Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje has always found ways to captivate TV and film audiences. For the past 20 years, Adewale has appeared in TV series such as “Oz,” “Lost,” and “Monk” and films suc as Thor: The Dark World, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and The Bourne Identity.
Adewale returns to the big screen with the new film, Pompeii. He recently spoke with rolling out about his latest venture.
With Pompeii, what were some of the things that attracted you to this script?
There are two things I look for with a script. What is the story and the plot? If I like those two elements, then it’s an easy decision for me. In this case, it was this heroic, iconic character that Julian Fellowes had written called, Atticus. He was the champion gladiator at the time of Pompeii. When I read the script, I had been doing this long enough to know that characters like this do not come a long everyday with iconic status, heroic elements and layered with humor, spirituality but also fierceness. It was a no brainer for me. I knew it was something I would enjoy playing and I knew the audience, particularly African Americans, would really resonate because it’s such a strong character in the face of adversity.
How do the themes of war and love play a part in this film?
With Milo, it’s both revenge for his family and fighting for the new love that he has now found. My character, Atticus, who has been torn away from his family, it’s a fight to get back to them. In those days, there was a Roman law that enabled a gladiator freedom if he won a certain number of fights. Atticus is one fight away from winning his freedom and becoming a true man, a free man, and then hopefully try and find his family again. Hope is what keeps him alive in the arena. I think it pulls on the strings of the audience. I think it’s a very compelling back-story to have while you’re displaying all of these people in the arena. You know why he is so vicious. He wants to get back to his family and return to the life that was taken from him.
What will audiences get from this film?
How do you face life when you know life is about to end? How do you face death? Do you run? Do you coward? Do you cradle your loved ones? Or, do you face it and embrace it with dignity? All of these questions are poised with this film. I think the biggest impact I would like to leave with the audience is just the power and the courage of this man who was enslaved but was still free in his spirit.
