Drake got his start as an actor, co-starring in an iteration of the perma-present and ever-popular Degrassi franchise. But ever since he made the successful (and then some) switch to the music business, the erstwhile Jimmy has only done the occasional drop-in for an Anchorman movie and/or Saturday Night Live hosting stint (basically, anything Will Ferrell ever worked on). Even his latest album, Views, was only accompanied by a video for “Child’s Play.” Now it looks like one of the reasons he’s abstained from appearing onscreen is because he’s been putting together his own short film. Please Forgive Me stars Drake in a 23-minute story that’s equal parts Taken, Indecent Proposal, and The Bourne Identity. Apple Music has the exclusive, and a trailer:
The short was directed by Anthony Mandler, who’s worked on multiple Drake videos, including “Fancy,” as well as helmed some for Jay Z, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj. Shot in Johannesburg, Please Forgive Me stars Drake, his “One Dance” collaborator Kyla Reid, Fanny Neguesha (as his love interest), and Soni Chidiebere. The Canadian artist has been hinting at this video release for some time; he recently posted then deleted a heads-up from his Instagram account. The wait for this “visual companion” to Views hasn’t been anywhere near as protracted one ahead of his album’s release, so perhaps Drizzy’s learned his lesson. The entire sexy, action-packed adventure was originally scheduled to drop September 30, but is now on Apple Music.