Actor Rhoyle Ivy King is playing a role he never thought hed see in his lifetime for young Black queer characters on television.

He co-stars on All American: Homecoming , a spinoff to the CW series All American, which primarily chronicles student athletes at the fictional historically Black Bringston University in Atlanta. His character is Nathaniel Hardin, the pre-law baddie and heels girl whos always there to support her friends and keep them in check.

Im playing a character that I needed growing up and someone that I needed to see to help me frame a future for myself in my head, said King, 26. The honor is I get to play a character that is a positive example.

In season one of the TV drama, some of Nathaniels storylines dealt with prejudices around her living in an all-female dorm and being the token recruit in a sorority to fill a quota. In other scenes, Nathaniel is the compassionate voice of reason who constantly lends an open ear and hand whenever her close friends are in need.

King landed the role of Nathaniel after his audition tape landed in front of All American: Homecoming creator and showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll. She watched one minute of the footage and immediately knew King was exactly who she wanted for the part. The writer and executive producer wanted to develop a character who lived unapologetically and to be able to have conversations around stigmas against the Black LGBTQ community, especially on college campuses.

Its a show about representation, Black excellence and our culture, Carroll said. Were a show thats about pushing people to embrace the best of themselves. Im trying to push the envelope and get people to think outside of the box in terms of inclusivity and acceptance, so lets have the conversation.

Nathaniel originally had only eight lines in the pilot, but Carroll decided to expand the character to a series regular, who appears in 10 out of the shows 13 episodes. King and Carroll had regular conversations about story arcs that would humanize Nathaniel, aiming to avoid having the character constantly downtrodden by trauma or struggle like most gay and queer characters on screen.

Every time we give Rhoyle a scene, he brings so much life and fullness, so his character keeps growing, Carroll said. I want the actors and writers to feel ownership and good about the story. Rhoyle is just magic. His persona and being is a source of love, light and joy on the set.

Christine Swanson, who directed two episodes in season one, said Rhoyle is like a rock.

His presence always centers the other actors in a calming and supportive way, she continued. Hes a force of nature in a quiet way and so much fun to work with.