Forest Whitiker: Demanding Respect

The good ones always put their stamp on at least one role. Al Pacinos is Scarface. Denzels is Malcolm X. Forest Gump is Tom Hanks. Last King of Scotland is Forest Whitakers crown jewel. Memorable beyond conception as late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, Whitaker takes the camera by the throat and doesnt think of relinquishing it until the credits role. If you know anything about Amin poor boy who becomes a solider in the British-financed army and ultimately takes over the East African nation and kills several hundred thousand after bouts of paranoia- you know youre not supposed to care much about the guy. On the other hand, if you know anything about Whitaker Texas boy who would star in Platoon and Panic Room and direct Waiting to Exhale and Ghost Dog- you know you wont be able to keep yourself from staring at the screen.

Those whove seen LKOS are already talking Oscar. Were talking about it, too, but in the context of how Forest Whitaker is handling the hype and what it truly means to be putting his stamp on this larger-than-life personality.

How did this LKOS project begin?

It started with Lisa Bryer and Andrea Kalder. They gave me the book about five years go. I liked it. There wasn't a director. Years later Kevan became involved. I met with him and worked with him and decided I wanted to play the part.

Did you look forward to playing Idi Amin?

I didn't have an image of him other than a sort of postage stamp-like image of this sort of mad general dictator or whatever. When I was looking at the project, it was like an opportunity to explore. As an artist, it was a great opportunity to get to play a character like that and explore him as a person. I thought it was a great opportunity.

What did you learn in the research?

I knew he wasn't the caricature I had seen him be. I knew he was a complete human being. I just had this image of what they projected to me. I have to take things like that with a grain of salt. The minute that you decide to find a guy -when he comes into a room, he likes to use the bathroom first or he likes to take showers in the cold or he likes to go to this theater- all of a sudden he becomes more complete. I knew I didn't have any impressions of that. So, for me, it was kinda like a great opportunity to explore it and
understand it and that's what I did....I started first in L.A., with the Swahili. I thought that was really important. I wanted to make myself believe in my head that English was my second language, you know? I started working on the dialect and the accordian. Then I just started studying all the books; there are just so many books about him, documentaries and tapes. He was a show-man. He loved the press. You could get so much material. Then, when I got to Uganda, I met with his brother, his sister, his general, his ministers, his girlfriends. Everybody in Uganda who's like 20 or 30 and above has a personal experience with Idi Amin. They'd see him. They watched him on the streets. They knew him. This was 1979 when he left power. You talk to everyone and they're explaining their views and their opinions on the man. You're traveling around and
you're eating and you're understanding the customs.

What was most difficult about the role?

Trying to find the spirit in this guy took a lot of work. I worked really hard, trying to figure it all out. I was doing it all the way through. I wanted to make it so that anything I do is the way I believe this man would behave. It's really like accessing the spirit of the person. For me, acting is a lil' like a spiritual experience, so for me, I'm deeply searching for a connection inside of myself to look for the places. I'm also looking for the energy inside of myself to, hopefully, play the character. That's a process that takes work...There were so many technical things I had to master. I had to lower to his register. I was trying to understand the dialect. I think all of that stuff helped me to figure out the character; it was like an aid. At least I had a direction I was trying to go in. I was continually searching, so I didn't stop for the concern. Even while I was shooting, I was still doing research. If we were off, I would go to the top of the hill and go, "I'm going to go to this mosque 'cuz he used to go to this mosque." Or "I'm going to go meet this guy 'cuz he knows him." Or "I'mma call his son and he'll meet me." It was like that up to like the very last day of the shoot. I was still doing work and research. That's something I was searching for throughout the whole process.

What did his family say?

They were really apprehensive at first. First, we met with this minister -I didn't know he was a minister at the time- and he was going to bring me to him. He finally decided he was going to bring us there. His brother wouldn't talk to us. Finally, I pulled out this letter I had in my pocket from the president's office saying we had permission to shoot from there. For him, that was most important. Finally, we sat underneath this tree and he started telling me these stories about Amin growing up. He was extremely poorhe and his sister. The house they lived in was full or mortar holes; it had been blown up by troops. He was just trying to survive.

Howd you make him so likeable at times?

I wasnt trying to make him likeable. Really, if you look at all the tapes, hes an extremely charming guy. He was extremely well liked. The reason he made the coup was because he was becoming so popular with the people that Obote, the president, wanted him away. He was popular with the British. The British brought him to Sanhurst to train him. The Israelis brought him to teach him paratrooping. He was friends with Golden Maier. He was very popular. Even as the atrocities started to happen, even as the paranoia started to happen, with the press he was extremely popular. They were more interested in reporting on his antics, partying, behavior and costumes than they were on what was going on in the country until it was really deep into the horrors of his reign.

What did you learn about Uganda and Amin?

Most people see him as this savage who has nothing to offer. If you talk to Ugandans, they have a very, very mixed point of view about Idi Amin. One person might say that [Amin] killed his cousin and then, on the other hand, say, But I wouldnt be [working] in this hotel or I wouldnt have this job if Idi Amin hadnt been here." This is something that I was struggling with and trying to understand. [This was] something I didnt know. I didnt know what the behind-the-scenes issues were. I spoke to an East Indian scholar. He had amazingly positive things to say. Hes third-generation Ugandan! He felt like he helped the country immensely. That was confusing to me, too. He did kick the Asians out of Uganda. He gave them, like, 90 days. But they did control, like, 80-90% of the economy. When they got kicked out, the Ugandans had to scurry around and try to figure out how to run their businesses and stuff. They were floundering for some time, but today theyre businessmen. Even the theatre. It was ran by the expatriates. So, when you kick the English out, they started a radio station. The radio station auditioned plays and you take the plays and put them in a theatre Ugandan theatre starts to flourish. So, you have these mixed feelings.

