While studying at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies as a performing and visual arts major, Shaffer Smith 
learned that it’s okay to be different. Today, 29-year-old Ne-Yo – Shaffer was renamed after Matrix movie character Neo – doesn’t need to be concerned at all about being different. He appears to be quite comfortable in his role as a three-time Grammy-award winning singer/songwriter, actor and record producer.
Ne-Yo has accepted his fourth acting gig, being part of the cast of George Lucas “Red Tails” – a film about the World War II Tuskegee pilots. Yes, it’s that George Lucas and it’s those Tuskegee pilots.
This will also be the feature film directorial debut for Anthony Hemingway. In addition to Ne-Yo, the ensemble cast includes Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Nate Parker and Method Man.
Vegas Backstage Access (VBA) 