August 2009 | blackfilm.com | SURROGATES | An Interview with Boris Kodjoe

August 2009

SURROGATES
| An Interview with Boris Kodjoe

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SURROGATES
An Interview with Boris Kodjoe
By Wilson Morales

September 23, 2009

Best known for his role as courier-turned-sports agent Damon Carter on the Showtime television drama 'Soul Food,' as well as his roles in a handful of African American films including 'Love and Basketball,' 'Brown Sugar,' 'The Gospel,' and 'Madea's Family Reunion,' Boris Kodjoe hasn't had that international film that should take his film career to another level.

That should change when the Vienna, Austria native, in probably his biggest exposure to date, will star alongside Bruce Willis in 'Surrogates,' which opens on Sept. 25.

Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others' surrogates. From there, Kodjoe will travel to Toronto to film 'Resident Evil: Afterlife,' the fourth film of the popular franchise that stars Milla Jovovich.At the same time, he still finds time to spend with his wife, actress Nicole Ari Parker and their children back home in Atlanta.

In speaking with Blackfilm.com, Kodjoe talked about his new role, his other projects, and the foundation he started his daughter.

What attracted you to this film?

Boris Kodjoe: If it's not on the script, then it's not on the screen. With this film, there was something I could be really involved with. We're living in a time where technology has slowly taken over, not only the human workforce but human communication. It's a dangerous prospect that interests me tremendously because if we stop communicating our relationships will break apart. That's a very critical aspect of trying to get family structures back and get relationships back on point. The movie is set in a time like today where we have technology that enables us to live vicariously through a robot , or "surrogate". Having discussions with people who feel that Blackberrys and cell phones and two-way pagers and video games aren't a big deal, I think they're tremendously disruptive when it comes to human interaction. That's one of the reasons why I won't let my kids play a bunch of video games because I feel I need them to develop there own thought processes and fantasy, make up stories and draw pictures. I think it's very timely.

How would you describe your character?

BK: Agent Stone comes from a military background. He's now the head of the FBI, been doing this a long time, and he's presented with a bunch of challenges. Bruce is his top dog, the guy he's known forever, but he's always had his own head, we've always butted heads. We're close but sometimes I have to pull on his leash a little bit. Stone's very structured and disciplined, at the same time he's presented with these challenges.

You play a character who's an FBI agent and happens to be Bruce Willis's boss. How was working with him on this film?

BK: Bruce is great! He's a tremendous actor, has been doing this a long time, and he's got it down pat. He knows his audience, he knows his tools, and he's a master at using them. It was great to just be in his presence and his energy and watch people interact with him because everyone is so in awe of him. It was great, he's a cool guy, fun dude, and we had a good time.

You've worked on sci-fi films before with 'Starship Troopers 3: Marauder'. Do you like the genre?

BK: 'Starship' was definitely a sci-fi movie, but 'Surrogates' is not as sci-fi as you might think. It's more of an action-thriller than anything else. But I find myself in these movies lately and that's not a bad direction! I'm about to start on 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' which sorta goes in that direction, more post-apocalyptic, but it has those kind of influences as well. It's interesting. There's a lot of CG and trickery, but it also presents a unique challenge because you have to act with a greenscreen and a lot of gadgetry. It's fun. I wasn't really a sci-fi or a Trekkie guy, I grew up completely different, but maybe it's something I'm interested in right now.

What's your role in 'Resident Evil?'

BK: I play the leader of the survivors in LA. Milla Jovovich's character, Alice, is roaming the world looking for survivors and she's wound up in LA, which has been burning for three years. She comes across an LA jail surrounded be these half-dead, uhh...

Zombies?

BK: Yeah, they're those monsters, what are they called, but anyway, she comes across the jail and there's a couple of survivors and she lands on top of the roof and partners up with me to fight the guys that are coming after them. We're trying to get all of the survivors out of the jail to safety. We're starting next week, actually.

