Chiwetel Ejiofor doesn’t Google himself. Not really a vanity searcher, he says.
If he were, he’d find that fans of the stage and movies meet online to herald him as one of the most versatile actors of his time. And for a 33-year-old actor who’s just starting to break out and take commanding, leading roles, that’s some pretty high praise.
In town recently to promote his new film, Ejiofor chatted about his role of martial arts instructor Mike Terry in “Redbelt,” which opens Friday, his dream role and why in spite of his growing success in film, he’ll always love being on the stage.
What made you want to be a part of “Redbelt”?
I have a great respect for [director] David Mamet’s work in the past. And I’d grown up with his work. I was very aware of his work when I was a teenager. In fact, he’s the only person that I’ve ever worked with that I studied. I’d written essays about some of his plays. I thought he was terrific; I’d watched a few of his films. So right from the start, I was keen to read it. … I thought it was an incredible character and an extraordinary story and absolutely something that was a complete surprise.
Surprise? In what way?
I remember just being midway through the story and having no idea what’s going to happen in this film. I had no concept. That’s sort of rare, and I was thrilled about it.
What does it take for you to say yes to a project?
I think it’s the same thing that makes everybody else say yes. If it’s a strong concept. I enjoy reading scripts that are a story. And I like it when there’s a concept and a character. I’m thrilled if there’s stuff in it that I haven’t been aware of before or I haven’t seen before or I just don’t know about.
What is it that you want people to take away from “Redbelt”?
I think it’s one of those films that’s constantly surprising. I think it creates a sort of slightly new genre of American samurai. … It deals with contemporary culture. Yet there’s something old-fashioned about it. It’s kind of classic. It’s a real screenplay. It has got so many different elements to it in terms of the writing. It has got an incredible story and plot. I think it’s incredibly directed and beautifully shot. It delivers on all these elements of the film narrative, which I think is very exciting. It’s a film that fills you. I’ve found it very satisfying as a film. There’s a lot there.
