1 Year After Series Exit, Former Chicago Fire Star Talks Playing Real-Life Gangster in Godfather of Harlem

Rome Flynn, who portrayed Derrick Gibson in NBC’s Chicago Fire, recently spoke with CBR about playing a real-life gangster. Flynn plays Frank Lucas in Season 4 of Godfather of Harlem.

Speaking with CBR‘s Brittany Frederick, Flynn acknowledged how different playing Frank Lucas is compared to his Chicago Fire character. “Very different approaches, both equally challenging in [their] own way,” he said of the shift from being a hero to an antagonist. “But this is a lot different. Procedural is a lot more technical, a lot more by the book. For this show, it’s about the details, but a lot of it’s unpredictable, and it’s written in that way too. So very different forms.“

While playing Frank Lucas is challenging, Flynn also shared how much he learned from his time on Chicago Fire. “I’ve found a heavy level of appreciation for our essential workers,” he revealed. “They’re heroes of our communities, and so to be able to play a firefighter and go through the process of learning what those things are that they did, and also being put in those situations, I just have a newfound respect and appreciation for them.”

Godfather of Harlem Season 4 premiered on April 13 on MGM+. The new season marks Flynn’s arrival as Frank Lucas, the Harlem drug lord who operated during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1976, Lucas was convicted of drug trafficking and given a 70-year prison sentence, but was later placed in the Witness Protection Program after becoming an informant.

Forest Whitaker stars as “Bumpy” Johnson, a Harlem mob boss and the titular Godfather of Harlem. The rivalry between Bumpy and Frank is one of the driving forces of the show’s new season, and Flynn had nothing but positive things to say about his co-star. “[Obviously] Forest Whitaker is just one of the best in the business,” he said, adding that the show’s writers gave him the “tools and a deep well of knowledge” that helped him nail his character.

Flynn Reflects on Godfather of Harlem’s Civil Rights Story

While Godfather of Harlem is, at its core, a crime drama series, it also navigates sensitive topics like civil rights and racial equality. For Flynn, this was an important aspect that he hopes modern audiences pay attention to when watching the show. “Right now on TV, there’s no other show where you can watch and sort of unknowingly be educated on a certain period of time,” he said.

“A lot of historical things happened that shaped America during the civil rights era, like the Black Panthers being introduced to the show,” he continued. “So telling that story and making sure people are aware of certain accounts during this time period is a huge responsibility, but they do an amazing job.”

New episodes of Godfather of Harlem air Sundays on MGM+.