When Tyler Perry’s “Straw” premieres on Netflix, it will mark Sinbad’s triumphant return to the screen five years after he suffered a stroke.
In the thriller debuting on Friday, June 6, starring Taraji P. Henson as a single mother named Janiyah who is desperately trying to help her sick child, Sinbad (real name David Adkins), plays Benny, an elderly neighbor of Janiyah’s. The star-studded cast also includes Teyana Taylor, Sherri Shepherd, Glynn Turman, and Rockmond Dunbar.
While on the red carpet for a screening of the film in New York on Tuesday, Perry praised the 68-year-old actor and his performance amid such a “really difficult” health journey.
“It’s so important to me, as a man, that men want to support and take care of their families,” the 55-year-old director told Entertainment Tonight. “I know it’s been really difficult for him, so to give him this opportunity made me feel amazing. I’m really excited for him. And he delivered.”
In October of 2020, Sinbad suffered an ischemic stroke after a blood clot traveled from his heart to his brain; his family shared in an update two years later. In the aftermath, the comedian and actor was left needing intense and costly physical, occupational, and speech therapy.
Two years later, in 2024, Sinbad, known for films like “House Guest,” “The First Kid,” and starring in classic sitcoms like “A Different World,” made his first public appearance following the stroke when he virtually joined the first stop of the “A Different World” HBCU tour in Atlanta. Reflecting on the moment later in an Instagram post, he thanked his followers and fans for the support.
“Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and saying good things and supporting me during this time in my life, it means a lot to me,” he said. “When I hear from y’all, and you tell me ‘Sinbad keep going’ and ‘Sinbad we’re sending prayers […] my family praying for you.’ Those words are important, and I feel it. I feel those prayers.”
Before the actor concluded, he made a special promise to his fans.
“Expect to see more of me soon, and don’t freak out if you turn around and I’m standing right behind you. ‘Sinbad, I can’t believe you’re here!’ You can’t believe it? You better believe it. Miracles happen,” he concluded.
