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Trai Byers is one of the actors on Empire, one of the hottest shows out. As we watch the drama from week to week, we see more of his character, Andre Lyon, who struggles with trying to take over the family business while he copes with bipolar disorder. What do we know about Byers? Take a look at seven things you probably didn’t know about the actor.

1. He graduated from the Yale School of Drama with Lupita Nyong’o.

 

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2. Byers started out on the daytime soap operaAll My Children.

 

 

3. He also sings just like the rest of his costars.

 

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4. He grew up in a military family and moved all over the United States.

 

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5. Some of the best advice he ever got was from Oprah about taking pictures. The two worked together in the film, Selma.

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Oprah’s like, “No, no, no, you have to move over, Trai, get in the light. Get in the light. Take a step to the right, now you’re in the light.” I take the picture, and Oprah comes over and grabs my hand and says, “Stay in the light, young man, stay in the light.” It’s something that I keep with me.

6. He almost quit acting to become a pastor.

 

 

“I really contemplated changing, going to something else,” he said. “I’m really passionate about God and religion and I thought maybe I’m supposed to be a pastor.”

7. He can play the saxophone.

 

 

He played the sax for his role as Nathan Davis in the movie, Jayhawkers.

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Get caught up before the finale with the Empire Season 2 Binge-a-thon Saturday May 14 at 9am on TV One!

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