In early 2020, Tye White was accompanying his wife, actress Rania Nasreen, while she was getting her nails done when the actor got a notification on his phone that one of the producers of American Auto, NBC’s newest workplace comedy, followed him on Twitter. At the time he had just completed auditions to play Jack, one of its series regulars.

“I told my wife, I think I got the job,” he says, laughing at how the industry has changed now with casting clues being doled out through social-media follower notification.

Hollywood is also evolving in more significant ways. As a romantic leading man in a network sitcom, White is playing a role that actors of color were rarely seen in in the past. “It’s given me an opportunity to continue to broaden my range and show that we can play these types of roles,” he says.

The Detroit native was previously seen in OWN’s series Greenleaf, NCIS: Los Angeles, Chicago Fire, and American Crime Story.

With you on American Auto and Tyler James Williams in Abbott Elementary, viewers today are very lucky to have this new generation of TV sitcoms. Until very recently romantic leading men were roles not available to diverse talents. How do you feel about that?

First, I’ll say I’m glad you asked that question. I think that we’re ushering in a new day and age in not just network television, but I think— I hope so — in the world where the romantic lead doesn’t have to be what you would expect.

And it’s just nice to have that where America and the world will start seeing other people in these types of roles. For instance, Shang-Chi, a Marvel superhero of Asian descent. We’re starting to see and open a broader range of what we expect. He doesn’t have to play a stereotypical Asian role; I no longer have to play a stereotypical Black role. We’re starting to broaden our reach, and it just feels lovely to be accepted.

NBC is so gracious.

They saw something in me, and they said, ‘That’s the guy.’ I was their guy and I’m grateful that they saw me in this. It’s given me an opportunity to continue to broaden my range and show that we can play these types of roles.

How did you get into acting?

I’m a former athlete, but I always wanted to be an actor since I was a little kid. You know, I did write my little screenplays and scripts when I was 13. It was terrible, utterly terrible when I look back on it! But it was something that just stuck with me, and I became engrossed, and I love films.

From Denzel Washington’s to Brad Pitt’s movies when I was young, I can quote movies left and right. And it’s just something that really resonated with me.

I used to work at Chase Bank after college. I was on the phone with a buddy of mine, and we’re talking about retirement. I was 22 years old, and we were literally talking about retiring. I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’d be 40 more years till we retire.’ And I’m 22 and I’m already talking about retirement because I just want to get out of the job that I had because I didn’t like it.

I was good at it, but I did not like it. I quit the next week, I moved to LA. I was like, I gotta do it because I’m already looking forward to basically my twilight years, and I have this whole middle chunk of my life that I haven’t even lived yet. So, at that moment, I was like: I had to be happy. If I fail and I fall on my face, it’ll be on my face.

You mentioned Denzel Washington. Is he the actor that inspired you the most in terms of the career that you want to follow?

I would say Denzel is probably on my Mount Rushmore of actors that I really look up to. Anthony Hopkins, who I just think is just otherworldly talented. And Will Smith. Daniel Kaluuya, I think is amazing. There are people that I look up to and draw inspiration from. Some of them are generations ahead of me. Comedic actors like Adam Sandler.

There’s just something about what he does that I can turn my mind off and just laugh at the senseless comedy that he just gives me ever since I was a teenager. Will Ferrell, I look at him and I laugh, it’s ridiculous. I just draw inspiration and entertainment from everybody.

Speaking of Will Ferrell, you’re in American Auto with his former costar on SNL, Ana Gasteyer. Do you get to do some improv with her on the show?

I do my best to keep up with Ana. She is so talented that most of my time and most of my scenes with her are with me trying not to laugh because she gives so much comedy, so much brilliance in everything. Things that you don’t even think could be funny because, I feel like, ‘Okay, I read the scene, it’s kind of straightforward, it’s just to give me information.’ But she will make it funny because she’s that skilled, that talented. So being with her is also an opportunity to learn just because she’s a delight to be around.

An actor’s life can be challenging. How did you keep going during lean times?

I don’t put a lot of weight on this career. I love it, and I’m blessed to have it, and I do not take it for granted. But my own inspiration in life, the best part of my life, is my daughter. So even in the leanest times, even in times where I may not be working as much, I’ll always have her.

She’s young, she’s not even one year, but it’s just opened up so many worlds, happiness, and possibilities. I just pour into her, and I feel like the way that I am focused on her and put energy into her, the world, universe, God, whatever it is, kind of finds its way to making sure that I’ll have enough to look after her. Because I’ll eat ramen noodles. Just enough to look after her. That’s what matters to me the most.