4 minute read
Q&A WITH FISAYO AKINADE
Fisayo Akinade
Fisaye has had a varied career playing the role of Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet at the National, Khalil in the hit TV series Atlanta alongside Donald Glover, and Dean in Russell T Davies’ drama Cucumber. He has also recently starred along side Dev Patel in the movie The Personal History of David Copperfield.
Q&A
How young were you when you realised you wanted to be an actor? I had always acted when I was younger but it had always been more of a hobby than anything else. I would go to Drama Drop in at Contact Theatre and attend workshops at The Royal Exchange in Manchester, then later I became a member of the Contact Young Actors Company. I loved my time in those theatres and the things they taught me, but (despite loving it and wanting to do it) I didn’t consider acting a valid profession until much later. I’d settled on the idea of being a drama teacher instead. When I was in college I went to see a production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the Royal Exchange. It was the first time I’d seen more than one or two Black people on stage at the same time and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s performance as Levee in particular really inspired me. Not long after, I told my parents that I wanted to pursue acting professionally, I auditioned for drama schools and got a place on my second attempt.
What reaction did you get when you told your family you wanted to become an actor? My parents on the whole have been incredibly supportive. Of course they had their worries. Being an actor is an unstable career at the best of times and they didn’t want to see me struggle (I did struggle, but that’s another story) but I think them seeing my passion for it and seeing how hard I was prepared to work put them at ease.
Do you remember who gave you your first break and what was it? My first proper job was playing The Boy in Waiting for Godot at what is now called the Leeds Playhouse but back then was the West Yorkshire Playhouse. I’ve worked there a few times and it always felt like home. Waiting for Godot was a Talawa production with Patrick Robinson and Jefferey Kissoon playing the leads. It was an amazing experience. I asked our director if I could sit in on rehearsals. From my little corner in that rehearsal room I learned a great deal from those two, and Guy Burgess who played Lucky.
In your career you have played with some of the top theatre companies. Can you describe what it feels like to be staring at the National or playing at the Globe? I really love working at the National. It’s such an iconic building and it’s the place everyone wanted to work when I was at drama school. Having my first job there in Barber Shop Chronicles was very special. There’s no better place to work than the National in the Summer.
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What have been your most satisfying role/s to date? The most satisfying roles are the ones that push you beyond what you thought you were capable of. The roles that you’re intimidated by. The most satisfying moments for me have always been when I’ve looked at a role and thought, I can’t do this, and then have done it anyway. Coming out at the other end and saying I did it is the most satisfying feeling. Then, of course there are characters that are just fun to play. Dean in Cucumber/Banana, Samuel in Barber Shop Chronicles, Eros in Anthony and Cleopatra. I feel very lucky to have the job I do.
What medium do you enjoy the best… live theatre, television, or the movies? I will, I think, always prefer theatre to anything else. It’s the most alive. That connection you have with a live audience can’t be beaten. I enjoy screen and the stuff they can do with film now is incredible but theatre will always be my favourite.
Through the Black Lives Matters movement, do you feel the entertainment industry is now opening up to more jobs for Black artists, and technicians? Things are changing and there are more positions opening up. I do feel though, that it’s all still happening too slowly. The issues that are being addressed now aren’t new. While it’s great that things are beginning to improve we have to make sure that these new jobs and roles actually help bring about the changes we want to see, ensure that they aren’t just for optics or friendly pats on the back, but actually open up space for real change.
If you were a young Black actor starting out at drama school, what advice would you give them to further their career? I think my main piece of advice would be to practise patience, it can take time. Work hard, be kind, and have interests outside of acting.
