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Chiwetel Ejiofor is Red in the Belt
September 2, 2008

The last five years have seen actor Chiwetel Ejiofor work with an impressive array world-class filmmakers, including Ridley Scott (American Gangster), Woody Allen (Melinda and Melinda), Spike Lee (She Hate Me and Inside Man), Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things), Alfonso Cuarón(Children of Men) and, most recently, David Mamet, in Redbelt. The movie, a Mametian meeting of The Karate Kid and Ultimate Fighting Championships, was just released on DVD and Blu-ray by Sony.

 
“I’ve been a huge fan of David’s ever since I started acting; his plays were among the first I ever read,” the

London-born veteran stage actor Ejiofor told me in a phone interview last week. “I was sent the script by David, which I was really excited by. I thought it was a great part.”

 

Eijofor’s starring role in the film features him portraying the owner of a failing L.A. jujitsu academy who improbably finds himself in the movie business after he saves the ass of a Hollywood star (Tim Allen) in a nightclub brawl. Not surprisingly, the part required the actor to work on some jujitsu moves of his own.

 

“Mamet studied jujitsu for six years and he’s quite adept at it. I found it very challenging-- there was a lot to learn in a short period time,” Ejiofor said.  “The more you do jujitsu, the more you can get your head around it. It’s like a physical chess game. “I was very lucky as I had no injuries. I learned it and I did it for the film, but I don’t do it any more. Like any martial arts, it’s a huge commitment and I think it has to come from inside of you, not from a script.”

 

Posted by Laurence Lerman on September 2, 2008 | Comments (1)