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Allen Maldonado's acting career began in 2002 when he appeared in the film, Friday After Next, written and starring Ice Cube. Even though Allen only had a couple lines in it, he still remembers, like it was yesterday, the day he filmed with Ice Cube. "I had a couple lines and was swinging a pool cue at Ice Cube. I definitely was a bit nervous because he thought he was faster than I could swing the cue," he laughs. "On the first take, I almost hit him, but I pulled back at the end. Getting through that first scene --it was lot of anxiousness. But my first film was amazing." And it wasn't long before Allen landed his next major role on the hit soap, The Young and the Restless as Jamal. Becoming a part of the Hollywood scene wasn't always a dream of the half Puerto Rican actor's. It was not until he was a senior in high school that he discovered he had a natural talent for acting. "I did not know I would always be an actor. I knew I was going to take care of my family, I didn't know exactly how I was going to do that. Being a businessman is something that I've been since I was a baby," he says, adding that he charged his mother $3 for making her bed as a kid. "The entrepreneur spirit was in me at a young age," he chuckles. As a basketball player in high school, Allen quickly learned that height would be crucial to succeeding in the sport and decided to pursue acting instead. "You can't teach height," he laughs. "You can't learn to be 6'7". Acting was it. Once I discovered that this was my gift, I put everything into it. So, there were no back-up plans," says Allen, who went on to appear in films that include Live Free or Die Hard, The Ugly Truth, and The Equalizer. Currently, Allen is co-starring as cousin Bobby in the brand-new TBS show, The Last O.G., alongside Tracy Morgan, which premiered early this month. Bobby is there to help Tray (played by Tracy) acclimate to life after 15 years in prison. "I am not the sharpest tool, but I am the funniest," he says. Allen has worked very hard to get where he is today. "When I look around and I see my colleagues, we all have one thing in common: we work nonstop. It's a sleepless job. I see people work extremely hard, and if you have that type of never-die mentality and type of energy behind what you do, anything is possible. Finding 25 hours in a day, that's the gift." But sometimes, no matter how hard you work, there are setbacks out of your control. As his career was just beginning, Allen suffered a tragic accident that lead him to leave The Young and the Restless. "I wasn't in the car, I was walking, and he hit me," he says about the BMW that hit him at 55 mph. "I flew in the air and landed on my face. It was a pretty intense accident." The terrible accident broke his right leg, made his spine curved, and almost caused him to lose his bottom lip. "On top of the physical change, there were spiritual changes in my faith and my understanding of having no fear. When your time is up, your time is up," he says. "Logistically, I am supposed to be dead. There is no way I was supposed to survive something like that. It was the grace of God. I understand I have a bigger purpose before the time is up. I came out of it a better person, a better man." After months of recovery, Allen booked three auditions in his first week and took this as a sign to continue pursuing his acting career. This time, he was sure that this is what he was meant to do with his life. Most recently, the 34-year-old actor played Curtis on ABC's Emmy- nominated sitcom, Black-ish, alongside Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. He tells me the role has been life- changing for him. "To be a part of such an iconic show is a dream come true. When you grow up watching The Cosby Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, all these shows meant more than just 30 minutes on television. It actually helped peoples' lives and affected them to this day, even as adults. To be a part of a project that has that type of effect on people is a dream come true." Allen's many years of experience, is what truly made his character Curtis come to life on the set of Black-ish. He brings it all with him when he arrives to the studio every day. "I try to find the best way to understand the perspective of the character. We don't have to learn how to be human beings, the art of acting is finding the perspective to understand that character," he explains. "The better I know myself, the better I can understand a character." He can relate to Curtis. "He is the coolest dude in the office. It's one of those characters who always tries to be real. He is trying to find more ways to be more black. Most of the time my advice is wrong, but it's always good television." The set of Black-ish became a second home for Allen. "It's one huge family." For him, it wasn't like going to work anymore; there is a harmony between the cast and the crew that he attributes to the show's creator, Kenya Barris. In addition to starring in The Last O.G., Allen is also a writer for the show. "Writing for The Last O.G. is very close to me. The show is about second chances. It's about an individual getting out of jail and re-acclimating to society. He is trying to better himself while finding out about a family he didn't know he had. I can relate because I have a family member who is in a similar situation. The story is very personal and close to me. Everything that we talk about on the show I have actually lived in real life with a family member." The Last O.G. comes with a lot of laughs and a lot of heart. "It's a lot of jokes within the show, but the heart of it is second chances. It's going to reintroduce the idea of forgiveness and really understand that even though individuals have made bad mistakes, that doesn't dictate their character. It was a moment, they made a bad decision and that doesn't mean they are bad people. This show puts the spotlight on that. These individuals are people too," he explains. "Sometimes you've got to open up your mind and heart to forgiveness." When he is not acting or writing, Allen is playing basketball or boxing. But he loves acting, and would like to work on more action films in the future. "Everything I do is what I love to do. What people would consider a hobby, I found a way to benefit from it and build a career from it," says Allen, who stars as Litty in Sony's SuperFly feature film remake in theaters June 15th, 2018. ML Keep up with Allen on Twitter: @amiseverywhere, Facebook: MaldonadoIsEverywhere, Instagram: @MaldonadoIsEverywhere and http://maldonadoiseverywhere.com/. Don't miss The Last O.G. on TBS Tuesdays at 10:30/9:30 C.