You might not be able to pronounce “Chiwetel Ejiofor” right now. It’s just a matter of time before you will, though — because it seems destined to become a household name.
Some actors have highs and lows, perhaps an early success followed by years of obscure struggle. Mr. Ejiofor’s star, on the other hand, just keeps steadily rising. The British actor, 33, started his career on the London stage, where in 2000 he collected outstanding newcomer awards from the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards.
He had his first high-profile lead movie role just two years later, in “Dirty Pretty Things,” for which he won best actor at the British Independent Film Awards. Since then, he’s collected more nods and trophies: two Golden Globe nominations — one last year for the HBO miniseries “Tsunami: The Aftermath” and in 2005 for the feature film “Kinky Boots” — along with a best supporting actor Independent Spirit Award for last year’s “Talk to Me.”
After important supporting performances in such acclaimed films as “American Gangster,” “Children of Men” and “Inside Man,” he’s back in a starring role. In David Mamet’s latest film “Redbelt,” opening in theaters today, Mr. Ejiofor plays Mike Terry, a California mixed martial arts instructor who, through some typically Mametian cons involving a famous actor, is forced to compete in a championship fight.
Despite the cons, the film is a bit of a departure for Mr. Mamet. It’s a bit less cerebral and less talky than his earlier work. The writer-director has taken on a new milieu and come up with what might just be his most mainstream movie yet.
“It’s just very personal for him. It’s two things he knows and is passionate about — jujitsu which he’s trained in for five years, and Hollywood or movies and the movie world,” says Mr. Ejiofor, who was a fan of the director before he turned from the stage to the screen. “It always felt before that he had a kind of distance and observation. This was very much inside him.”
Of course, “Redbelt” seems very much a departure for Mr. Ejiofor himself. The Englishman who made his name mostly through his Shakespearean roles is headlining an American fight film.
He may be best known on this side of the pond for playing real-life roles — such as Huey Lucas, the younger brother of drug kingpin Frank Lucas in “American Gangster,” and former D.C. radio executive Dewey Hughes in “Talk to Me” — but the London-born son of a Nigerian doctor and pharmacist says it’s the Bard who gave him the acting bug.
Like most 14-year-olds, Mr. Ejiofor was forced to read Shakespeare in school. “It was brutal, and I didn’t get it and I was thoroughly fed up with it. Then there was a passage in ’Henry IV Part I’ … A young guy lost in his own world and wondering when life was supposed to start and if he was ready for it all. For some reason, it completely struck a chord,” he recalls. “I was running around claiming that I’d discovered this incredible writer called Shakespeare.”
He quickly went from reading to performing the plays.
“The language and attention to detail is so beautiful and poetic and heartfelt and subtle and fascinating that it’s a real privilege to be doing it so many years after,” Mr. Ejiofor says. “In some ways, I could trace everything I have and everything that’s happened in my life — I’ve been incredibly fortunate — back to this discovery of this writer. So, for me, it’s always a big deal to do Shakespeare.”
The engaging, intelligent actor doesn’t have a preference when it comes to deciding between theater and film work. “It’s exciting to be able to dive into different things and different ways of exploring the art form,” Mr. Ejiofor says.
Yet it’s clear that the genre that gave him his start holds a special place in his heart.
With theater, Mr. Ejiofor says, “There’s a strong sense of unity. You get to work very closely with people, whereas in film, people are more isolated. There’s less time for everything. On the whole, it’s a more pleasurable experience to do theater.”
Film, he adds, “is a more intellectual process, it’s putting things together piece by piece and analyzing every piece to make sure it fits when you put it all together.”
That’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy making films. “There’s nothing as good as working with incredibly talented, creative artists and being able to work alongside them,” he says. “Everyone works in different ways, but everybody is incredibly passionate and detailed. It’s a way that I like to work. And then it’s exhilarating and exciting to work with people like Woody Allen and Spike Lee because they’re people who I had as childhood heroes, and David [Mamet] as well.”
He may be a quickly rising star, but he doesn’t have the attitude of one. He laughs, “There’s the excited fan in me that’s just thrilled to be there.”
Second GI Film Fest set
There are plenty of ways to honor the troops — wear a yellow ribbon, send care packages abroad, donate to a relevant charity. The organizers of the GI Film Festival have found a particularly creative way. Launched last year, it proved successful enough to become an annual event. This year’s five-day festival, taking place at the Carnegie Institute in Northwest , starts Wednesday.
Some films are new, while others are old favorites. All have something to say about those who have fought for our country. One of last year’s premieres, “Operation Homecoming,” went on to garner an Oscar nomination for best documentary.
It wouldn’t be a film festival without celebrity appearances. The GI Film Festival has Gary Sinise, Jon Voight and James Franco.
For more information, visit the festival’s Web site at gifilmfestival.com.
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