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other religions. For me, it's more about spiritually and being connected to a higher being, and it doesn't matter if you call that being God, Jah, or Mohamad or Jesus. It doesn't matter. What does matter is how that Being, or spirit is affecting you in your life, and your life's journey. You can call it whatever you want, but is it flowing through you? Is it affecting you as a person? Is it making you a better person? That is what really matters. Allison: I've never watched The Real Housewife's of Atlanta, though I did watch a few clips the other day, because your daughter is on the show, and I knew I'd be talking to you. Leon: Well that makes two of us. I've never watched it either. Allison: You have a very good co- parenting relationship with one of the stars of the show, Cynthia Bailey, as I do with my sons' father. We're really good friends, we love each other, we respect each other, we are awesome co-parents and people always think we're together because we always go to our son's things together. We're friends and we're family, and we care about each other. Leon: As you should. Allison: You have the same thing going on with your ex, Cynthia. Leon: I like to consider myself a commonsense negro, okay (laugh)? I do things that make sense to me. So, for me, the child comes first. We have a child together and that is something that will never change, and no matter how many women I may have had in my life, only one of them has given me a child. So, for me, she has the highest respect of anyone. Allison: Yes, exactly. She gave you the greatest gift. Leon: Right, and that is not going to change. We are a family through this child. We are always supposed to do what is best for one another and respect one another, but most of all, do what is best for the child, and the child needs to see two loving parents. Even if we are not together as a couple, we can still love and respect one another. That is what our daughter [Noelle] needs to see in order to grow up. Allison: I know, and it's rare because people ask me all the time "How do you do it?" It's easy. You just put your ego aside and put your child first. Leon: Put your childish ego aside. It's very simple. If you are no longer with someone in a romantic way, then you guys know each other so well, you're friends. You have a child together. Let's just keep it moving. Other stuff takes up way too much energy and it's wrong. Using the kid against one another, it's just terrible. What do you get out of it, and what is your upside? I always look at things like that. What is the upside of this right here? How does this make things better for me, my child, and for her? It doesn't, so why do it? Allison: What you are working on now? Leon: Right now, streaming on BET+ is A Luv Tale created by Sidra Smith, a provocative series about four women living and loving in Harlem. I'm also re-occurring on a BET show I think is airing again in September, called Games People Play. It was their number one show last year. And in February, I'm starring in a movie opposite Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, and Kevin Dillon called A Day to Die. Very juicy role. Allison: What's that about? Leon: It's about a parole officer who, while protecting a parolee from another man, kills the other guy and the so the guy happens to work for a guy by the name of Pettis. And Pettis thinks that since you killed my man, you're going to be owing me something, because he was worth something to me. He gives him 24 hours to come up with a certain amount of money, and he has to try to do it and figure out how he can do it. Pettis sends him a few reminders along the way, and the action is [explosive]. I play Pettis, a bit of a bad boy. Allison: When did you know you were an actor, and how did it happen for you? Leon: I was on a basketball scholarship at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and a graduate film student chased me down on campus and begged me to be in his movie. I was like, "Why don't you get someone in the Theatre Arts department? I'm sure they would love it (laugh)." He said, "No there is something about you man. I just feel like you're going to be in the movies, and I want to be the first to put you in a movie." Allison: No way! Leon: I was in his movie called The Photographer, and I felt very comfortable, just like when you talk to somebody for an hour and you feel like you've known them a lot longer than the hour you spent with them. That was how I felt on that movie set, so I changed my major and became a Drama major and studied acting. Allison: What do you think you came into this life as Leon Robinson to learn, and what do you think you came here to teach? Leon: I came here to learn as much as I possibly can, and I came here to pass on the things that I learned to as many people as possible. Allison: Do you think you do that through your art? In your day-to- day life? Leon: I think I do it 24/7. Definitely through my art, because I have a way of reaching more people, but in my day- to-day life without a doubt. I'm always passing on whatever wisdom I have, and I'm always [taking] in as much as I can. Stream A Luv Tale: The Series on BET+ and Games People Play on BET. Follow Leon on Instagram @wwwjustleon, Twitter @justleon and justleon.com.