A
minute with: Dev Patel talks politics, typecasting
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[May 05, 2017]
DUBAI (Reuters) - "Lion"
star Dev Patel talked to Reuters this week about his
views on politics, typecasting in the film industry and
his next film project.
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Patel was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award at
this year's Oscars for his role in "Lion," the tale of an Indian
boy adopted by Australians who sets out to find his long-lost
family.
Patel was speaking at the Chivas Icon awards ceremony in Dubai,
where he was honored for his #Lionheart campaign, which works
with underprivileged children in India and elsewhere.
Here are excerpts of his interview with Reuters:
Q: We're seeing countries across the world close borders - what
do you make of it all?
A: Well I'm a product of immigrants. So if you ask me about
migration or integration or freedom to travel within borders I'm
very pro-that...
There are voices of division, divisive voices and negative
voices. But through our art and films such as "Lion" and many
other films this year - "Moonlight" for instance - we can break
down those barriers of prejudice.
Q: You’ve spoken before about your issues with being typecast
into roles, how big a problem is it for you?
A: That is something that actors such as myself have to
constantly try and defend, you know just playing who we are...
I feel really proud of being able to be a part of representing a
diverse cinema and that's breathing life into diverse stories so
that people that look like myself have something to aspire to on
screen."
[to top of second column] |
Q: What's the motivation behind your #Lionheart campaign?
A: There are 80,000 children that go missing on the streets of India
every year, and there are about 11 million children in total on the
streets. And what we're doing is breathing life into one of those
stories.
Q: Your next film looks at the Mumbai terror attacks. Are you
worried about how it might be received?
A: That story in particular really affected me because at the end of
"Slumdog Millionaire" we danced on this train platform... And during
those attacks you know a gunman walked into that station and
unloaded an AK 47 (assault rifle) on to hundreds of travelers...
So when there were talks of a story going to be made, a film going
to be made I really wanted to be a part of breathing life into that
and making sure it is done with a level of humanity and sincerity.
(Reporting by Nawied Jabarkhyl, writing by Mark Hanrahan in London;
editing by John Stonestreet)
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