Shoot your shot? Boris Kodjoe reveals telling Nicole Ari Parker he’d marry her, while she was still engaged to another man

From co-workers to soulmates, Kodjoe reveals how he knew his now wife of 20-plus years was the one.

Boris Kodjoe had an inkling about Nicole Ari Parker, long before he ever popped the question.

During a chat with Kenny Burns for “The Kenny Burns Show,” the 53-year-old actor detailed how he and Parker went from being co-workers on the set of Showtime’s “Soul Food” to a longstanding couple who’ve now been married for over 20 years.

“We met at the table read on the first episode, and she gave me a hug. And she was super sweet, great heart. Right away, I knew that she was going to be in my life. I didn’t know in what capacity,” Kodjoe began around the 14:30-minute mark. “This was my first job. She helped me break down the script. She helped me translate the script, ’cause at the time I still was going back and forth. She taught me everything about the different colloquialisms and how to stress certain words because it’s a different culture.”

On set, Kodjoe played Damon to Parker’s Teri, ultimately landing the role after using one of his modeling photos as an impromptu headshot. Now, Damon was not a character in the 1997 film starring Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox and Nia Long, he soon became a beloved member of the “Soul Food” universe due to his new relationship with Teri. The chemistry between Parker and Kodjoe was evident, especially given that it was one of Kodjoe’s earliest roles.

What initially began as a three-episode arc between the two characters evolved into a four-season romance. Kodjoe left the show after season four but returned as a recurring character in the show’s fifth and final season.

“We were friends and we were working together. Clearly, it was chemistry and everybody realized and noticed that, even the crew,” Kodjoe reflected before revealing the big joker.

“At the end of the first season, I think it was. I went to her trailer one day and I said, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know that one day we’re going to be married with two kids.’ And I closed the door.”

Now, Parker was already in a relationship with fellow actor Joseph Falasca. The pair eloped in 2001 and divorced later that year, but the mere notion that Kodjoe would shoot his shot in that manner upset her. And Kodjoe knew it.

“She was mad. She was mad for two weeks. Wouldn’t talk to me because she thought it was so disrespectful,” Kodjoe told Burns. “She was engaged at the time… Listen, when a man knows, a man knows. I just knew. I felt it. I knew it. She was going to be my wife. I knew it. And it was nothing going on besides us working together.”

He added, “Just her spirit. She’s beautiful. And by, ‘She’s beautiful,’ she’s not just fine. She’s beautiful. So it was overwhelming for me, and I was just in love with her.”

Now we’re curious, did Nicole know Boris was in TLC’s “Red Light Special” video or no?