Thandie Newton (centre) stars in 'Run Fat Boy Run'. - Contributed Actress Thandie Newton tells Davina Morris about opportunities in Hollywood and wanting to slap Terrence Howard.
THANDIE Newton is an actress with real passion. Currently starring in Guy Ritchie's action comedy Rock N Rolla, the award-winning British talent plays Stella, a smart and sexy accountant who has ties to the criminal underworld of the property business. Playing a seductress seemed to come all too easily to the mother-of-two.
"I'm an actor and a performer, so I love to create characters," she said excitedly. "Acting is like my clay or my paint. I get to weld emotions and body language and dialogues to create an experience that's not me. Stella is very detached and that's not me at all. But I loved the experience of creating this character."
One wonders if Newton had any reservations about starring in Guy Ritchie's latest offering, which also features British actor Idris Elba and US rapper Ludacris. After all, the Snatch writer/director, who doubles up as Madonna's hubby, has been slated in the past for a few film flops.
making movies
"No, not at all. I really admire writers and director like him, who make movies all the time. They don't make a movie and then wait to see who likes it. They just keep on making movies because that's what they love to do. A film is never gonna be everyone's cup of tea. I've been in movies that didn't do anything, but I still get stopped on the street by people who tell me that those movies meant so much to them. Also, undertaking roles has never been a tactical thing with me.
"Before I did (United States TV drama) ER, my reps were saying, 'Don't do that, it's TV. You don't want people thinking you're a TV actress.' But I was like ... , I like the storyline!"
Newton was similarly strong-willed some time back when an agent told her that her mixed heritage would make her perfect for a particular role. Trouble was, said agent was quite un-PC about it.
conversation
Newton recalls the conversation: "I remember her saying." She breaks into an American 'showbiz' accent. "Yeah, I think this role would be great for you coz they wanna go ethnic.' I was like, 'Ethnic? What does that mean?' I didn't work with her in the end!"
She continues, "I get it; that's their shorthand for 'not white'. And sometimes I'll see scripts and I'll know that I probably got it because they were looking for someone of colour. It'll be like, in order to play Denzel Washington's girlfriend, I guess you've got to be black."
Still, Newton feels that casting in Hollywood is less about race and more about money.
"Ultimately, if an actor has a big fanbase, they can take the lead role in anything. Honest to God, all the movie-makers really want is money. If Halle Berry is the new big thing, she'll get the role. There isn't this big hidden conspiracy against 'ethnics'. It's just about playing the game. It's like - Halle Berry's in, the door is open for the rest of us, let's go!"
Does Newton feel that her mixed heritage (her mum is from Zimbabwe and her dad is English) has allowed her to play a wider variety of roles?
race
"I have no idea," she says. "I've done some really good films, many of which weren't about race.
"Mission Impossible, Run Fat Boy Run, Rock N Rolla, none of my characters in those films were race-specific. But I do feel proud to be part of a movement that paves the way for other actors of colour."
Hearing Newton's enthusiasm suddenly sparked flashbacks of my recent interview with her Crash co-star, Terrence Howard, who also seemed to have a genuine love for his art. But passion aside, Howard came across as a bit of a fruit loop (in an endearing kind of way), with his constant analogies and unusual thought processes. Was it just me or is Howard really complex?"
'Oh yeah, he is very complex, Newton confirmed. "And he kind of works on that, in a way. I think he wants to be complex. Before we did Crash, I had never heard of him and I hadn't seen anything he'd done. I was actually a bit disappointed because his character was supposed to be played by Forest Whitaker. But once I met him and we started working together, it was like, 'Oh! wow.' It was great."
guitar
"The first time I met him, he was actually playing a guitar. He was like, 'I don't feel really able to say what I wanna say, meeting you for the first time, so I just want to sing you this.
Wow. How, erm, sweet?
"No, babe, I was thinking: What am I supposed to do? I was standing up and the song went on for a while so in my mind, I was like, OK, maybe I should sit down. But it was quite beautiful.'"
"He's definitely not in any type of box. He's really doing his own thing. But, sometimes I wanna slap him a bit! What was that thing in the press about him allegedly saying that women should wipe themselves with baby wipes after they ... ."
Did you read about that? "Yes, I do recall the story that quoted Howard as saying that a woman couldn't be "completely clean" if she only used toilet paper and not baby wipes after using the loo. Newton laughed. "When I heard about that, I thought, come on, Terrence!"
Still, it was her role alongside 'complex' Howard in Oscar Award-winning Crash that earned her a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress.
presidency
Newton will next be seen playing United States Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, in the forthcoming Oliver Stone movie, W. Due for release in October, the film is based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush.
" It was an amazing experience," she says of playing the high-ranking government official. "I worked myself to the bone on that one. I was grateful for that opportunity because it allowed me to realise that I am a character actress. Enough of playing the girlfriend or the wife of so and so. I was bored with that. So it was great to get stuck into such a great character role."
Rock N Rolla is in cinemas now on Warner Brothers.
