Steve McQueen’s latest anthology series features stories about the West Indian experience in London, highlighting themes of racism and discrimination . The fourth film in the five part series, Alex Wheatle, specifically highlights the adolescent years of author Alex Wheatle and his transformative experience after being jailed for participating in the 1981 Brixton Riot. Newcomer, Sheyi Cole, plays Alex in the film and hadn’t even completed his four year program when he received the call to play the films lead. I sat down to talk with him on his experience with McQueen and Wheatle, and alternate career paths. If he wasn’t already a stellar actor of course. Check the full interview with Sheyi below.
This was your first role out the gate – you hadn’t even graduated from your acting school – most people would’ve been too afraid to even audition for such a big role. What made you go get it?
I wasn’t afraid ya know? I think whats lovely is that I’ve been apart of schemes prior to drama school that have really built my confidence. A scheme called Open Door which is a UK scheme that allows people from working class background families, to audition for drama school and give them help to get into drama school. So the mentorship that we got from their really ignited a confidence in me that things are possible and things are accessible for people like myself, from working class backgrounds. To get the role and audition, obviously there are some daunting – you do have doubts that come into your head, but at the end of the day I think, I never went into the room to get the role, I think I went into the room to form relationships…because at the end of the day like this industry, you never just get, sometimes you don’t get roles for years or you might meet a casting director three years down the line, but because you’ve established a great relationship with them, they remember you and bring you in the room for another role and that’s what I went into the room doing. Just making good relationship, a good connection and hopefully something nice will come from it.
What did it feel like to book a leading role in a Steve McQueen movie at that time?
I was excited, I was beaming, beaming. I remember [I was] in my room screaming and I ran to my mates house, he was like five minutes down the road and then we celebrated. But after that initial excitement, then it’s like ok, now it’s time to work. So, that did – obviously you would be slightly frightened. I’ve been literally – you know – dropped into the industry head on, there was no easing into it, but I was up for the challenge and…I’m a God fearing man so a lot of prayer and I put my faith in God and I was like “you know what, it was his plan, so he wouldn’t have given me this opportunity if i wasn’t ready for it.
What was your favorite experience while working with Steve McQueen?
I think, probably the Brixton riot scene with Steve was great. He’s such a hands on director as well, so he would come up to us before takes and he would really be like “No you got this”, you know really encourage us. And it was the first time we had a lot of supporting artists on set as well. We had the car set on fire, it was probably the most high scale I had seen at that moment in time, so it was great.
Biographical movies are usually made about the artist after they’ve passed. Alex Wheatle is very much so still alive – did this add pressure to your portrayal of him? What was the best part of having him around?
Getting to talk to him about his music taste. I‘m in love with music so he really educated me on new artists…that was great. Also its such a plus to have the person still here, because if you have any worries or queries you can always just contact him. And because he was just so open, so loving, it was really easy to do so. So I’m actually really really grateful. Of course it has an added pressure because you want to do a good job. But he’s the most lovely person, I felt really honored for him to still be here.
What was the best piece of advice you received either from either Alex or Steve?
I think it would have been me and my co-star, Elliot Edusah, we had a scene and it was a very short scene and we had rehearsed it quite a few times, and when we got to doing it we thought “Oh we’ll just do it in two takes”. We didn’t do it in two takes, it took like 28 takes later, and after he came up to us and said “I don’t want you to rehearse, don’t rehearse anymore”, and we’re like “Whoa”. He says “Cause if you’re rehearsing, it becomes too polished. Real life and real experiences, they’re not clean.” So he was like “Bring that mess, bring that mess, bring that excitement because then you can now surprise yourself as an actor and that’s when audiences are really captivated.”
The movie talks about police brutality and a community of people not feeling wanted in a country they call home – which is a very familiar theme for Blacks in the US – do Black youth in the UK feel this same reality?
I would say yes, I would say it’s different, but a lot of us still live in fear. Myself, when I see a police van across the road, I tense up. I don’t know what they’re going to do, I don’t know if they’re going to stop and search me. I also feel stop and searches are a big thing in the UK as well. And that in itself always get us as black youths on edge. Especially when we know we’ve done nothing wrong. And it’s like I might just be here chilling with my boy, but because now there’s a big group of us, we’re now considered a gang. And then you have the issue of do I play the safe card and conform to what they’re saying or do I stand up for myself and say “I’m not taking this anymore”. It’s a big struggle.
Alex was into music and may have even become an artist if he hadn’t went to jail – what would you do if not for acting?
Probably a radio presenter, I love music as well. I love music and I love to talk to people. So it just kind of makes sense. Yea definitely a radio presenter.
So, What would be the theme song for your life?
Haha! The theme song of my life? Um…at the moment M Huncho and Nafe Smalls – they have a song called 5 AM and Nafe Smalls goes…I can’t spit the lyric to you word for word but all in all that song is about starting at the bottom and working hard to get where you are today. That just resonates with me a lot.
What’s your favorite movie?
I have so many favorite movies…I think my favorite movie is probably Get Out. I think that’s a great movie. I’m in love with Daniel Kaluuya’s performance, and I just love Jordan Peele and I love Key & Peele as well. Key & Peele is great them sketches are lit. Yea I no I think my favorite film is Get Out….OR Inception.
What would be your superpower?
Teleportation, because i’m just lazy. I hate – I’m not a fan of walking – I can’t drive yet, especially when it’s cold, who wants to be walking and getting buses and public transport or spending money for cabs in the cold weather. So if I could just close my eyes and *snaps* get myself there quick, that’s me .
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