In a recent interview, British actor John Boyega talked about the audition process for his first feature, the London-based Attack the Block, and if he’ll eventually make the leap to American movies.
“Attack the Block was the first thing I did so it was a mega experience for me,” Boyega recalled. “I got the call from my agent and he told me there was a film based in South London and it was about an alien invasion… I thought (the plot) was incredibly dumb but I still went to the audition. After that I just got recall after recall, it was a grueling process because they were, based on me, trying to match me with the other guys in terms of bonding and chemistry. I did 10 auditions and I finally got the part.”
Naturally, Boyega eventually came around on the plot, which centers around a gang that protects their neighborhood from alien invasion. “We got time to work on our character…” he explained. “It changed and got better as we moved along because I found friendships, I kind of had a vague vision of who was going to get cast and just based on chemistry and great acting ability from the other guys, there was so much talent in the room, but it was amazing, a great experience.”
Boyega stars alongside Jodie Whittaker, Nick Frost and Luke Treadaway in the horror comedy, which arrived in U.K. theaters in May. He’s also attached the the upcoming Junkhearts, a drama about an ex-soldier.
“With us it’s trying as much as possible to go where the medium is at and point blank that’s Hollywood,” said Boyega about his big-screen aspirations. “I’ve seen American movies, I’ve been inspired by American actors as much as British actors and that transition to America has already been in the works.”
via The Wall Street Journal
