Working at BBC, at the head of one of the top dramas, is a tradition for great actors.
In ‘Pacific Rim’ I had to have a haircut I wouldn’t usually rock. However, the moustache I had in the film – that might have to come out again. It was a good moustache. Good times.
When I look at my body of work, I’ve played a lot of characters who are morally conflicted – ‘I’m right, no I’m wrong, I don’t know what to do!’ I want to play more characters who don’t care as much, and who aren’t as measured. They are what they are, no apologies.
The adrenaline feeling of jumping out of cliffs and bikes and all of that is very specific to the film. In ‘Pac Rim’ I’m not doing that so much. There isn’t that touch stonework for me in it, but there is a lot of action.
Imagine a film such as Inception with an entire cast of black people – do you think it would be successful? Would people watch it? But no one questions the fact that everyone’s white. That’s what we have to change.
I’ve been DJing mostly, and most DJs end up producing. That’s just me.
I’m not interested in making all-black films – I come from a very diverse culture; I want to work with every type of person. I work a lot with women executives because they seem to be a lot more open minded about that and a lot more progressive in that way.
I was cast in ‘Thor’ and I’m cast as a Nordic god. If you know anything about the Nords, they don’t look like me but there you go. I think that’s a sign of the times for the future. I think we will see multi-level casting. I think we will see that, and I think that’s good.
I want to go to Sierra Leone with something – whether it’s some sort of contribution to healthcare, or to the entertainment industry. My cousin is a nurse; we are talking about opening a clinic.
I did a rendition of ‘Billie Jean’ which is on my Soundcloud. I put it on Twitter, and it got about 3000 hits that day.
Every leading lady I work with, I’ll see if I can get a song out of them and put it on an album.
Apparently, Daniel Craig said I’d be a great Bond. Daniel, why did you say that? Dropped me right in it! What an honor it would be, but also, what an indication of change.
Actors tend to not know how their performances are going to actually be used. Even though the script says one thing, in the edit, it can be something else.
Being able to work with Ridley Scott on this film is like being able to play on the Olympic team for actors.
I would never be fearful of any character.
I’m not a popular actor. I don’t necessarily want to be famous. I want to be known for great work. I want to be known to surprise audiences.
What I like about their films is that you actually feel the momentum of whatever they’re shooting. So, if someone’s falling out a window, it gives the opportunity to show what that might feel like.
I wasn’t bad at school, but I was never a bookworm.
I find that a lot of actors who are good and open to challenges have lived a full life. When you walk into an audition, you have more to say for yourself because you come from the real world. It’s more enticing for directors, I think.
Africans, we hold on to our youths and whip them into shape.