CHARLOTTE, N.C./September 11, 2026 - Award-winning actor, director, producer and author Eriq La Salle challenged Johnson C. Smith University students to prepare for opportunity, persevere through rejection, and remain open to the lessons life has to offer. La Salle imparted the words of wisdom during a JCSU Lyceum Series event held inside the New Science Center Auditorium on Sept. 11, 2026.
Best known for portraying Dr. Peter Benton on NBC’s classic medical drama “ER” and Darryl Jenks in the Eddie Murphy film “Coming to America,” La Salle has built an accomplished career behind the camera. He has directed and produced episodes of “Chicago P.D.,” “Law & Order,” “FBI” and “On Call.” The JCSU community seemed to relish the moment when the Hollywood star stepped foot on campus. The JCSU IIOS - International Institution of Sound - Marching Band greeted the actor/director with that powerful explosion of blissful sound. La Salle appeared struck by the magic in the moment.
Inside the Truist Auditorium, President Valerie Kinloch, Ph.D. ‘96 welcomed La Salle to the University, while Craig Bell, Ph.D. – President of the JCSU National Alumni Association - greeted the audience of “fans and family.” JCSU student Sha’Nautica Nuness offered a robust introduction from the podium. Then, moderator, Marsha Walker Rhee, Ph.D. engaged LaSalle in a fireside chat. The pair took the crowd on a journey through fact and fiction, with a spotlight on La Salle’s new novel, Laws of Solomon, the fourth book in a five-part series.
The conversation centered on the experiences that shape a life—and the power individuals have to determine what follows. La Salle spoke candidly about discipline and success, mentorship and career management.
“Sometimes failures are nothing more than delayed blessings,” he said. Disappointments, he imparted, can redirect one’s path toward opportunities for which they are ready and prepared.
The power of preparation emerged as a key theme in the discussion. La Salle urged aspiring artists to study their craft, understand the work, and prepare for opportunity before it arrives.
“Read up. Study the greats!” he advised. “Don’t get ready, guys. Be ready.”
La Salle also acknowledged that wisdom is not always absorbed the first time it is offered. “Sometimes you’re getting great advice, but you’re not receiving it,” he said. Growth requires patience. Recognize the teachers when they arrive.
The conversation, between La Salle and Rhee, explored the novel’s core themes: trauma, redemption, compassion and violence.
After publishers repeatedly turned down La Salle’s work, he pivoted and self-published his first two novels. A career breakthrough came when an advocate in the world of publishing, encouraged him to be patient. She would find a publisher. The resulting agreement extended beyond his third book, Laws of Annihilation. The publisher also offered to reissue La Salle’s first two self-published novels.
La Salle explained that his thrillers draw inspiration from some of his favorite films. He compared the first novel’s premise to Seven, describing two New York homicide detectives who join forces with a female FBI agent to investigate a serial killer targeting clergy.
His latest novel, Laws of Solomon, grew from a character initially confined to a single paragraph. Inspired by Luca Brasi, the powerful henchman in The Godfather, La Salle imagined an African character whose role gradually expanded across the series.
A line he wrote for Solomon in the second book revealed the possibility of a much larger story: “Do you know that when I was a child, the soldiers came and took me?”
“I was just like, ‘that needs to be investigated more,’” La Salle said.
That turning-point moment became the foundation for Laws of Solomon . Told across two timelines, the novel explores Solomon’s origins, including his childhood in Uganda and his experiences as a child soldier.
“So I decided to give him his own book,” La Salle said, “and that’s what Laws of Solomon is.”
In the end, La Salle encouraged students to “double down” on knowledge, read books, feed their passions, then relinquish control. Success is what you make it.
