Forest for Nollywood

With a career spanning over two decades, Forest Whitaker has appeared in over 50 films including the Christopher Reeve directed animated movie, ‘Everybody’s Hero’ and the true life drama ‘The Great Debaters’ alongside fellow Oscar winner, Denzel Washington.

Now the Academy award winner says he is enthusiastic about working with Nigerian filmmakers.The ‘Last King of Scotland’ actor spoke at a private dinner, in Ikeja, Lagos, about his Nollywood intentions and his successful film career:

Q: At the African Movie Academy Awards press conference, you expressed your intention to work with Nigerian filmmakers. How soon do you intend to begin these collaborations?
A: I haven’t had the opportunities as yet to know any of the filmmakers. Hopefully, I’ll get to know some at the [AMAA] show. I’m really excited about being able to work here with filmmakers from here. I’m reaching to find people I would want to work together with. I’m watching a lot of the films. I’ve seen quite a few.

Q: Are there any Nigerian directors that you want to work with specifically?
A: I saw quite a few Nigerian films while I was in Uganda because that’s what they were watching mostly, and I was hanging out in their homes and being with them. I would say those are the type of films that they watch the most in Uganda.I didn’t get a sense of the filmmakers. It was more about the stories which were mostly very dramatic personal tales with some sense of spirituality in them.They were very similar so I couldn’t differentiate the filmmakers as well as I would like.

Q: About your own films...’Last King of Scotland’ could be described as a role of a lifetime. Do you agree?
A: I think it’s a really special role to play. I think I’m really fortunate to have played a character [that] is so complicated, and full of so many layers, and represented some very important things that had to be looked at.

But I’ve been fortunate. I get to play really interesting characters. That character [Idi Amin] was bigger than life and so really stands out for most people. When I was younger the roles I played in ‘Bird’ and even ‘Ghost Dog’, I felt a really strong connection with the character.It’s just being true to every character I play. They are all the same in some ways - they are completely different but I’m just searching for the truth in each one.

Q: Is there any role that you absolutely want to play?
A: I’m developing a few things. I think in about a year I’ll be playing Louis Armstrong. That should be interesting.

Q: You learned to play the saxophone for ‘Bird’...
A: When I was doing ‘Bird’ I could play. If you give me a sax now...it’s been so long and I haven’t been playing... I could play a little bit of ‘Lover Man’ and songs that I’ve played a million times, but I probably wouldn’t play as well [as before].

Q: Okay, because I was going to ask you if, apart from playing musicians, you would consider singing?
A: [Laughs] I think some of my projects would get me to do that, but I don’t know if I would just sign on and start doing a singing tour around the country. No, I don’t think I would.

Q: Are you working on directing any other movies?
A: I’m thinking about one I’ve been developing called ‘Better Angels’ which is about children soldiers. I’m gonna [sic] direct that. I’m working on ‘What a Wonderful World’ which is the Louis Armstrong piece. It’s just a question of finding good scripts and good material.