Djimon Hounsou has appeared in music videos for songs by Paula Abdul and Madonna. He’s been nominated for two Academy Awards. He’s been a major presence in hit movies ranging from “Gladiator” to “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
After 30 years in the business, and with a range of experiences that also includes stints as a model, it might seem like Hounsou wouldn’t be especially excited about co-starring in yet another aspiring summer action blockbuster like Guy Ritchie’s “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.”
But you’d be wrong.
amNewYork spoke with the 53-year-old native of the Republic of Dahomey (now Benin), in Africa, about playing Sir Bedivere in Ritchie’s revisionist, hard rock take on the legend.
What was appealing about stepping into Guy Ritchie’s universe?
Well, it’s an exciting feeling, being asked to be part of that world. Certainly it’s a world in which my kind didn’t exist, really. Certainly having me play Bedivere in this telling is quite gratifying in the sense that with what’s going on around the world today, any of us can identify with the modern tone of this story.
How do you find your own take on a famed mythological character like this?
I voted to wipe the slate clean, in the sense that even the previous takes, my kind didn’t exist in those previous takes. And also given the fact that this is a fictional story, a fictional tale, and it was not founded on any basic [existing] story. So therefore, I felt free. As a matter of fact, it resembled more many kings within the African kingdom. That story resembled so many other kings from Africa, so to me the relatable story was more from my background.
Given the filmmaker’s affection for rapid cutting and lots of kinetic effects, did you have to change your acting approach?
As an actor, it really doesn’t change too much about your delivery. But the one thing that’s important is to be mindful of the scope of your environment. When we’re talking about this giant [CGI] elephant, how giant is the elephant. All that is relative; that’s very difficult to get your head around. Obviously, that would be the only thing that you’re missing here. As far as performance, I think the performance should be as dynamic as any other portrayal.
As a non-white actor who has achieved considerable success for a long period of time, what’s your take on how things are as a whole for minority actors in Hollywood?
When we’re making comments about a situation, we have to be grateful for the various stages. Meaning, my own stage in life now, I have to be thankful for something. But that said, there’s still so much for us to leverage [for] minorities in movies. There’s still so much for us to accomplish in that arena. To speak of equality with the white world, obviously we still have some ground to cover. But, it’s moving slowly towards that direction. Certainly when you look at the past Oscars [with “Moonlight” winning Best Picture], [it] was reflective of how careless they were about minorities. … They’re conscious of that more and more now and trying to redeem that aspect of the industry.
