The next action hero just might be Cordell Broadus, Snoop Dogg’s agile son. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver — who burned up Philipp Plein’s runway last night along with his grandfather, Vernell Varnado, a k a Poppa Snoop — left the prestigious UCLA Bruins team to pursue entertainment interests.
“I’m just using fashion as a vehicle to open up more doors and opportunities for my entrepreneurialism further down the line,” the handsome 20-year-old told The Post backstage at the show. One of the top 20 recruits for his position, Broadus was resplendent in a pair of silky blue patterned shorts with a matching striped sweater, both part of the Joyrich collaboration that he designed this year to honor his father’s hip-hop style.
“I want to executive-produce and star in my own movies. I’m going to use modeling as a branding platform so people can see my face and see my brain,” continued Broadus, who also rocked the Dolce & Gabbana runway in June. “I want to make movies like Marvel, and I want to tell stories. I want to do a story on my grandfather and his life because he’s a Vietnam vet. He’s got tremendous stories and life experiences.”
His spry granddad, who appears in five scenes in the new Tupac movie, “All Eyez on Me,” caught Plein’s eye when he accompanied Broadus to the casting call a few days ago and ended up with a spot in the show. The former mail carrier posted a snap from the encounter on his Instagram, and it exploded.
“I came up here just to be his guardian angel, and all of a sudden I get 2,000 followers in two days,” Poppa said backstage, before slipping into his hip all-black Plein outfit with sneakers and sunglasses.
Broadus bared his chest on the catwalk in a black leather jacket worn open over damaged jeans. “It’s hard. I look like a rock star! I love it!” he said.
In a more serious moment, the athlete admitted it was difficult to quit the game he’s played since he was 6. “The hard part was telling my family,” said Broadus, whose rap legend dad founded a youth football league and chronicled his son’s achievements in an ESPN docu-series, “Snoop & Son: A Dad’s Dream.”
“At the end of the day, you want to make your family happy, but more importantly I came to find out you should put yourself first and your happiness is the No. 1 priority,” explained the pass catcher, who never took the field for the Bruins. Ever since I made my decision, I’ve been tremendously happy and my family has supported me the whole way. It was pretty hard for my dad, but he adjusted to it and he accepted me for who I am.”