Remember C.J. from 'House of Payne'? He stepped away from acting after his mother's death

Allen Payne is an actor better known for his role as C.J on Tyler Perry's “House of Payne” television series. Even though he was constantly taking on roles since his debut on screen in 1988, Allen took a break after he suffered the loss of his mother

Celebritist learned from an interview the handsome actor did for the Black Doctor website the real reason behind his absence from the screen after the last season of “House of Payne” back in 2012. As it turns out Allen had a really good reason to step away from the spotlight, as he needed some time for himself.

The now 49-years-old actor loss his mother a few years ago, and he confessed that besides the normal grieving that he had to endure, he also took that opportunity to reflect about his life and career, saying:

“After my mother died, I stepped away from acting. I chose to look inward and find myself, and I think that’s important when you’re an actor. You spend so much time trying to work and being interpreted by fans, executives and people in Hollywood, that you can lose a sense of yourself. You’ve got to get back to that.”

Allen started his career back in the ‘80s with several small roles, but his big debut came when he was cast as Lance Rodman, Charmaine's boyfriend on the sitcom “The Cosby Show.” Later, he also made appearances on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Malcolm & Eddie.”

Payne also starred in several films alongside big names of the industry like Jada Pinkett-Smith, Chris Rock, Ice-T and more, and he always made his characters shine no matter the number of lines he had on screen.

The actor has chosen to maintain his private life away from the spotlight, so he doesn’t have any social media accounts where his fans can gush about his handsome face or his acting talent, but now he’s back on screen this year thanks to the reboot of “House of Payne,” OWN’s series “The Paynes,” where he’s reprising his role as C.J.

When asked about his future and what his ultimate goal is, Allen stated:

“I’m going to do my part and just try to leave a legacy of a brother who worked hard, who understood who he was and spend a lot of time trying to help others reach that same point in their lives.”

Time can heal anything, and since Payne is now back to work, we’re sure he was able to find whatever he was looking for when he took a break from television.

Are you currently watching “The Paynes”?