L.A. came when he landed a guest star on Insecure, with his episode directed by Regina King. What he didn’t expect was how welcoming the set would be. Issa Rae greeted him with a hug and told him they were going to have fun. Between takes, the cast sat around listening to music and singing 90s and 2000s R&B. “It was such a beautiful experience for me. That kind of allowed me to say, Ok, now I can dream bigger. Now I know that it can be like this but it ain’t always like that on set.” He’s been on some sets that proved exactly that. When the good ones come, he says, you hold onto them. “I will never forget how I was treated.”

On the question of whether multi-hyphenate status is a requirement in today’s industry, Peeples reflects on how different things used to be. Early in his career, his agents and managers warned him that pursuing hosting would cost him credibility as an actor. “And I just didn’t understand it.”

He points to Keke Palmer as the clearest example of how completely that thinking has flipped. “Keke Palmer is a host. She’s an actress. She’s on TV shows. She does so many different things and she’s being celebrated for it.” The industry, he says, has done a 180. Teams are now actively encouraging their clients to show more of themselves. Social media made that the standard. “The more gifts that you can show the world, I think the more people are interested and want to tune in.”

But Peeples believes there’s a difference between being an influencer and being influential. An influencer, in his view, is transactional. Someone with influence operates on a different frequency entirely. “Someone who has influence can move you, can change your life, can help you grow, can direct you into the phase in your life in which you want to go to.” It carries more empathy, more struggle, something people can actually feel rather than just consume. “I want to have influence. I want to be able to inspire folks who have had a similar story, who have had a hard time in this industry, who just have not given up.”

When it comes to protecting his mental health in a space that runs on rejection, Peeples comes back to one thing: his relationship with God. “When things are not going how I want them to, and when I’ve had some of the darkest times in my life, just in life, not even in the industry, I get on my knees and I pray.”

A recent conversation with his mother sharpened that practice into something more specific. He’d been watching other artists reach the levels he wanted and feeling restless. Her response stopped him. “She said, well, that’s the issue right there. She said you aren’t grateful. Gratitude will change everything. You have to be grateful for where you are right now, and who you are in this stage in your life, in order for God to move you to the next level.”

For what’s next for Peeples, his new film, Night Shift, is out now on Tubi. New music is on the way, including an EP before the end of the year. And another film is coming to Amazon Prime later this year.

Whatever lane you think Anton Peeples is in, he’s already moving into another one. Check out the full interview.

Photo Credit: Kora The Artist / Jay Connect