With Milla back and Paul Anderson directing the movie do you know if any of the characters from the previous movies will be back as well?

BK: It's gonna be Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, I'm the new one, and Wentworth Miller is also in the movie, the lead in 'Prison Break.'

Is he playing another survivor?

BK: He's playing a guy that we actually locked up when we took over the jail because we weren't sure if he was one of them or not. He comes into play as we try to find a way to get out with our survivors.

How is your foundation that you started for your daughter going?

BK: We established a foundation last year in honor of Sophie, who was born with Spina Bifida. It's called the Sophie's Voice Foundation. We are trying to raise awareness about Spina Bifida to let people know that in this country alone there are 60 million women at risk of having a child with Spina Bifida, the most preventable birth defect in the word. It can be prevented if women would take their dose of folic acid every day. Folic acid is a B Vitamin obtainable either through pre-natals or CVS or any drug store, it's over-the-counter.We're raising awareness. We're also raising funds for research, as well as helping families who are affected with our family outreach programs. We just had a big fundraiser in New York last Monday.

Attendance was huge, it was an amazing event we had with Serena Williams, James Blake, Charles Barkley, Russel Simmons, Beverly Hilson, Gabrielle Union, and a whole bunch of other people showed up. So we continue to work, it's sort of become our mission. We devised a plan with which we can possibly eradicate Spina Bifida worldwide within ten years. We met with the head of the coalition at the White House, decided to enter into a partnership with them to make sure we can structure campaigns nationally to let people know not only what we're doing but how they can protect their women. It's really a female issue. When you're talking about pregnancy you're really talking to any woman of child-bearing age because 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. Really, as soon as you hit 12, 13 years old you should be given folic acid.

You did such a tremendous job last year in 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.' Any aspirations to do theater again?

BK: Oh thank you. It was the experience of my life. I don't know if you can ever top that. It was such a tremendous time I had with these amazing people. The adrenaline that comes up when you step on that stage. Just to work with James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad. Debbie Allen, Giancarlo Esposito, and Anika Noni Rose... it was a dream come true. It showed me also that I can do this. It's given me tremendous confidence. When you're in Hollywood people like to label you and put you in a corner. Let you play the handsome husband or boyfriend. It was a longshot for me to get offered other roles. I think that being on that stage I've proven to myself and others that I can hold my own. I would go back in a second and do another Broadway play. I just had a great time.

I recently saw an interview with Mo'Nique and she showed a highlight of her new reality TV show were you were on it. How did it feel to be one of the first guests on her show?

BK: It was fun. Mo'Nique is such an amazing person. She's so charming and exuberant. She's very excited with her life. Nicole and I went on there, it was funny. Really nice staging, the audience was great. I hope she's gonna do well with the show.

Do you have any plans to work with your wife anytime soon?

BK: Absolutely, I love working with my wife. She's an amazing actress, she's really gifted. Every time I get a chance to work with her it makes me better. We have a great time together. We have a project in development that's a romantic comedy we're gonna do together next year. She's doing "The Deep End" right now which is a new ABC series she's shooting with Billy Zane. So she's doing her thing, I'm very proud of her.

Do you have any plans to work with your wife anytime soon?

BK: Absolutely, I love working with my wife. She's an amazing actress, she's really gifted. Every time I get a chance to work with her it makes me better. We have a great time together. We have a project in development that's a romantic comedy we're gonna do together next year. She's doing "The Deep End" right now which is a new ABC series she's shooting with Billy Zane. So she's doing her thing, I'm very proud of her.

What's a good reason to see 'Surrogates?'

BK: A lot of action. It also asks a lot of questions. People are gonna definitely leave the theater having discussions about our world and what's gonna happen with technology getting out of hand. And you've got some great actors! Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, who was amazing with Denzel Washington in 'Man on Fire,' Rosamund Pike, the great Ving Rhames, and James Cromwell too who is incredible.

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