Boris Kodjoe Knew Nicole Ari Parker Was “The One” From Their First Meeting on ‘Soul Food’
Boris Kodjoe revealed he predicted his marriage to Nicole Ari Parker the moment they met on the set of the Showtime series Soul Food. During an appearance on The Kenny Burns Show, Kodjoe recounted feeling an immediate connection with Parker and confidently declaring their future together.
“We met at the table read on the first episode, and she gave me a hug. And she was super sweet, great heart,” Kodjoe said. “Right away, I knew that she was going to be in my life. I didn’t know in what capacity.”
Kodjoe highlighted Parker’s support as he navigated the early stages of his acting career. “This was my first job. She helped me break down the script. She helped me translate the script, ’cause at the time I still was going back and forth,” he explained. “She taught me everything about the different colloquialisms and how to stress certain words because it’s a different culture.”
Their on-screen chemistry led to an expanded role for both actors, extending a planned three-episode arc into a five-season run on Soul Food, which aired from 2000 to 2004. Soul Food followed the lives of the Joseph family in Chicago.
“We were friends, and we were working together. Clearly, it was chemistry, and everybody realized and noticed that, even the crew,” Kodjoe shared.
He recalled a bold prediction made at the end of the first season. “I went to her trailer one day, and I said, ‘Hey, I just desire to let you know that one day we’re going to be married with two kids.’ And I closed the door,” he said.
Kodjoe’s Bold Prediction
Kodjoe’s prediction ultimately came true. The couple married in 2005 and now share two children, Sophie and Nicolas. Yet, Parker was initially taken aback by his declaration, as she was engaged to Joseph Falasca at the time.
“She was mad. Andhe was mad for two weeks. Wouldn’t talk to me because she thought it was so disrespectful,” Kodjoe said. “She was engaged at the time… Listen, when a man knows, a man knows. I just knew. And I felt it. I knew it. She was going to be my wife. I knew it. And it was nothing going on besides us working together.”
Kodjoe emphasized the depth of his attraction to Parker, describing her as possessing a beauty that extended beyond the physical. “Just her spirit. She’s beautiful. And by ‘She’s beautiful,’ she’s not just fine. She’s beautiful,” he continued. “So it was overwhelming for me, and I was just in love with her.”
People Magazine first reported on Kodjoe’s story.
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