New Delhi, British star Himesh Patel says he draws inspiration from artists like Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel for opening doors for actors of South Asian descent in cinema but the work of representation is far from done and he has set high standards for himself.
Patel started his journey with a role on the long-running British soap opera “EastEnders” and then shot to fame with Danny Boyle’s 2019 movie “Yesterday”. Since then, he has been part of diverse projects like Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi film “Tenet”, Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up”, dystopian series “Station Eleven” and now dark comedy “Greedy People”.
Growing up in the UK to Indian parents, Patel said it was only when he started working as an actor that he was exposed him to the barriers South Asian artistes face and that deepened his understanding of the challenges that lie ahead of him
“The feeling of like wanting to see yourself and not seeing yourself as much, I think I was perhaps only subconsciously aware of it when I was growing up. I was lucky I started acting when I was very young.
“It was when I started professionally working and I was working with other South Asian actors who had struggled to get to where they were, that I realized the battle that we kind of have,” Patel told PTI in a virtual interview.
The actor said he is proud to be part of a generation that’s changing the conversation.
Patel is optimistic about making further strides when it comes to inclusivity and diversity after seeing the careers of Ahmed and Dev Patel.
“Riz is a great example and Dev for me, he was a spearhead of everything that’s happened over the last many years. I feel ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ was a real turning point and then the career he’s built off the back of that has been a real sort of calling card. It sets a bar.
“I take a lot of encouragement and I try to follow the example of people like that. I just think the only way I can navigate it is to set my bar high. I think we have to value ourselves highly and then we can get to where we need to get to,” he added.
Patel said another welcome change in the industry is that actors of colour are being roped in for parts that were earlier played by white actors.
In his career, Patel has managed to essay varied characters, be it his role as Jack Malik from “Yesterday”, Phillip Kaj from “Don’t Look Up” or even his cameo appearance as Dr John Watson in “Enola Holmes 2”.
“In terms of actors like myself and other actors of colour, being considered for roles that would otherwise have just gone to a white actor, I think that’s a positive thing.
“I’m glad that casting directors and filmmakers are willing to cast their net wide. A role may have been, I guess, written ostensibly as a white character, but if they are then willing to go that this is just a character, let’s cast on that wide and whoever ends up being the right person for the role will play it, I think that’s a very positive thing to do.”
Patel’s latest film is “Greedy People”, a darkly comedic crime thriller from Potsy Ponciroli.
In the movie, set to premiere on Lionsgate Play on Friday, the actor features alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lily James, his co-star from “Yesterday”.
There were a lot of different factors, Patel said, that made him say yes to the movie, starting from its script, which the actor found quite interesting.
“It leads to a really thrilling climax. I thought the character was really interesting, his sort of contradictions and moral ethical position,” said the actor, who plays the role of Will Shelley, a rookie cop.
“And then, of course, I knew that Lily James was attached, we’ve worked together before, I had a great time. So I was happy to sort of dive into something very different with her,” he added.
Set in a small island town, “Greedy People” follows rookie cop Will and his reckless partner Terry after they stumble upon million dollars at a crime scene they inadvertently create.
Their decision to steal the money triggers chaos, drawing in various quirky townsfolk, Will’s pregnant wife , a shrimp business owner and a masseur, all driven by greed.
After reading the story of “Greedy People”, his initial reaction was why does everyone keep making the worst decision possible at every given opportunity?
“I had to find the reasons why. I think what made it such a strong script for me was that it made sense. Everyone’s decisions made sense. It wasn’t anything that was done for the sake of escalating the story.
“It was kind of frustrating to read and go, ‘I just made the right decision.’ But at the same time, it made sense to me and it made my life sort of a bit easier as an actor to get into it,” he added.
Asked what is his greed as an actor, Patel said he always wants to play a “character of substance”.
“I like to have a great part in whatever I’m doing to dig into. So far I’ve been lucky enough to have a good amount of that, especially since I did ‘Yesterday’. I’ve had some really great leading roles to dive into. I’m maybe a little bit greedy with that but also I like to pop in and do not so big roles in other stuff because I know that it’s a great thing to be a part of,” he added.
“Greedy People” also features Simon Rex, Tim Blake Nelson, Joey Lauren Adams, Uzo Aduba, Jose María Yazpik and Jim Gaffigan.
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