Demetrius "Lil Meech" Flenory Jr. is walking in his father's footsteps and keeping his family's name alive. Thanks to his breakout role on BMF, the 21-year-old is making sure the whole world knows who the Black Mafia Family is. The Starz crime drama is based on the true story of two Detroit brothers, Demetrius "Big Meech" and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory, who make a name for themselves as notorious drug dealers in the 1980s, becoming one of the most influential crime families in America.
Though his father is currently being held in a federal prison, Demetrius is working hard to make his family proud and build a career for himself in the acting world. The newcomer's latest TV role is starring on HBO's Euphoria as Travis — the budding love interest of Alexa Demie's Maddy Perez, per his debut in the season two premiere. As we tune in to see what else is in store for the BMF and Euphoria star, get to know more about Demetrius with a few fun facts.
The new Starz series didn't have to look too far to find its star actor. Naturally, Demetrius stepped up to the plate to portray his own father in BMF to ensure that their family story stayed true and authentic. "Any son would love to play their father, but it's all about if you can do it or not – not about what you want to do," Demetrius told Essence of his attitude towards playing his father. "Talking to my dad every night and understanding where he was at that point was probably the hardest part. Just putting myself in his shoes and me and Da'Vinchi talking about it and trying to understand where Meech and Terry where at this point in time and the obstacles they faced and tying it to our real lives for it to be natural and for it to be authentic."
1 / 5
2He Produced 2 Episodes of the Starz Series
Image Source: Getty / Derek White
Not only does the young actor star in the show about his family's legacy, but he's also had the opportunity to produce two episodes of the series so far. Demetrius has producing credits for the show's first and third episodes, so it'll be interesting to see how else he continues to help bring this story to life.
2 / 5
350 Cent Placed Him in Acting Classes For 2 Years to Help Prepare Him For His Role
Image Source: Getty / Derek White
Rapper and executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has been known to be a mentor to the young actors that star in his many shows, and Demetrius was no different. In fact, the 21-year-old actor revealed in an interview with The Grio that 50 Cent put him in acting classes for two years so he could properly train for his acting debut. "He made sure, you know, I had the foundational acting before I just jumped out there on screen and didn't have any acting experience, you know, as far as any classes," said Demetrius. "(I took) intense acting classes, five days a week, (sometimes) two times a day, for two years."
3 / 5
4He Developed a Friendship With Costar Da'Vinchi Ahead of Filming
The brotherhood that we get to witness onscreen this season was in fact fostered organically before filming for the show even began. In an interview with Complex, Demetrius shared that the first time he and his costar Da'Vinchi met was actually on a Zoom call. "It was just for Randy [Huggins] and the directors and the producers to see if we were a good match together, if we were going to be able to really be the brothers that they were looking for," he said. "But once they seen it, they knew it was us." When they officially got on set, the two got to know each other better and formed a close bond before they transitioned into their respective roles.
Ahead of Euphoria's long-awaited season two premiere, HBO added a few new faces to the cast, including Demetrius, who could potentially be a recurring character on the show. So far, all we know about Demetrius's character Travis is that he's the budding love interest of Maddy, who's fresh off of her breakup with Nate (played by Jacob Elordi).