What did you learn about the people?

Uganda is a very green, lush place. As a result, theres not a lot of old, ancient buildings. The climate destroys them. So, you find out about [the place] by going to peoples homes and eating with them and listening to them and watching them interact with their children. Just the generosity that they have in trying to be friends and open their lives to you. For me, thats what I got the most. They took me around to so many places. They took so much care. It was really important to them that I understood as much as I could about the place and the people. I left there with a feeling of love. I didnt know much about Barchists army to the north. Theyve worked through more so than other countries on the issue of AIDS. They have this country thats really helped it out. Its a budding economy. Its a people thats striving to educate and move forward. I wish I could summarize it all.

Are you a shy person?

Yeah, I really think Im more of an internal person.

Why did this story have to be told through the eyes of a white doctor?

The Idi Amin story is very complicated because hes a product of Western intervention. He was trained by the British as a soldier. They brought him to different places, advanced him in the country and even put him into the presidency. So, its kinda difficult to really tell the story without dealing with that. I think that Nicholas represents the West, the ravaging West. He comes in and, as Idi Amin says, to screw and to take away. Is that what you came here for? There are other people whove killed more people. There are others in Africa and western parts of the world [whove done it]. I think that the fact that this black man stood up and said British get out! Israelis get out! is why people are so caught up and fascinated by him. As a result, its important to understand what he was torn with. He was brought up in Africa, but he was embracing certain traits from the west. Its a lot about this clash of cultures.

Some people have complained the pictures from South Africa in the 80s and 90s were always shown through white eyes.

Obviously, its based on the book, know what I mean? In the case of this book, this story is about foreign cultures and the clash of cultures and cultures coming in and imposing their thoughts and their will and the monsters that are created from that. In this case, I think that Nicholas is not brought in as a hero. Hes a very flawed character. I think that what it does do He enters into this life- is that you do go into the intimate side of a human being. There have been, maybe, three other movies about Idi Amin. Nicholas character in some ways has to react to the world that he walks in to.

Speak on your longevity.

Yeah, its been a while. I think I always try to do stuff that I really believed in. I was lucky that the things that I chose did well. Some of them were risky choices. No one wanted to do The Crying Game when I was doing it. Nobody financed it. Nobody wanted to be involved with it. People were trying to get me to not go to Manila to do Platoon. Nobody wanted us to go. Even now, with Idi Amin, people asked me, Why do you want to play this character? Why am I showing this monster from the African continent?" I have my point of view on it. I thought it would be a good thing. I just make my choices with my heart.

How do you calm down after playing such a role?

At the end of the movie, on the last day, I have a lil bit of a ritual: I take a shower and kind of wash the character away as much as I can. I kinda yell his voice out of me so I can kinda get my voice back. In this case, I was lucky. I dont remember what movie I did [after LKOS], but I had another movie to go do. When I got back home, I started working on another character. That helped me get rid of him. Thats real important.

Is it hard to find the parts that give you the richness that this one has?

Id like about four movies to come out. I stopped acting about five years. I was just directing and producing. About two years ago, I started acting again. All different kinds of movies. I did an animated thing with Spike Jonze. Its called Where the Wild Things Are. Its based on the book. I did this movie in Mexico recently [called Vantage Point], which is kind of an action thriller with William Hurt and Dennis Quaid. Its about the assassination attempt of the president told from the point of view of different people in the same 15 minutes of time. I did a Chinese parable [called The Air I Breathe]. I play Happiness. Kevin Bacon plays Love. Brendan Shepherd plays Pleasure. Sarah Michelle-Gellar plays Sorrow. Its about how our lives interact when Happiness meets Pleasure and runs into Sorrow and what happens in their lives. Im just kinda doing whatever I feel. Hopefully, itll be okay.

Are your roles getting more spiritual?

I think were all people on a journey.

Theres already a buzz about the Oscars. Hows that feel?

I dont know. Im happy people like my work enough to say that. I hope itll make people go and see the movie. I think, other than that, I kinda just have to let it be. I was working on The Shield earlier this year and everybody was writing that I would be nominated for an Emmy. Everybody said, If it doesnt happen Im going to be so upset. I wasnt even nominated.

Why did you act, go to directing and come back to address?

I enjoy directing. When I left college I started directing my friends on stage. Then I started directing music videos. Originally, when I first left college, my first professional job was when I wrote a script in college. Its a part of me. It just comes about. It just happens. Im just telling stories and stuff.

Are you a better actor from your directorial roles?

Acting helps me as a director because it helps me understand the acting process and it helps me help other actors. I think directing can be detrimental to acting. Im already a kind of considerate artist, so whenever theres a problem on the set and all of this is going on, sometimes I think you can become too reasonable. I think people want you to at least know when you need to stand strong, you know what I mean? Sometimes you say, Oh, Im not going to be able to do this. Oh, we gotta get a new location. The lights are going. Instead of that [you should say], I need to do it one more time! I need to do it one more time! They dont know that one more time could be something extraordinary. But sometimes I think I can lose sight and be like, Oh, Ill be in my trailer. When you guys work it out, call me.

Was Idi Amin spiritual?

I think Idi Amin, in the classical sense of spirituality, became more in-touch with his belief system when he went to Saudi Arabia when he left Uganda. He became much more than a practicing Muslim. The legend is that his father was a Christian teacher actually. All through his reign he reference spiritual things. Idi Amin, all through his reign, referenced spiritual things . Idi Amin would always say, that I had a dream. All through his reign he was always saying something like that. [Amin said] I know the moment of my death. Nobody can kill me. Thats true. He believed that. I think that he truly believes that. I dont think that was something that he was making up. He believed he could see his death. He believed in his dreams and he believed in his destiny.