EXCLUSIVE COVER STORY: Marcus Scribner

“Everybody can take small steps to bring about greater change.”

For the past five years, Marcus Scribner has won over critics and audiences alike with his portrayal of Junior on ABC’s groundbreaking series, blackish. But his journey as an actor started long before that, when Marcus was just a young kid trying to discover his passion. “I was always super quiet and super shy,” he remembers. “I was trying to find a hobby I could relate to. I loved reading books, stories, and characters, so I tried acting.”

And Marcus grew up in the perfect city to pursue his passion: Los Angeles. But it would take seven years of classes, auditioning, and small parts before he landed the role of Junior. “You can find a passion in something that you have fun with and turn it into a career,” he says. “I think the most important thing is to never give up or stop believing in yourself. It sounds corny, but that is what has kept me going, along with the support of my parents, is to make sure I’m always like, ‘No, I can continue. I can do this.’”

The recent high school grad isn’t just making a difference with his acting – he’s a passionate activist, using his celebrity platform to enact a positive change in the world. “I think our generation has a lot of power,” he says. “We grew up with technology and know how to spread a message like wildfire. It doesn’t take that much work to better the lives of someone else or make this world a safer place.”

On the day before our #YSBnowProm shoot, Marcus was working to make the world a safer place, from gun violence, at the March for Our Lives demonstration in downtown Los Angeles. “I wanted to get involved in any way I could, so I created a sign that said, ‘The number of bullet holes in this poster are the number that can be shot in the time it takes to read it.’”

And while the Instagram photo of him holding that sign currently has over 45,000 likes, Marcus wants you to know that anyone can affect change. “I do have a platform where I’m able to reach thousands of people and hopefully inspire them to do better in their own communities,” he explains. “But I think it’s important to know that you don’t have to be famous to make a difference. You can make change in your own community, whether it’s starting up a community garden or helping the homeless. Everybody can take small steps to bring about greater change.”

ON MARCUS: Sarno & Son, Allure Men

CREDITS:

Photos by Joe Magnani

Styling by Robiat Balogun (assisted by Sinai Robles)

Grooming by Sabrina Porsche